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The Michelle Cox RCN Foundation Anti-Racism Award opens for its second year

The Michelle Cox RCN Foundation Anti-Racism Award is a partnership between the RCN Foundation and Michelle Cox.

Background

Michelle is a Black nurse from Liverpool who was employed by NHSE&I Commissioning as a Continuing Healthcare Manager, based in Manchester from May 2017. Michelle, who has been a registered nurse of 25 years, made the decision to blow the whistle on poor practice in her service across the North of England, submitting a grievance which included discrimination by her manager.

Dissatisfied with the way her complaints of racism were handled, and certain she had been mistreated for whistleblowing, Michelle took her employer to industrial tribunal and won a landmark racial discrimination case. She was represented by the Royal College of Nursing.

Creating something positive

The opening of this award during Black History Month serves as a poignant reminder of the need to confront racism in all its forms. The annual grant will support a nurse or midwifery-led project which aims to oppose racism and promote racial equality within nursing and midwifery. 

Determined to create a positive legacy from the devastating impact that the legal battle had on her, Michelle worked with the RCN Foundation to create an award that aims to support nursing and midwifery staff to tackle anti-racism.

Funded projects will aim to transform unequal workplace relations that negatively impact individuals from the global majority. Projects will aim to build anti-racist workplaces and could include the development of webinars and virtual learning packages, global majority development programmes, reverse mentoring programmes and advocacy programmes.

Anti-Racism Toolkit 

The Anti-Racism Shared Decision-Making Council from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) were awarded the first Michelle Cox RCN Foundation Anti-Racism Award and will use the funding to undertake a project that will develop five educational videos for the UHCW Anti-Racism Toolkit e-learning module. The videos will seek to empower staff to tackle uncomfortable conversations around racism and help raise awareness, knowledge and confidence for UHCW staff in using the UHCW Anti-Racism Toolkit and support staff to further develop an anti-racist and inclusive workplace. The project has now begun and aims to be completed by Autumn 2024.

Applying for the award

The grant is open to registered nurses and midwives from across the UK that are RCN members.

Grants of £2,500 will be awarded annually through a competitive process.

The 2025 programme is due to open next October to coincide with Black History Month. Sign up to the RCN Foundation email newsletter to keep up to date on when our grants open.