Veterans Impact Pledge Marks One Year

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by Don Cooke, Senior Vice President of Philanthropy 

On May 12 a special event at the Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. marked the first year anniversary of the Philanthropy – Joining Forces Impact Pledge supporting veterans and military families. The Impact Pledge consists of more than 160 grant-makers, non-profits, policymakers and service providers banding together to help veterans successfully reintegrate to civilian life.

The first anniversary marks an important milestone in an ongoing effort to build the philanthropic sector’s commitment to providing vital services to veterans and their families. This year, we expanded our efforts by raising more than $106 million in new commitments. This is in addition to the $170 million that was raised in 2014.

It has been very rewarding to help this initiative grow. The McCormick Foundation has been a leader in this effort since the inception several months ago, and we are proud to continue working with colleagues around the country to help our warriors return home.

To advance this collective work, the Council on Foundations created the Veterans Philanthropy Exchange to provide a platform for funders to share best practices, identify and address emerging needs, leverage resources and investments for maximum benefit, and grow collaborations. By doing so, we can simultaneously support vital partnerships enabling funders, operating nonprofits, and policy makers to identify and fill gaps in resources and opportunities and to provide innovative solutions for our veterans.

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