Supporting Our Troops, Veterans and Their Families: Lessons Learned and Future Opportunities for Philanthropy
This report was prepared and released by the California Community Foundation (CCF) in November 2009 to summarize the actions of its initiative, the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund (IADIF), in addressing various needs associated with soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.
View the full resource here.
The report seeks to inform multiple audiences, including non-profits, grantmakers, and policy makers, about challenges and issues specific to active military and veterans, and their families. The report highlights the projects and initiatives that the IADIF has supported over the past three years through $235M in grants. Initiatives supported through IADIF include RAND Corporation’s “Invisible Wounds” study, a first-of-its kind research study on mental health issues faced by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. In addition, IADIF also provided project-specific and capacity-building support to key organizations in this field, such as Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) a NYSHealth grantee. Over 50 pieces of constitutional legislation including the GI Bill were pursued with support from IADIF. The report ultimately makes recommendations to grantmakers, policymakers, and veterans’ service organizations regarding key action steps they can take individually and collectively in order to effectively address issues faced by active military, returning veterans, and their families.