# South Alabama Wins $2.15 Million Grant for Nursing Workforce Program

The university’s EMPOWERED initiative will expand support and mentorship for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

By Will Langan | 24X7 News
Published: 2026-10-27T06:01:34.481Z
Updated: 2026-10-27T06:01:34.481Z
Section: Health
Format: News
Canonical: https://24x7news.us/articles/south-alabama-empowered-nursing-grant-october-2026

Launch Catch-Up — Award Announced October 26, 2026

The University of South Alabama said October 26 that its College of Nursing received a four-year, $2.15 million federal grant to support workforce development and broaden access to nursing education.

The Health Resources and Services Administration award funds EMPOWERED, a program focused on students from economically and geographically vulnerable backgrounds.

The university plans to strengthen recruitment, retention, graduation and employment outcomes. Academic, social and financial support will accompany expanded mentorship, including efforts to recruit and retain faculty and clinical preceptors.

Associate professor Jo Ann Otts leads the project. The university said its goals extend to preparing nurses for healthcare needs in South Alabama and the Gulf Coast region.

The grant comes through HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce. The announcement describes funding and planned support; it does not quantify scholarship awards to individual students or show that the program’s workforce goals have already been achieved.

Sources:
University of South Alabama — October 26 grant announcement: https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/publicrelations/pressreleases/aroundsouth/102626empoweredgrant.html

## Sources
- University of South Alabama — October 26 EMPOWERED award: https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/publicrelations/pressreleases/aroundsouth/102626empoweredgrant.html