Bill Conway Jr. and Joanne Barkett Conway (in memoriam), Founders of the Bedford Falls Foundation, and the Bedford Falls Foundation—DAF, a donor-advised fund advised by the foundation, have made a transformative, everlasting impact on the profession, and in turn health care, through their sizeable, dedicated philanthropic focus on nursing.

Guided by a shared vision of compassion and opportunity, their philanthropy has uplifted countless lives through the advancement of nursing education. Mr. Conway is distinguished for his $1 billion pledge to end the nursing shortage and has advanced this goal through generous gifts to 45 nursing schools to date at various colleges and universities such as The Catholic University of America, Villanova University, University of Maryland, University of Iowa, and Winston-Salem State University, among others. The Foundation has supported thousands of nursing students, who often graduate debt-free and choose to serve in settings where need is the greatest—public health departments, community clinics, homeless shelters, and prisons—guided by a belief that all people are worthy of compassion and care. Thus far, the Bedford Falls Foundation has distributed over $450 million in funding with another $162 million committed—the majority, 65%, of which is specifically dedicated to nursing. The other 35% of funding will go towards supporting organizations providing healthcare, housing, food, and sustainable living-wage opportunities.

Mrs. Conway, who passed away in 2024, although not a nurse, was the driving force behind the focus on the nursing profession after she had a memorable exchange with a waitress who was an aspiring nurse and struggling to pay for her nursing degree. Mr. Conway credits her as the architect of their vision to empower individuals with opportunities to build fulfilling careers. To help address the nursing faculty shortage, the Conways also launched the Center for Future Faculty, a collaboration between several D.C. area universities, to prepare nurse educators with necessary skills to succeed in the academic nursing field.

The Bedford Falls Foundation has extended its mission beyond scholarships to include investments in childcare, emergency student assistance, and programs to mentor aspiring educators. In recognition of their support, the Conways have received honorary doctorates from the Catholic University of America, home to The Conway School of Nursing, Trinity Washington University, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit. Mr. Conway was inducted as an honorary member of Sigma Theta Tau. He is also a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins Medicine.Through their unparalleled generosity, the Conways have transformed the future of nursing, ensuring that the profession remains not only resilient but deeply humanistic for generations to come.