Chaminade Gets $2.2M to Expand Nursing Workforce

A federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant will fund outreach, scholarships and academic support for nursing students in Hawaiʻi.

Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Nursing Jobs

Low-rise modern campus building with louvered windows beneath green volcanic ridgelines and a clear blue sky in Hawaiʻi. — Chaminade University received a $2.2 million federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant to expand its nursing workforce pipeline in Hawaiʻi. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded Chaminade University $2.2 million for its Nursing Program. Chaminade is the only Hawaiʻi institution to receive an HRSA grant this year.

Why it matters

The funds are intended to address Hawaiʻi's nursing shortage by increasing enrollment, progression and graduation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The grant aims to bring more underrepresented students into the state's nursing pipeline.

The federal award totals $2.2 million, and Chaminade is the sole Hawaiʻi institution to receive an HRSA grant this year. The four-year undergraduate nursing degree is the program the funds will support, though the allocation among uses is not yet detailed.

The players

Health Resources and Services Administration

A federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that funds programs to expand access to health care and build the health workforce.

Chaminade University

A private Catholic university in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, whose Nursing Program is the recipient of this federal workforce grant.

The details

Funds will support outreach to underserved student populations in Hawaiʻi, scholarships, and expanded readiness modules and academic support for incoming nursing students. Recruitment messaging aimed at high school students is also planned under the grant, which is administered under HRSA's Nursing Workforce Diversity program.

This year: Chaminade became the only Hawaiʻi institution awarded an HRSA grant.

Market Landscape

The award places Chaminade among the few institutions drawing federal nursing workforce money under HRSA's Nursing Workforce Diversity program. It positions the university as the state's sole HRSA grantee this year in a competitive national pool.

Prospective nursing students from underserved Hawaiʻi backgrounds may gain access to scholarships, outreach and readiness support at Chaminade. The four-year nursing degree timeline gives students a defined path into the profession if they enroll.

The takeaway

Students considering nursing in Hawaiʻi can look to programs like Chaminade's, which pair scholarships with academic readiness support. Early enrollment and financial aid planning can make the four-year path more manageable.