Craig Newmark Philanthropies Pledges $100 Million to Nonprofits that Support Veterans and Military Families

Grants will fund efforts to ensure those who serve, and their families, have stable and successful futures including those focused on mental health, food security, housing access, education, and employment

Craig Newmark Philanthropies (CNP) announced today that it will donate $100 million to a broad coalition of organizations dedicated to supporting veterans and military families, led by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and Blue Star Families.

The grants from CNP, the charitable network of craigslist founder Craig Newmark, will complement government efforts and focus on filling the unmet needs of veterans, service members, their families, and caregivers. In addition to grants focused on health and wellbeing, CNP is also committed to strengthening communities and building community-based networks for veterans and military families so that all who serve have access to the highest level of care and resources no matter where they call home.

In this era of heightened global conflict and tension, CNP’s funding will also support efforts to raise public awareness of the strains on military families, as well as the ongoing needs of veterans and their caregivers who have earned our support. The effort reflects Newmark’s personal gratitude to the men and women who serve to protect our nation and its democratic ideals. “Our country is at risk,” said Craig Newmark. “We need to protect the institutions and the people who dedicate their lives to service – and that includes everyone who has put on the uniform, as well as their families and caregivers.”

This effort is part of Newmark’s long-standing commitment to supporting veterans and military families. CNP recently awarded $42 million to organizations in the sector. The additional $58 million pledged by CNP is expected to be distributed over the next three years. New grant awards announced today include $10 million to Blue Star Families and $10 million to the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

This heightened push around veterans and military families will focus heavily on:

• Contributing to solutions for the most pressing challenges facing veterans and military families, including mental health and suicide prevention, housing and homelessness, and food insecurity
• Creating and supporting pathways for veterans and military families to access new education and employment opportunities, including cyber education and measures to provide cybersecurity career opportunities
• Sustaining these efforts through national networks of collaborative organizations, including the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s Got Your 6 Network and Blue Star Families’ Chapters
• Raising up policy solutions and championing these efforts with national, state, and local government leaders
• Elevating these efforts over time with events, policy roundtables, and ongoing media and social media communications

The coalition’s efforts and focus areas will be evaluated on an ongoing basis by CNP, Blue Star Families, and the Bob Woodruff Foundation, along with other coalition partners including God’s Love We Deliver and Vets In Tech. Blue Star Families and the Bob Woodruff Foundation each run complementary nationwide surveys to understand the challenges faced by veterans and military families, as well as the organizations that serve them. Newmark is personally involved in the effort to amplify these findings and issue calls to action to government officials and the general public – building on his knowhow of grassroots engagement that has helped make craigslist an enduring corner of the internet for more than two decades.

“Craig’s work is critical to raising the profile of veterans and military family philanthropy,” said CEO of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Anne Marie Dougherty. “Although most of the country’s 20 million veterans and service members are thriving, we have an obligation to ensure all of the people who stood for us – and their families and caregivers – have stable and successful futures. These large-scale investments serve as a powerful way to encourage the broader philanthropic community and organizations across sectors to think about how they can support our nation’s veterans and military families.”

“By making a monumental donation of over $100 million, Craig issues a clarion call for others to step up,” said CEO of Blue Star Families, Kathy Roth-Douquet. “In our volatile world we need our military more than ever. They are even more deployed than ever, and their families – while honored to serve – are too often struggling with isolation and making ends meet. Craig understands that military families have our backs and we need to have theirs.”

About Craig Newmark Philanthropies

Craig Newmark is a Web pioneer, philanthropist, and leading advocate. Most commonly known for founding the online classified ads service craigslist, Newmark works to support and connect people and drive broad civic engagement. In 2016, he founded Craig Newmark Philanthropies to help and protect the people who protect our country. At its core, all of Newmark’s philanthropic work helps to strengthen American democracy by supporting the values that the country aspires to – fairness, opportunity, and respect. For more information, please visit: CraigNewmarkPhilanthropies.org. Craig can be found sharing his personal perspective on the issues of the day at @craignewmark.

About Blue Star Families

​​Blue Star Families (BSF) is the nation’s largest chapter-based military and veteran family support organization. Its research-driven approach builds strong communities with a focus on human centered design and innovative solutions. Since its founding in 2009, BSF has delivered more than $200 million in benefits and impacts more than 1.5 million people each year. For more information, click here.

About the Bob Woodruff Foundation

The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was wounded by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, The Foundation has raised awareness about the tough challenges veterans and military families are facing, and invested in solutions to help support them in the next chapter of their lives. To date, the Foundation has invested over $120 million ensure that our nation’s veterans, service members, and their families — those who stood for us — have stable and successful futures. For more information, visit bobwoodrufffoundation.org.