Three projects have been awarded a total of $537,000 as part of the 2025 grant cycle 

SACRAMENTO, CA—July 3, 2025— The Foundation for California Community Colleges (FoundationCCC) recently announced its 2025 Nursing Education Investment Grants Program awardees. This year’s funds are supporting projects that work towards accelerated pathways for individuals to become registered nurses, as well as the creation of new and enhanced tools for clinical training.

In total, $537,000 was awarded to three projects led by California community colleges. These include: 

• Cabrillo College, “Future-Ready Nursing: Expanding Opportunities for a Diverse Workforce”:  Proposes a comprehensive curriculum overhaul to embed diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as foundational elements of nursing education. Building on past efforts to enhance racial diversity in simulation, this project integrates, across coursework and clinical training, improvements to prepare future nurses to understand and help address disparities in patients’ health outcomes. Grant funds will support expert consultation and faculty release time. The project also strengthens pathways for registered nurses (RNs) to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), promoting equitable career advancement.
• Chabot College, “Establishing a Strong Start: Nursing Summer Bridge Pilot”: Following the success of Chabot’s prior funded implementation of holistic admissions, the Chabot Nursing Program now admits more diverse students with strong clinical experience but varied academic readiness. To build on this momentum and improve early persistence, this project proposes a Nursing Summer Bridge Program with student supports and a Summer Faculty Onboarding Session—targeted interventions designed to ensure students and faculty have a strong start.
• Mt. San Antonio College, “Using Virtual Reality and Simulation Scenarios to Enhance Clinical Competencies Among Associate Degree Nursing Students”: The proposed project will enhance Mt. San Antonio College’s virtual reality (VR) capabilities and provide opportunities for nursing students to practice their skills and gain clinical competencies. This includes engaging a Simulation Laboratory Specialist to provide technical support, developing in-house scenarios, and training faculty on the use of these innovative technologies. New VR and simulation scenarios will address topics such as suicide risk assessment, nursing fundamentals, and maternal-neonatal complications.

FoundationCCC awards Nursing Education Investment Grants to support projects that facilitate, coordinate with, or complement efforts to educate and train nurses through the California Community Colleges. Grant funding is provided by the Nursing Education Investment Fund established in 2005 through an agreement between FoundationCCC, WellPoint, Inc., and the Insurance Commissioner for the State of California. The fund is designed to benefit nursing education within the California Community College system. FoundationCCC maintains the fund and administers grantmaking.

More information about the Nursing Education Investment Grants Program, including past awarded projects and grantees, can be found on the FoundationCCC website.

###

The Foundation for California Community Colleges works to benefit students, colleges, and communities by accelerating paths to economic and social mobility, strengthening communities, and reducing barriers to opportunities for all Californians. FoundationCCC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1998. It serves as the official statewide nonprofit organization supporting the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation. For more information, visit www.foundationccc.org.