Scholarships and Grants

St. Luke's Foundation's Patient Care Excellence Award Program recognizes health care providers who demonstrate outstanding achievement in their chosen field.

Eligibility

• Be scheduled at 32 hours per pay period in a St. Luke's Hospital-based department
• Award candidate is considered to "exceed expectations" or be a "role model" in their most recent Annual Performance Assessment
• Be nominated by a peer, manager, director or physician
• Complete the Awards Application

Nominations

Those nominating someone else for an award should fill out this nomination form. Please note: There are two awards applications. 

Please use the "edited" application for the following awards:

• CARE Service 
• Excellence in Behavioral Health - MH staff 
• Excellence in Behavioral Health - BH Support Staff
• Outstanding New Graduate
• Ron Mahany - Unlicensed Staff

Please use this application for the following awards:

• Anna Purna Ghosh Oncology Nursing Award
• Carrol H. & Lena Nelson Critical Care Award
• Dale & Ruby Morgan and Mable Ray Award
• Darrell Dennis Pulmonary Medicine Award
• Elaine Young Leadership Award
• Excellence in Behavioral Health Nursing Award
• Gail Stork Emergency Medicine Nursing Award
• LaMorgese Award for Excellence in Neurological Nursing 
• Nancy Lamb Skogsbergh & Edna Lamb Clinical Leadership Award
• Phil Award
• Ron Mahany Award – Licensed Staff
• Karma Smith Healthcare Pioneer Award
• Smulekoff Family Award for Nursing Excellence
• Social Worker Award
• Dr. Stephen & Peg Vanourny Award for Excellence in OB-GYN Nursing

Additional Information

The Awards provide funding to advance the Award Winner's healthcare skills so St. Luke's Health care can provide the highest level of care. Funding may be used for:

• State, regional or national conferences
• Webinars
• Continuing Education (CEU's)
• College Tuition
• College Books
• Books or publications related to field of work
• Donor Specific Request
• Specific department need/request if approved by department manager, foundation and donor

This Award was created by St. Luke's Auxiliary in 2018 to honor Ted Townsend and mark his contributions and accomplishments as President and CEO of St. Luke's Hospital. One of Mr. Townsend's greatest achievements was to build a culture of engagement among St. Luke's team members. This Award recognizes an outstanding UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids team member who embraces Mr. Townsend's spirit of transformational leadership. 

Like Mr. Townsend, this team member creates valuable and positive change within the team, hospital, healthcare system or community. This leader directs others through innovation, initiative and compassion. By expecting the best from everyone and pursuing improved ways to work together, this team member helps to deliver the healthcare we'd like our loved ones to receive. 

Award recipients receive financial support for academic courses, continuing education, educational conferences or professional certification. 

Eligibility

A team member in good standing of UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids working at least 32 hours a pay period. Members of the UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids family who are eligible for this Award, include:

• Abbe Center
• Helen G. Nassif Transitional Care Center
• Jones Regional Medical Center
• MedLabs
• St. Luke's Hospital
• Surgery Center of Cedar Rapids
• UnityPoint Clinics
• UnityPoint Information Technology
• UnityPoint Outpatient Hospice & Home Care
• UnityPoint at Home – Medical Equipment

Nominations

Completed Forms – Nominations are accepted as a hard copy or electronically. Please forward to Tonya Arnold, St. Luke's Foundation. 

Award nominations are due no later than May 2, 2023. 

UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Foundation's iGrant Program gives priority consideration to support innovative programs and equipment to enhance and strengthen the strategic framework of UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids. St. Luke's Foundation's iGrant is funded through WeCare, our annual employee giving campaign. Since 2013, the iGrant Program has provided more than $2 million of funding for hospital and clinic projects.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an iGrant, please complete the application and submit it to St. Luke's Foundation by June 30 at Noon. iGrant maximum request is $15,000.

Eligible entities for iGrant include all units/clinics of UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids:

• St. Luke's Hospital Departments
• AbbeHealth
• Jones Regional Medical Center (they use their own application)
• Helen G. Nassif Community Cancer Center
• MedLabs
• Surgery Center
• UnityPoint at Home and Hospice
• UnityPoint Health Information Technology (IT)
• UnityPoint Clinics (Eligible Clinics Include: Administration, Bowman Woods, Diabetes & Kidney Center, Downtown Pediatrics, Express Lindale, Express Peck's Landing, Gastroenterology, Hiawatha Internal Medicine, Hiawatha Pediatrics, Marion Family Medicine & Urgent Care, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Medical District, Multi-Specialty, Mt. Vernon, Northridge, Tower Terrace, Westside Urgent Care, Westdale Family Medicine & Pediatrics)

One application per unit can be awarded every 12 months. The term "unit" could be a:

• Nursing Unit like 5 Center
• Department like Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
• Work Group and/or Hospital-Wide Project like Safe Patient Handling
• Service like Fit Zone

Purpose

All projects should be compatible with iGrant's purpose to assist UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids to:

• Advance the quality of the patient and/or family care experience.
• Improve the care innovation and/or care delivery for our patients and their families.

iGrant Restrictions

• Education that can be funded through other opportunities from the Hospital or Foundation
• Travel Expenses
• Salaries and Benefits
• Routine infrastructure (Examples: floor coverings, construction costs, paint/wall coverings)
  Items that could be viewed as enticement (Example: equipment given to a patient to use in their home. This could include a scale, wheelchair, walker, etc.)

Application

The St. Luke's Foundation Rural Healthcare Grant Program supports:

• Equipment for emergency care in the pre-hospital environment
• Training for emergency personnel to gain or enhance their skills
• Basic, life-supporting training equipment such as Hand-Only CPR, Little Anne
• Mileage reimbursement for Transportation Programs

Eligibility

The 2023 St. Luke's Rural Health Care Grant Application is due on May 30, 2023 by 3 p.m. Applicants must reside in a rural community serving Benton, Cedar, Delaware, Iowa, northern Johnson, Jones and Linn counties. Eligible entities include Ambulance Services, Paramedics, Fire and Rescue Departments, Transportation Programs and First Responders. 

St. Luke's Foundation provides grants to:

• Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) tax status with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
• Organizations that are part of a governmental unit (county, city, etc.) Documentation is required. If an entity is not part of the main government, provide a copy of the 28E Agreement.

Matching Grant Guidelines

 Maximum grant request is $5,000. The grant will not fund more than 50% of the grant project. The grant is made on a matching basis whereby St. Luke's Foundation will award one dollar for every $1 raised between, January 1 to December 31 of the calendar year the grant is awarded. The deadline for matching this grant is December 31.

Application

Please consider a gift today to the Alumni Endowment or Charlene Allely Endowment to help us continue providing these invaluable scholarships.

Eligibility

St. Luke's School of Nursing Alumni are eligible to apply for scholarships to continue their education thanks to the Charlene Allely Revocable Trust. Alum may apply for $500 scholarships towards CEU registration fees. This scholarship can be used for travel or lodging needed to attend the CEU. The CEU scholarships may be applied for throughout the year and do not have be health related.

Alum choosing to continue their formal education are eligible for $500 scholarships. The scholarships do not have to be used towards health related coursework. Scholarships will be awarded according to the school year - usually twice yearly. Applicants may reapply annually for scholarships.

Nominations

Applications accepted anytime

Louisa Peak devoted her life to children and volunteering. Louisa was a long time teacher in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. She spent most of her career teaching and nurturing junior high (or middle school) students. While she was a teacher, Louisa also became an active volunteer in school activities, the community and at St. Luke's Hospital. When she retired, Louisa volunteered at St. Luke's Hospital 40 hours a week.

Louisa Peak was St. Luke's first 10,000 hour volunteer in 1978. When Louisa Peak passed away in 1981, her family created a scholarship in her honor. The Louisa E. Peak Scholarship was created to pay tribute to her two life interests: children and volunteering.

Eligibility

• The applicant must be an active student volunteer in good standing at St. Luke's Hospital.
• The applicant must be a graduating high school senior in good academic standing.
• The applicant must plan to enter a humanistic occupation such as teaching, healthcare or social work.

Nominations

The application is due March 6, 2023 at 3 p.m.

Eligibility

St. Luke's School of Nursing Alumni scholarships are awarded by the Alumni Association from funds held in the Alumni Endowment. This scholarship is available to alumni who are pursuing advanced nursing degrees or other health professions; graduates enrolled in a BSN program; alumni pursuing certification or advanced education in an non-traditional nursing or healthcare-related program; or to children or grandchildren of alumni who are enrolled in a health-related  field (with preference given to nursing). Recently, six awardees received Alumni Scholarships.

Nominations

This scholarship application is due on Friday, July 22, 2022.

St. Luke's Foundation's Scholarship Program provides scholarships to UnityPoint Health - Cedar Rapids team members to advance their educational and career goals.

Eligibility

• Be employed in an eligible UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids department.
• Be enrolled in an accredited college or university listed on the application for the 2023-2024 school year.
• Complete the application, the applicant is eligible for both the Foundation and Auxiliary scholarship programs.
• If you are currently employed in an eligible UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids department, continue to work for the organization for at least one year.

Nominations

• Due date: March 6, 2023 at 3 p.m.
• Application may be mailed via U.S. Post Office, hand-delivered or via inter-office mail.
• St. Luke's Foundation is located at 810 1st Ave. NE, 2nd floor.

Additional Information

The following is a list of individuals/organizations who have created scholarships at St. Luke's Foundation:

• Stephen W. Benda
• Natalie and Joe Cohn
• Opal Fagle
• Ted and Lillian Feder
• May B. Gortner
• Walter & Ida Kansky
• Dr. Roy & Bess Keech
• Beatha Kuntz
• Dr. E.L Mansfield
• Darla Moander
• Norma Newmeister
• Nursing Scholarship
• Dr. J. Stuart McQuiston
• Ann and Forbes Olberg
• Greta Schuchmann
• Dr. Charles and Ruth Schwartz
• St. Luke's Auxiliary
• Ted Townsend, Sr.
• Ted Townsend, Jr.
• Maxine VanHamme
• Grace Wormer
• Merle and Myrtle Yanecek
• Brian D. Zimmerman

St. Luke's Auxiliary provides scholarships to UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids volunteers or auxilians as well as a child of a UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids team member or auxilian who is pursuing a degree in nursing or other health profession.

Eligibility

• Be a Unity Point Health – Cedar Rapids volunteer or auxilian pursuing a degree in nursing or other health profession.
• Be the child of a UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids team member or auxilian pursuing a degree in nursing or other health profession.
• Applicant's parent/guardian must work in an eligible UnityPoint Health – Cedar Rapids department.
• Be enrolled in an accredited college or university listed on the application for the 2023 – 2024 school year. 

Nominations

• Due date: March 6, 2023 at 3 p.m.
• Application may be mailed via U.S. Post Office, hand-delivered or via inter-office mail.
• St. Luke's Foundation is located at 810 1st Ave. NE, 2nd floor.

Bob Yaw loved to brag that he started his friendship with St. Luke's when he was born at the hospital on December 20, 1913. Mr. Yaw became a leader at St. Luke's when he joined the hospital board. During his tenure, he saw a need for the hospital to have a Foundation.

His foresight led to the establishment of the St. Luke's Foundation in 1977. He took it upon himself to gather leaders from the Cedar Rapids area to build a Foundation that gave people the opportunity to make contributions and serve the healthcare needs of eastern Iowa. In 1998, he established the Yaw Scholarship to help children of St. Luke's Team Members. Since that date, hundreds of students have received funds to help them with their educational pursuits.

Eligibility

• The applicant's parent must be a St. Luke's team member working a minimum of 20 hours per week at St. Luke's at one of the eligible departments.
• The applicant must be graduating high school in good academic standing.
• The applicant must have plans to pursue additional education at a college, university or accredited technical business trade school. The applicant does not need to be pursuing a degree in a healthcare related field.

Nominations

The application is due March 6, 2023 at 3 p.m.