Lilly Endowment Awards $7.5 Million to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation for Military and Veteran Caregivers

Three-year grant will help more caregivers find support

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Elizabeth Dole Foundation has received a $7.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to strengthen its capacity to serve military and veteran caregivers. Over three years, the grant will help more individuals identify as caregivers, connect with trusted peers in their communities, and receive services and support that is measured against improvements in their quality of life.

Military and veteran caregivers sustain the health, independence and dignity of wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, yet too many carry that responsibility with limited recognition, support and financial security. Senator Elizabeth Dole founded the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in 2012 to serve those caring for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, who now number 14.3 million in the U.S.

“Too many military and veteran caregivers still don’t know that help exists or where to find it,” said Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. “Lilly Endowment made possible the research that first showed the nation who these caregivers are. This grant lets us build the organization they need now: one that is easy to find, present in their communities and able to provide support services to help them navigate the roadblocks to care. We are deeply grateful for Lilly Endowment’s support.”

The investment will strengthen four connected areas of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s work:

1. Expanding brand and digital reach: Making the Foundation easier to find and recognize, so caregivers can connect with support wherever they begin looking.
2. Building community engagement: Extending the Foundation’s presence in local communities through its national network of Dole Caregiver Fellows and alumni.
3. Modernizing technology and data: Strengthening the systems and evidence the Foundation uses to understand caregivers’ needs and measure improvements in their quality of life.
4. Sustaining the work: Broadening the Foundation’s base of support so these gains last well beyond the grant period.

“Military service members, veterans and their families are extremely resilient, though military service and the transition to civilian life often pose significant challenges. Service members, veterans, families and caregivers often need assistance with housing, childcare, food insecurity, mental and physical health, employment, comprehensive case management, and building communities of support,” said Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for community development. “We are pleased to be able to help organizations that provide crucial support that promotes the resiliency of those in the military and our nation’s veterans and their families.”

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation enters this next stage of growth with 14 years of nationally recognized research, programs, partnerships and policy leadership behind it. Since 2012, the Foundation has engaged nearly 22,000 caregivers through its programs and events, provided direct financial assistance to more than 1,500 individuals and trained more than 12,000 health care providers in caregiver-integrated care.

Lilly Endowment has supported the Elizabeth Dole Foundation since its founding. Its early funding made possible the RAND Corporation’s first nationwide study of military and veteran caregivers, which gave EDF the evidence to build a national movement. The Endowment later funded RAND’s 10-year update, released in 2024, and Mathematica’s research on children and youth in military caregiving families.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

About the Elizabeth Dole Foundation & Hidden Heroes
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the preeminent organization empowering, supporting, and honoring our nation’s 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers—the spouses, parents, siblings, family members, and friends who care for America’s wounded, ill, or injured service members and veterans. Established by Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2012, the foundation works to empower military and veteran caregivers, their families, and their communities through programs, partnerships, and advocacy that drive innovative, impactful, and sustainable solutions. The foundation’s Hidden Heroes public awareness campaign brings vital attention to the untold stories of military and veteran caregivers, galvanizing action to strengthen support for them in communities across the nation. Visit elizabethdolefoundation.org for more information.

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Jodi Sheedy
Elizabeth Dole Foundation

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