The Illinois Nurses Foundation has reopened its License Plate Grant Program with a redesigned structure and simplified application process focused on helping nurses move ideas from concept to implementation.
The updated program provides three levels of funding, giving applicants the opportunity to select the grant category that best matches the size, scope, and stage of their project. Funding supports projects that advance nursing practice, education, leadership, research, work environments, and patient care across Illinois.
What’s New?
INF redesigned the Grant Program to make funding opportunities easier to understand and the application process easier to navigate.
Changes include:
• Three clearly defined grant categories based on project scope and funding needs
• A new Seed Grant option for nurses who want to test or develop an early-stage idea
• A simplified electronic application process
• Two funding cycles each year
• A standardized, fair, and impartial review process
Find the Grant That Fits Your Project
Seed Grants, Up to $500
Seed Grants provide an entry point for early-stage ideas and preliminary work. Funding supports pilot studies, feasibility projects, preliminary data collection, demonstration projects, and other work needed to develop a larger nursing initiative or future funding proposal.
Nurses who successfully complete a Seed Grant remain eligible to apply for future INF Small or Large Grants.
Small Grants, Up to $1,500
Small Grants support projects focused on improving nursing practice, education, leadership, work environments, quality improvement, and patient care.
Eligible applicants include clinicians, APRNs, nurse administrators, nurse educators, and nurses enrolled in RN to BSN, graduate, or doctoral programs.
Large Grants, Up to $5,000
Large Grants support projects with a broader scope, greater organizational impact, or more extensive research and implementation needs.
Funding opportunities include nursing research, quality improvement, leadership development, educational initiatives, new approaches to care delivery, collaborative research, interdisciplinary projects, and multi-institutional initiatives.
Have an Idea? Apply.
You do not need to start with a large research study or systemwide project.
You might have an idea for improving patient care. You might want to test a new approach in your practice setting. You might need preliminary data before pursuing a larger project. You might be developing a research, education, leadership, or quality improvement initiative.
INF wants to help Illinois nurses move those ideas forward.
The lead applicant, principal investigator, or project manager must be an Illinois resident. Healthcare and educational organizations applying for funding must have a presence in Illinois.
Apply for the October 2026 Funding Cycle
Applications will be accepted through October 20, 2026.
Grant awards will be finalized by the end of the year.
Explore the available grants, review the application requirements, and submit your application:
https://www.illinoisnurses.foundation/grant-opportunities/
Your idea could be the starting point for better nursing practice, stronger education, improved patient care, or new knowledge. INF invites you to take the next step.