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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

Funding Trends for Veterans 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 for veterans and military causes

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. A notable exception to that rule is Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. Additional 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.

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.

Veterans & Military Nonprofit Grants

ADTALEM GLOBAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Adtalem’s veterans program broadly invests in organizations that work with veterans and military families. It does not name a particular strategy in this space; however, they’ve emphasized housing in past giving, among other interests.

AGUA FUND

Agua’s grantmaking for military and veterans focus on hunger relief and elder services.

ALBERTSONS COMPANIES FOUNDATION

Albertsons’ Veterans initiative focuses on “recent veterans for post-September 11th conflicts.” In this area, the foundation tends to invest in veterans’ employment, healthcare, mental health and family support.

AT&T FOUNDATION

AT&T supports military personnel, veterans and their families by “advancing education, strengthening communities, and improving lives.”

BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

BofA’s grantmaking offers services such as career opportunities and advancement at Bank of America itself or its partners, financial education for veterans transitioning to civilian life, and partnerships with nonprofits and organizations across the country that provide services to veterans. It also supports veteran-owned businesses.

GEOFFREY BEENE FOUNDATION

The Geoffrey Beene Foundation’s grants for veterans broadly fund organizations that provide “provide critical services and support to our Veterans.”

ARTHUR M. BLANK FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Blank Foundation supports military and veterans in Georgia.

BOEING FOUNDATION

Boeing supports work that addresses veterans’ rehabilitation, mental health and economic development.

BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB FOUNDATION

This foundation’s mental health grants focus on veterans.

CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT

This regional funder supports veterans causes, among other place-based issues, in Southern California.

CITIZENS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

The foundation supports veterans and the military “to provide support to military veterans through internal and external programs designed to aid those who served” in the US military.

A. JAMES & ALICE B. CLARK FOUNDATION

The A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation supports engineering education, veterans and community needs, primarily in the Washington, D.C., area.

STEVEN AND ALEXANDRA COHEN FOUNDATION

While Cohen support for veterans is not listed as a primary focus area, the foundation does make substantial grants in this area.

MARK CUBAN FOUNDATION

The Mark Cuban Foundation broadly funds veterans causes across the U.S.

FCA FOUNDATION

FCA prioritizes organizations that help veterans readjust to civilian life, especially those who have been wounded in action.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY FUND

Ford’s veteran grants support organizations that address issues like health, homelessness and employment for returning veterans, especially female veterans.

GOLDMAN SACHS

The company runs a signature Veterans Integration Program that helps veterans prepare for careers in the financial industry.

GRAINGER

This funder prioritizes veterans across all of its focus areas.

HEXBERG FAMILY FOUNDATION

Hexberg broadly supports veterans and military families. The foundation also supports efforts that improve access to healthcare for veterans.

HOME DEPOT FOUNDATION

Home Depot offers several types of grants for organizations that support veterans. The primary focus areas include combat-wounded veterans, homeless veterans and aging veterans.

EUGENE M. LANG FOUNDATION

The Lang foundation broadly funds military members and veterans’ causes.

LOCKHEED MARTIN

Lockheed Martin maintains a deep commitment to the well-being of the U.S. military community; more than half of the company’s business is with the military and other U.S. agencies.

LOWE’S FOUNDATION AND CORPORATE GIVING

Veterans are a main priority of Lowe’s housing and work and opportunity grantmaking.

MOTHER CABRINI HEALTH FOUNDATION

This place-based funder in New York state has a dedicated program that focuses on veterans’ health.

NEWMAN’S OWN FOUNDATION

The foundation funds organizations that offer “career training, support for higher education, and other critical assistance.”

NORTHRUP GRUMMAN FOUNDATION

This funder broadly gives to military and veterans.

PRITZKER MILITARY FOUNDATION

The Pritzker Military Foundation supports veterans and military families, as well as national and military education and history organizations and programs.

PWC CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

A new area of funding for this foundation, grants for military and veterans tend to center on economic opportunity.

SCHULTZ FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Schultz Foundation supports active duty military, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses.

GARY SINISE FOUNDATION

The Gary Sinise Foundation, formerly the Avalon Fund, supports military and veterans’ organizations, especially in the areas of mental health and human services.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

Southwest Airlines supports military personnel and their families, including active duty, reservists and veterans, by making grants to organizations that “provide a variety of valuable programs and services to support the men, women, and families who sacrifice for our country every day.”

MAY AND STANLEY SMITH CHARITABLE TRUST

The trust’s grants for military and veterans primarily focuses on mental health, education and job training, employment, housing stability and community integration.

THE STREISAND FOUNDATION

The Streisand Foundation’s broad grantmaking for veterans includes support for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which “strives to build an empowered generation of veterans who provide sustainable leadership for our country and their local communities.”

TAWANI FOUNDATION

Veterans’ and military organizations have been major areas of focus in the past but giving in these areas has tapered off in recent years. The foundation also funds related issues through its grants for the LBGTQ community.

HARRY AND JEANETTE WEINBERG FOUNDATION

Weinberg supports veterans and the military through grants for projects supporting veterans’ mental wellness and to groups assisting veterans as they reintegrate into civilian life.

WILF FAMILY FOUNDATIONS

This group of foundations gives broadly to veteran needs.

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IP Staff