Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA–26-079
Eligibility
Program requirements
Application
Program-specific forms
Eligibility
Are students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), and in the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia (D.N.A.P.) programs eligible to receive Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) support?
Yes. Eligible nursing degree programs include advanced education master's and doctoral (Post-Ph.D., D.N.P.) nursing degree programs. Additionally, students enrolled in post-master's nursing certificate programs and Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) programs are eligible for NFLP funding.
Is a post-doctoral nursing certificate program offered by a regionally accredited university eligible for NFLP loan support?
Yes. The Ph.D. and post doctorate certificate programs must have appropriate approvals recognized by the institutional boards and committees, regional associations of higher education accreditation, (for example, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools) and the University's provost office. Applicants must submit an official letter of approval for all doctoral programs included in the project.
Are individuals eligible to apply for the NFLP grant?
No. Individuals are not eligible to apply for this grant.
What are the eligibility requirements for students receiving NFLP support?
A student borrower receiving support from grant funds under this program must:
- Be enrolled in an advanced nursing education degree program (including post-master’s nursing certificate and Clinical Nurse Leader programs)
- Maintain an acceptable level of academic standing (as determined by the academic institution)
A student borrower must be one of the following:
- A U.S. citizen or non-citizen national.
- An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the United States.
- Any other person defined as a “qualified alien” under section 431(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104-193, as amended.
Program requirements
Is an Institutional Capital Contribution required from the award recipient?
Yes. Cost sharing or matching is a legislative requirement for this program. If you receive an award, you must deposit an Institutional Capital Contribution (ICC). Your ICC is equal to not less than one-ninth of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) federal award amount, known as the Federal Capital Contribution (FCC). You must deposit your ICC in the NFLP loan fund account at the time you draw down the FCC.
Within sixty (60) days of receiving the FCC (federal award amount), withdraw the entire FCC amount and deposit both the FCC and your ICC (equal to not less than one-ninth of the FCC) into your interest bearing NFLP student loan fund amount.
Awardees will need to draw down the full FY26 NFLP award amount from the Payment Management System (PMS).
What sources of funds are required to be deposited into and maintained in the NFLP student loan account?
Institutions must conduct all loan activities through the student loan fund account which must contain the following:
- Federal Capital Contribution (FCC) loan dollars awarded
- Institutional Capital Contribution (ICC) matching amount (equal to not less than one-ninth of the FCC)
- Proceeds from the collections of principal and interest (repayment) on NFLP loans made from the fund
- Any other earnings on the loan fund such as interest borne on the account
Is the NFLP Project Director required to be a nurse?
No. The Project Director for NFLP must have a master’s degree (doctorate degree preferred), experience as an educator, and administrative expertise, including fiduciary oversight of loan funds and preparation and submission of Annual Performance Reports.
If the Project Director is not a nurse educator or administrator, then they must have direct affiliation with the accredited school of nursing at the institution. There may only be one Project Director for the NFLP project.
Can NFLP funds be used to cover the payroll or salary of the Project Director?
No. NFLP funds cannot be used to cover the payroll or salaries of project directors. NFLP loan support is only made to eligible students to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, lab expenses, and other reasonable education expenses (including student nurse educator development activities) for the duration of their course of study. NFLP funds may only be used for loan support except for covering the costs of collection of loaned principal and accrued interest or penalty, and cost of student nurse educator development activities as reasonable expenses.
Do students in the B.S.N. to Ph.D. or other bridge programs qualify for funds?
Yes. Students enrolled in a B.S.N. to Ph.D. nursing program are eligible for NFLP support after they are enrolled in the graduate-level portion of the program.
Does the NFLP require the student to be enrolled full-time or part-time?
Yes. Students who receive an NFLP loan must be enrolled either full-time or part-time in an eligible master’s, doctoral, or post-master’s education certificate program. The school will define the minimum for full-time or part-time status for the program as recorded by the Registrar’s office.
Application
How do I apply for the NFLP grant?
Applicants are required to apply electronically through grants.gov. Applicants will use the SF-424 R&R Application Guide that is accessible at grants.gov.
What application type should an institution submit if it has received NFLP funding in the past?
Schools that previously received NFLP funding must indicate "Continuation" as the type of application when completing the SF-424 R&R form in grants.gov, regardless of whether the school recently applied for and received funding in recent years.
Schools of nursing that have never received NFLP funding must indicate "New" as the type of application when completing the SF-424 R&R form in grants.gov.
Are current NFLP grantees required to apply annually?
No. Current participants are not required to apply annually. However, if a participant needs additional funds to provide loan support to nurse faculty students, they may apply for additional funds as a competing continuation.
Is there a threshold for current NFLP grantees with remaining funds to submit a request for additional funding?
No. Returning applicants will need to determine a process to identify the amount of funding they will need to support their continuing and new students receiving NFLP support. If the unused NFLP fund balance (remaining) is less than the amount needed to support the total number of projected student borrowers, NFLP would encourage the applicant to consider applying for additional funds under this grant opportunity. NFLP funds will be distributed among entities as formula-based awards according to data supplied in the application.
What is the maximum amount of funding a student borrower may receive during an academic year?
NFLP loan support cannot exceed $50,000 per student for any academic year.
Are there any funding priorities for the NFLP program?
Yes. Under the NFLP, a funding priority will be applied in determining the funding for approved applications that support doctoral nursing students (for example, Ph.D., DNP, and Ed.D. in Nursing Education). A funding priority is defined as a favorable adjustment of the formula that determines the amount of the grant award. Qualifying for a funding priority does not guarantee that your application will be successful.
What should be included in the "Maintenance of Effort" section of the application?
The Maintenance of Effort amount is calculated as the 1/9th of the Federal Capital Contribution (FCC) award being requested through the current application. For FY25 expenditures (actual), all applicants should indicate $0, as no NFLP awards were issued during the previous fiscal year (FY25). For the 2026 non-Federal expenditures, all applicants should indicate the estimated 2026 institutional contribution based on the Federal funds requested in your application.
Are continuing applicants required to include a Corrective Action Plan (CAP)?
No. Continuing applicants are ONLY required to submit a CAP for a Loan Default Rate (DR) greater than 5% as noted in their latest Annual Performance Report (NFLP 3 Form). New applicants and continuing applicants with a DR less than 5% are not required to submit a CAP.
Are NFLP recipients currently employed as nurse faculty credited for the service obligation while attending school?
No. NFLP student borrowers cannot fulfill their service obligation prior to graduation from the degree program. There is no "credit" for employment as nurse faculty while attending school.
What are examples of collaborative partnerships?
Applicants are expected to establish and describe the capacity that the school is willing to undertake in supporting students with obtaining employment. Applicants should provide evidence of planned and existing collaborative, academic-to-academic partnerships, and activities with entities that employ nurse faculty aimed at increasing networking and employment opportunities for NFLP student borrowers.
Examples of employment partnerships may include:
- Faculty mentoring opportunities
- Campus-based career resources that offer connections to employment agencies or services
- Required attendance at national nursing conferences
- Internal activities within the school
- Collaborative academic-to-academic partnerships and activities with external entities
Can you explain the academic partnerships request and if these are essential?
The partnerships are aimed at increasing networking and employment opportunities for NFLP student borrowers. Academic and academic practice partnerships are not required; however, they are highly encouraged. The Statement of Collaborative Academic/Academic- Practice Partnership is only required for applicants who plan to enter into such partnerships.
Program-specific forms
How should tuition information be entered for multiple APRN roles?
If your institution has more than one tuition, you must enter the average amount for one term with fees or expenses based on the required full-time credit hours. You must ensure that the amount entered will be adequate to cover the cost for all your student borrowers.
What is the appropriate process for entering enrollees who are not listed in Table E.4, NFLP Enrollees by Practice?
For any Nurse Practice Specialty not listed under Table E.4, you can use the "other" row to report on your NFLP Enrollees by Degree and Specialty.
Can unused NFLP funds be used or disbursed in the following academic year?
Yes. However, schools should attempt to use the loan funds during the current academic period. Schools are permitted to retain unused (not disbursed) NFLP funds in the institutional loan fund account without fiscal year restrictions for making additional loans in future academic periods.
Are we required to submit a page that says "Not Applicable" if the attachment does not apply?
No. You should NOT include information that is not applicable. Submitting a page that states "Not Applicable" may put your application at risk of exceeding the 50-page limit.
What dates are required for reporting graduates and graduates employed as nurse faculty under Section 3 of the Specific Data Form?
When completing the NFLP Specific Data Form, applicants must first select the current fiscal year date of 2026 at the top of the form under Part 1. After selecting the current fiscal year date, the dates will Auto-populate on the form for Part 3: Sections E.1, E.2, and E.3. Do not skip ahead.
How do we determine a student’s part-time enrollment?
The determination of part-time or full-time enrollment status is based on institutional policies. The school makes the decision about what constitutes part-time or full-time enrollment status, including semester sequence.