Scholarship Sponsor Q&A: E4E Relief and the Brave of Heart Scholarship Fund

In the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, charities across America mobilized to provide assistance—and the nonprofit E4E Relief provided its first grants to help employers support their teams. Ever since, E4E Relief has built partnerships to provide charitable relief to individuals impacted by unforeseen disasters or challenges.

As of 2025, the organization has collaborated with more than 215 companies, including 57 in the Fortune 500, to provide a compassionate response in times of crisis. During the COVID-19 emergency, E4E Relief began working with Cigna and New York Life Foundation to provide financial relief to families of frontline health-care workers; that work expanded to include an educational support component, administered by Scholarship America.

Today, that scholarship has evolved into the Brave of Heart Nursing Scholarship, investing in the future of “compassionate, hands-on care.” Scholarship America is proud to administer the program as an E4E Relief Partner, and we spoke with E4E Relief’s VP and Director of Marketing & Partnerships, Ashley Wilson Oster, about the impact and growth of the scholarship.

Scholarship America (SA): First off, what’s your role with E4E Relief, and how does your work intersect with your scholarship initiatives?

Ashley Wilson Oster: As VP and Director of Marketing & Partnerships at E4E Relief, I oversee our strategic partnerships and help tell the story of how we’re making a difference in peoples’ lives during their most challenging moments. Our Brave of Heart scholarship initiative with Scholarship America represents a natural evolution of our relief mission. Scholarships allow us to provide longer-term support that helps families move forward. After COVID, the healthcare industry took a significant hit in numbers and a disruption to its workforce pipeline. Our ability to connect the dots of longer-term relief to those pursuing healthcare careers just made sense. With partners Cigna and New York Life Foundations, we’re able to ensure we’re reaching the families who need these educational opportunities most.

SA: E4E Relief’s history dates back nearly 25 years. Tell us a little about the origins of your organization, and the concepts behind Emergency Financial Relief.

Ashley Wilson Oster: For nearly 25 years – and because of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, E4E Relief has been the leading provider of charitable employee relief funds, rapidly responding to employee disaster and hardships on behalf of corporations. Our organization was founded on a simple but powerful concept: When tragedy strikes, people need immediate, accessible financial assistance. We recognized that companies wanted to help their employees during crises, but they needed an expert partner to handle the logistics, compliance and administration of relief programs. Our approach has always been to provide compassionate, rapid response while maintaining the highest standards of stewardship and accountability.

SA: What are some of the logistical and administrative challenges that E4E Relief helps partner companies overcome?

Ashley Wilson Oster: Company leaders manage several challenges when they want to support employees in crisis. First, there’s the complexity of compliance – ensuring relief programs meet IRS regulations and governance standards. Then there’s the challenge of rapid deployment during disasters when normal business operations may be disrupted. We also handle the sensitive process of verifying need while maintaining dignity for applicants, managing funds distribution and providing transparent reporting back to corporate partners. Additionally, we help companies navigate the emotional aspect – having trained staff who can provide compassionate support during what are often the worst moments of people’s lives.

SA: The Brave of Heart Fund was started by the Foundations of Cigna and New York Life. How did E4E Relief get involved, and how did you and the funders decide to include an educational support component?

Ashley Wilson Oster: E4E Relief became involved because of our established expertise in Emergency Financial Relief administration and our relationships with those forward-thinking foundations. When COVID-19 began claiming the lives of healthcare heroes, Cigna and New York Life Foundation leaders recognized it was an unprecedented crisis requiring a specialized response. They knew E4E Relief had the infrastructure and experience to handle the immediate relief needs but, as we worked together, we realized that one-time grants, while crucial, weren’t enough for families facing decades without their loved one’s income.

The educational component emerged from conversations with recipients themselves. We heard from spouses saying, “This grant helps us now, but how do I support my children’s college dreams without my partner?” The scholarship program became a way to honor the legacy of fallen healthcare workers while providing their families with hope and practical pathways to a stable future.

SA: What has been the impact of the Fund on students? Any stories from recipients that stand out to you?

Ashley Wilson Oster: The impact has been profound and deeply personal. We’ve supported students pursuing everything from pre-med programs to nursing degrees, many of whom say they were inspired by their parents’ dedication to healthcare. One story that particularly stands out is a young woman whose mother, a respiratory therapist, passed away from COVID-19 complications. She was able to complete her nursing degree with Brave of Heart support and now works in the same ICU where her mother served. She often tells us that the scholarship didn’t just pay for her education – it validated that her mother’s sacrifice mattered and gave her a way to continue her mother’s mission of healing.

SA: The Brave of Heart Nursing Scholarship is a new expansion of your scholarship work. How did you decide to focus on nursing?

Ashley Wilson Oster: The decision to focus on nursing came from seeing the critical shortage in the profession and understanding that many of our Brave of Heart families had deep connections to nursing. We recognized that there’s a beautiful symmetry in supporting the next generation of nurses with funds created to honor healthcare workers who gave their lives during the pandemic. Nursing represents the heart of healthcare – the compassionate, hands-on care that was so desperately needed during COVID-19. By investing in nursing education, we’re not just supporting individual students; we’re helping strengthen the entire healthcare system for the future.

SA: What continued impacts do you hope to see from the Brave of Heart Nursing Scholarship?

Ashley Wilson Oster: We hope to see this scholarship program continue contributing to addressing the nursing shortage while creating a ripple effect of compassion in healthcare. Our goal is to support students who bring not just clinical skills but also the deep empathy and resilience that often comes from experiencing loss and hardship. We believe scholarship recipients will become exceptional nurses who understand both the fragility and strength of the human spirit. Long-term, we hope to see a cohort of Brave of Heart nurses who carry forward the legacy of courage and service that the fund was created to honor.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring nurses about applying for the scholarship?

Ashley Wilson Oster: If I were talking to an aspiring nurse my advice would be, tell your authentic story. Don’t just focus on your academic achievements – share what drives your passion for nursing and how your experiences have shaped your commitment to caring for others. The selection committee wants to understand not just your potential as a student, but your heart as a future caregiver. Be specific about your goals and how this scholarship would help you serve others. Remember, this fund was created to honor heroes, so don’t be afraid to share how you plan to carry forward that spirit of service and courage in your own nursing career.