Martha Rodriguez Scholarship Fund Grant

Martha Rodriguez Scholarship Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Nurses Educational Funds Inc.
Last Updated: March 24, 2026

Summary

Overview

Note: Applicants MUST have a minimum of two semesters of study remaining after notification of award in early June (i.e. summer and fall; fall and spring).NEF Scholarships are awarded directly to the successful applicants and not to their college or university. Nurses Educational Funds Nurses Educational Funds, Inc. depends solely on donations to advance our only mission, to promote nursing leadership through annual scholarship support for professional nurses seeking masters and doctoral degrees in nursing education, practice, research, and administration. NEF’s only purpose is to provide nursing scholarship assistance to make graduate level nursing education possible. NEF is one of the largest, national, private, professionally endorsed source of funds for advanced nursing study with over one hundred years of service to and for professional nursing. NEF is a non-profit organization with 501(c) status. Martha Rodriguez Scholarship Fund Martha Rodriguez Memorial Scholarship was initiated in 2025 by Lisa Ackerman, close friend and then Director of the Columbus Citizens Foundation. Raised in Gary, Indiana and a true New Yorker, Martha died as the result of traumatic head injuries from a tragic accident just outside her NYC apartment. Martha Rodriguez gave in life, working as a nurse helping patients navigate the trauma of breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In her death, she was lauded by the President of LiveOnNY, an organization that coordinates and oversees organ donations, for her last selfless act of giving. Martha donated organs that gave life and hope and helped three people lead better lives. Her zest for life was contagious, and her dedication, compassion, and expertise left an indelible mark on the lives of countless MSKCC patients and caregivers. She was a friend and mentor to many. She loved being a nurse at MSKCC and worked for more than 28 years as a nurse practitioner and for the last 15 years of her life dealing with breast cancer patients. This scholarship is awarded to nurses studying in master's or doctoral programs who are dedicated to oncology care, or women’s health, or are Latinx nurses.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. General RequirementsThe following requirements must be met by ALL applicants:Current RN license/Registration with current expiration date, from any state within the USA RequiredCurrent national professional nursing association membership with a current expiration date – such as the American Nurses Association, or specialty organization and/or evidence of international honor society membership (Sigma Theta Tau International).You will be asked to upload a copy of your membership card.Proof of current citizenship or legal residency status, such as:United States Passport (biographic page) with current expiration dateBirth CertificateNaturalization Certificate from the USCISPermanent Resident (Green) Card with current expiration date Specific RequirementsMaster’s degree applicant must haveCompleted a baccalaureate degree in nursing (or the equivalent requirement if enrolled in an “entry” level Master’s program).Enrolled either full or part-time in a professionally accredited nursing program.Completed at least 12 graded credits (pass/fail & satisfactory credits are not counted) of the master’s program at the time the application is submitted.Maintained a minimum GPA of 3.6.Doctoral degree (PhD, DNP, DNAP, EdD) applicant must have:Completed a bachelor’s and master's degree.Enrolled either full or part-time in a professionally accredited nursing program.Completed at least 12 graded credits (pass/fail & satisfactory credits are not counted) of the program at the time the application is submitted.Maintained a minimum GPA of 3.6.Accelerated BSN to Doctoral (PhD, DNP, DNAP, EdD) applicant (includes student without a master's degree in nursing)Enrolled full or part-time in a professionally accredited nursing program.Completed 40 graded credits (pass/fail & satisfactory credits are not counted) of the program at the time the application is submitted.Maintained a minimum GPA of 3.6. Accredited Graduate Nursing Programs including but not limited to master's or DNP nursing programs, are those programs that are accredited by the following:Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC); New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE); or other recognized American Nursing College or School of Nursing Accrediting bodies. A Nursing Program is defined here as:A graduate (master’s or doctorate) nursing program that is in a Department/School/College/University of Nursing granting graduate nursing degrees.If the applicant is enrolled in a dual degree program, one of the dual degrees must be in graduate (master’s or doctorate) nursing, granted by a nursing department/school/college/university and both of the degrees must be awarded simultaneously at the end of the program. An articulation agreement within the university or between two colleges in which degrees are given at different completion dates are ineligible (both of the degrees must be awarded simultaneously at the end of the program).

Ineligibility

A student in post-graduate certificate program is not eligible for an NEF Scholarship