https://news.iu.edu/philanthropy/live/news/54215-giving-to-the-military-and-veterans-community
Lilly Family School of PhilanthropyIndiana University
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The newest edition of the Military & Veterans Community Index finds a 5.9% increase from 2023
Oct 22, 2026
Direct philanthropic giving to military and veterans’ community organizations reached $4 billion in 2024, a 5.9% increase from $3.8 billion in 2023, according to new research from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy released on October 22, 2026.
The findings are part of the 2026 update to the Military & Veterans Community Index (MVCI), the sector’s most comprehensive resource mapping charitable support for servicemembers, veterans, families, and caregivers.
While support for MVCI organizations increased, the data show its share of total U.S. charitable giving has held steady, indicating that giving to the military and veteran community is growing in step with the broader philanthropic sector rather than outpacing it.
Key Findings:
- Giving to military and veterans community organizations reached $4 billion in 2024, maintaining a stable share of total charitable giving.
- A small number of large organizations drove much of the increase in philanthropic support to military and veterans’ community organizations in 2024. Some of the large organizations include Wounded Warrior Project, Inc., Veteran Tickets Foundation, and United Service Organizations, Inc.
- The organization count fell 39,716 in 2023 to 39,535 in 2024 propelled by a long-running decline in the number of military and veterans’ community organizations such as local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, even as philanthropic support remained strong.
- Over the last five years, military and veterans’ community organizations’ financial trends have begun to look more like those of the broader nonprofit sector, in contrast to prior findings.
The largest portion of giving went to “General Veteran Services” ($928 million), a broad category that covers organizations not assigned to a more specific mission focus, and it is not a specific type of service.
Among specialized categories:
- Survivor Care & Memorializing: $478 million
- Human Services (non-housing): $469 million
- Mental Health: $442 million
- Housing Services: $313 million
- Employment & Transition: $271 million
What does this mean for fundraisers and nonprofit leaders?
The findings underscore the importance of benchmarking. As the number of military and veterans’ community organizations continues to decline, organizations may wish to compare their own fundraising, revenue, expenses, and staffing patterns with similarly situated organizations by mission focus, size, geography, and organizational type.
What does this mean for donors and funders?
The MVCI highlights both the breadth of needs in the military and veteran community and the importance of interpreting annual changes carefully. The largest mission focus areas reflect a wide range of services, including survivor care and memorializing, human services, mental health, housing, and employment and transition. However, a small number of large organizations drove much of the increase in philanthropic support in 2024, which means that short-term changes by mission category may reflect major campaigns, in-kind contributions, reporting patterns, or rebounds from unusual prior years rather than a broad shift in donor priorities.
Read the full report here.
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About the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis is the world’s first and only school dedicated solely to the study and teaching of philanthropy. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its undergraduate, graduate, certificate and professional development programs, its research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. For more information, visit philanthropy.indianapolis.iu.edu.