Lilly Endowment gives $7.5 million to Elizabeth Dole Foundation for caregiver support

Lilly Endowment Inc. is giving the Elizabeth Dole Foundation a three-year, $7.5 million grant to expand support for military and veteran caregivers nationwide. The funding is aimed at helping more caregivers find services, connect with peers and improve their quality of life.

Why it matters: - Military and veteran caregivers often support wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans with limited recognition, support and financial security. - The grant is designed to help more caregivers identify themselves as caregivers and access help through the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. - The funding could expand practical support for millions of families navigating caregiving, health care and daily life.

What happened: - Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded the Elizabeth Dole Foundation a $7.5 million grant over three years. - The grant will strengthen the foundation’s ability to serve military and veteran caregivers. - The announcement was made in Washington, D.C. - The foundation was established by Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2012 to serve caregivers of wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans.

The details: - The grant will help caregivers connect with trusted peers in their communities. - The funding will support services and support that are measured against improvements in quality of life. - The investment focuses on four areas: brand and digital reach, community engagement, technology and data, and long-term sustainability. - Brand and digital reach efforts will make the foundation easier to find and recognize. - Community engagement efforts will extend the foundation’s presence through its national network of Dole Caregiver Fellows and alumni. - Technology and data work will strengthen systems used to understand caregiver needs and measure outcomes. - Sustainability work will broaden the foundation’s base of support beyond the grant period. - The foundation says nearly 22,000 caregivers have participated in its programs and events since 2012. - The foundation says it has provided direct financial assistance to more than 1,500 people. - The foundation says it has trained more than 12,000 health care providers in caregiver-integrated care. - Lilly Endowment has supported the foundation since its founding. - Early Lilly Endowment funding helped support RAND Corporation’s first nationwide study of military and veteran caregivers. - The endowment later funded RAND’s 10-year update, released in 2024, and Mathematica’s research on children and youth in military caregiving families. - Lilly Endowment said military service members, veterans and their families often need help with housing, childcare, food insecurity, mental and physical health, employment, case management and community support.

Between the lines: - The grant builds on a long-running relationship between Lilly Endowment and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. - The funding also signals a shift from research and awareness toward scaling service delivery and organizational infrastructure. - The foundation’s emphasis on community reach and data suggests a push to make caregiver support easier to find and easier to measure. - Lilly Endowment’s continued support reflects confidence in the foundation’s model and its national role in caregiver advocacy.

What's next: - The Elizabeth Dole Foundation will use the grant over the next three years to expand visibility, deepen local engagement and improve internal systems. - The foundation also expects to broaden its funding base so the work continues after the grant ends. - More caregivers may be able to find support through the foundation’s programs, network and public awareness campaign. - The foundation says its Hidden Heroes campaign will continue drawing attention to military and veteran caregivers nationwide.

The bottom line: - The $7.5 million grant gives the Elizabeth Dole Foundation fresh resources to reach more of the nation’s 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers and strengthen the support network around them.