Bedford Falls Foundation commits $1.6 million to support KU School of Nursing scholarships

The University of Kansas School of Nursing has received $1.6 million in support from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF to fund undergraduate nursing scholarships, increasing KU’s positive impact on the future of nursing for generations.

The gift from the Washington-D.C.-based donor advised fund will total $1.6 million, with $1.5 million dedicated to nursing scholarships for students seeking a bachelor’s degree in nursing at KU and $100,000 for a discretionary fund to use for students who may experience emergencies.

Historically, the Bedford Falls Foundation has focused their philanthropic efforts on nursing schools in the East and upper Midwest United States. Jean Foret Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, ANEF, dean of the School of Nursing, is thrilled that KU will join that esteemed group.
“The KU School of Nursing is so grateful for this transformational gift from Bedford Falls ,” said Giddens. “Nursing school is difficult, and for students with financial worries, it is even more challenging. Many KU nursing students can now confidently prepare to become nurses in our communities without the strain of worrying about how to pay for their education.”

KU school of nursing enrolled 390 students in the pre-licensure program during the 2025 academic year. Of those students, 75% demonstrate financial need and 20% are Pell-eligible. “Pell-eligible” refers to students who meet the criteria to receive a Federal Pell Grant, a need-based grant for undergraduate students who haven’t earned a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate financial need, as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). On average KU’s pre-licensure students graduate with nearly $28,000 in debt.

The average scholarship amount will be $5,000 per year, and approximately 175 students are expected to receive funds over the next four years.

KU’s School of Nursing has campuses in Kansas City, Kansas, and Salina, Kansas, as well as partnerships with eight community colleges. The undergraduate nursing program ranked 19 among all public nursing education programs in the United States in the “Best Colleges” rankings released by U.S. News and World Report, the top 5% of all public nursing schools and the number 1 program in Kansas.

The Bedford Falls Foundation, a private foundation, and the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF, its associate donor advised fund, were each established by Bill Conway Jr., co-founder and co-chairman of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group, and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway. The shared mission of their nursing philanthropy is to remove barriers to a high-quality nursing education and address the critical nursing workforce shortage.

“Our nation has a critical need for nurses and yet financial barriers prevent many prospective students from pursuing a nursing education,” said Conway. “I am fortunate to be able to help address that.  We are excited to support 175 KU nursing students graduate with less debt so they can focus on becoming the great nurses they are meant to become.”  

In a 2011 interview with the Washington Post, Bill Conway requested suggestions about how to create jobs for the poor and was inundated with responses. Conway decided the better course would be to help people qualify for employment, and Joanne Conway inspired the idea to support nursing. In 2012, he announced he would be giving $1 billion in philanthropic gifts for nursing education, initially in the Washington, D.C. region. The mission grew from there.  

“As Mr. Conway often says, nursing is a profession that can lift people out of poverty,” said Giddens. “Every time we invest in a nurse, we make an investment a person, a family, and the health and wellbeing of our communities.”