Bedford Falls Foundation awards school $2.2 million
April 13, 2026
The Bedford Falls Foundation — DAF recently made a gift to the School of Nursing of $2.2 million to support prelicensure nursing scholarships and a student success program.
The funding will establish a scholarship for junior and senior Bachelor of Science in Nursing students with unmet financial need, awarding $1.8 million over four years. Each year, 60 students will receive scholarships and will be recognized as Conway Scholars.
The gift from the Bedford Falls Foundation will also support the creation of the Supporting Wellness and Academics in Nursing School (SWANS) program. SWANS will provide targeted, coordinated support to students identified as needing additional assistance for NCLEX success. By integrating wellness and academic interventions, SWANS aims to remove barriers to success, strengthen student resilience and improve overall outcomes.
“We are profoundly grateful to the Bedford Falls Foundation for this visionary gift. At a time when the nursing workforce shortage is a critical national challenge, this investment allows us to reduce the financial barriers that too often stand between talented students and their future in nursing,” says Dean Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAMCI, FNAP. “We are joining a vibrant community of schools supported by the Bedford Falls Foundation, and we look forward to the collective impact we can achieve together.”
The Bedford Falls Foundation and its related donor advised fund were 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 in 1997. The shared mission of their nursing philanthropy is to remove financial barriers to a high-quality nursing education and support educational partners in addressing the critical nursing workforce shortage.
“Seeing the difference that nurses make gives me great satisfaction,” says Bill Conway. “We are pleased to support the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in helping students become future nurses.”
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