Elizabeth Dole Foundation Awards More than $500,000 to 2019 Hidden Heroes Grant Recipients
Awards to support 12 nonprofits serve Military and Veteran Caregivers
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation awarded more than half a million dollars to 12 nonprofit organizations to expand or create new programs to support military and veteran caregivers. The 2019 grant recipients were competitively selected from among nearly 200 applications from organizations nationally. “Through the Hidden Heroes Fund, the Foundation continues to build a network across the United States to support our military caregivers,” said Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. “This year more than ever before, we were incredibly impressed by the applicant pool and the number of organizations using innovative strategies and emerging technologies to target the most critical needs of our hidden heroes. We are thrilled to partner with these organizations and provide them the resources they need to impact the lives of countless caregivers and their families nationwide.”The Foundation selected applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for making measurable progress in the areas of military caregiver case management, employment and workplace support, mental health, and respite. The selected recipients reflect the Foundation’s mission to inspire a national culture that empowers, honors and supports our military caregivers.
Meet our 2019 Hidden Heroes Fund grant recipients:
Code of Support of Alexandria, VA will build on the grant they received from the Dole Foundation in 2018 to expand the services offered by its Caregiver Peer Navigators (CPN). CPNs provide direct, hands-on support to military caregivers by building individualized plans to help them and their veterans access services and support that can address the unique needs and challenges they face post-military life.
Dog Tag Bakery of Washington, DC, will fund the participation of a military caregiver in its five-month business and entrepreneurship fellowship program. This comprehensive and multifaceted fellowship program enables fellows to re-introduce themselves to an education environment, gain first-hand experience working in an actual small business, explore a variety of civilian career paths and acquire key soft skills.
Helen Ross McNabb Center of Knoxville, Tenn., will provide evidence-based care to service members and their caregivers in the Eastern Tennessee region. This program offers free, specialized individual family therapy provided by clinical therapists trained in military culture, and provides the resources and support military veterans and caregivers need to live healthy lives.
National Military Family Association of Alexandria, Va., will host their Operation Purple Buddy Camp for Caregivers. Based off of NMFA’s Operation Purple Camp for children, which helps military families foster communication, create new memories and reconnect away from everyday stressors, this camp will focus on the caregiver parent and child. The three-day camp will provide an intimate and understanding environment for caregivers and their children to deepen their relationships.
Operation Gratitude of Chatsworth, Calif., will expand on the current success of their Wounded Hero & Caregiver Program by creating and delivering care packages to caregivers nationwide, as well as hosting community-building events to bring together civilians and members of their Wounded Hero and Caregiver community.
Project New Hope of Worcester, Mass., will host a caregiver retreat in Maine with presenter Retired Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Foxworthy to explore creative approaches to self-care strategies, resiliency awareness, and supportive resources to develop and implement ways to overcome adversity.
Public Counsel of Los Angeles, Calif., will provide free legal services to military caregivers to ensure that they and the veterans in their care receive the benefits and services to which they are legally entitled. As a result of Public Counsel’s services, caregivers obtain increased income, improved access to quality health care through the VA Health Care System, and greater housing stability.
Quality of Life Foundation of Woodbridge, Va., will continue to provide tailored, non-traditional support to military caregivers and their families through their Wounded Veteran Care Program. This program will help caregiver families access services and resources that will improve their quality of life—providing everything from moving assistance and medical support, to respite hobbies for the caregiver and extra-curricular activities for their children. Quality of Life will work with the caregiver, children and the veteran to achieve an improved quality of living so they can continue to focus on their hero’s recovery.
The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals of Silver Spring, Md., will provide military caregivers with access to high quality behavioral health support to successfully navigate their caregiver journey. This program will provide the caregivers the same low/no-cost care offered to veterans and their families and active duty spouses and children in the Washington, DC region, as well as develop caregiver-specific materials to share with organizations nationally to help further expand their behavioral health support services for caregivers.
Student Veterans of America of Washington, DC will conduct survey research to unlock insights about student veterans who are caregivers, caregivers of student veterans, and college students who are caregivers. This research will focus on how these responsibilities impact the educational experience, what we can learn about these populations, and how we can better support them.
UCLA Operation Mend of Los Angeles, Calif., will develop a self-report assessment for caregivers that measures the overall frequency with which they provide specific types of emotional support to their care recipients; their perceived satisfaction with providing emotional support; perceived self-efficacy related to providing emotional support; and degree of identification with the caregiving role. The program will also provide a nuanced examination of the role of emotional support on the mental health of both caregivers and veterans.
Veterans LYFE Services of Las Vegas, Nev., will continue to support veterans and caregivers through their transition from and after active duty and meet their critical needs with their Battle Born Caregivers program. Throughout the year, they will provide individual and group support through the program’s range of services, including PTSD 12-Step, music therapy, life alignment and coaching, life management assessment, Caregiver Summit, and Empowerment Circles.
For any 2019 Hidden Heroes Fund related media inquiries, please contact Austin Courtney, Communications Manager, Elizabeth Dole Foundation at Austin@elizabethdolefoundation.org.For more information about the Hidden Heroes Fund Grants program and how to apply next year, click here.