Grants for Veterans
Learn more about grants for veterans and military by exploring our list of top veterans nonprofits below. Subscribers can also explore funders using our Grantfinder Search Tool. Become a member.
Key Funders
- Steve and Alexandra Cohen Foundation
- Gates Foundation
- Home Depot Foundation
- Gene & Jerry Jones Family Foundation
- Lilly Endowment
- Maryland Legal Services Corporation
- Craig Newmark Philanthropies
- Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation
- Pritzker Military Foundation
- MacArthur Foundation
- The Marcus Foundation
- USAA Foundation
- Bob Woodruff Foundation
- Wounded Warrior Project
Funding trends for veteran grants
There are more than 18 million veterans living in the United States. Two to 3 million of them served in Iraq or Afghanistan in the post-9/11 era, and this cohort of veterans has “extraordinarily high rates of disabilities,” as documented by public policy expert Linda J. Bilmes. From healthcare to housing, veterans and their families are affected by the wounds of war and an array of challenges in the aftermath. While there are government programs dedicated to veterans, this population — who have given so much for their country — has significant unmet needs (Bob Woodruff Foundation).
RAND research shows that veterans who have been deployed to combat areas have heightened rates of mental health conditions or cognitive injuries. About 1 in 5 veterans have experienced mental health problems. According to the Wounded Warrior Project, PTSD, anxiety and depression are the most common mental health issues veterans face.
There are also lesser-known health impacts of military service, such as high infertility rates among service members, an issue the Bob Woodruff Foundation is addressing.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported that more than 35,000 veterans experienced homelessness in the United States in 2023.
Mental health and homelessness are just two of the areas where veterans’ needs are not fully met. Private grants and donations for veterans and military causes address issues such as employment and career guidance for those transitioning back to civilian life, housing, awareness of military history, and healthcare.
As such, grants for veterans overlap with many other giving areas, including physical health, mental health, homelessness, work opportunity, job programs, and even the arts. For example, a number of initiatives across the country have employed theater and storytelling as a form of healing for veterans with PTSD.
Who gives grants for veteran nonprofits
As IP’s Liz Longley has reported, a small but dedicated group of philanthropic funders consistently gives for veterans and military families. The majority of private donors to veterans’ causes have served their country themselves or have a family member who served. Major donors giving for veterans’ causes include Carlyle Group cofounder Daniel D’Aniello; former hedge fund manager Steve Cohen, whose father and son have both served in the military; and billionaire Jennifer Pritzker, a retired Lieutenant Colonel, who gives through the Pritzker Military Foundation. The father of Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, another significant veterans’ donor, served in World War II.
Some funders focus on veterans from particular wars or time periods. For instance, the Schultz Family Foundation makes grants to support post-9/11 veterans and their spouses. Other funders focus on a particular aspect of veterans’ needs, often as part of a broader grantmaking program. For instance, a funder might address veterans’ health as part of a broad mission to improve mental health outcomes in America.
Corporate funders that give for veterans and military families include companies that employ veterans, were founded by veterans, or interface with military communities, such as the Home Depot Foundation, the USAA Foundation, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and the Northrop Grumman Foundation.
Gaps in funding for veterans
A 2023 report by the Bob Woodruff Foundation found that in communities across the U.S., the needs of the military and veteran population exceeded available services. In a survey of hundreds of organizations that serve veteran and military populations, 72% reported that many or most of their clients needed emergency financial assistance in 2023; 84% of those organizations were unable to meet that need. Eighty-four percent of responding organizations said in 2023 that many or almost all of their clients required mental health services, while 81% reported that many or almost all of their clients needed physical health services. Yet those needs were met in only about 30% of communities. Organizations serving veterans also reported being unable to fully meet community needs in other areas, including housing, food, legal services and transportation. There is also scarce funding for veterans’ memorials, oral projects and military history.
Funding for organizations serving veterans tends to come from a mix of government and private sources. The gaps in organizations’ capacities to fully meet the needs of veterans in their communities represent a clear opportunity for philanthropy to do more in resourcing veteran-serving nonprofits.
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