Code of Support Foundation Awarded Grant to Assist Military Caregivers

HIDDEN HEROES FUND ANNOUNCES 2017 GRANTS

Washington, D.C.  – The Elizabeth Dole Foundation today announced Code of Support Foundation as a recipient of a 2017 grant from the Foundation’s Hidden Heroes Fund. The Fund is dedicated to supporting innovative programs making a direct impact in the lives of America’s military and veteran caregivers.

More than half a million dollars will be distributed to fourteen nonprofit organizations to create new initiatives or expand existing programs. The 2017 grant recipients were competitively selected from among nearly 150 applications from organizations nationally.

“When the Foundation launched Hidden Heroes in September, we renewed our commitment to do all we can to improve the lives of military caregivers, those spouses, mothers, dads, children, siblings, and friends who are caring for America’s wounded warriors,” said Senator Elizabeth Dole. “As part of this multifaceted initiative, we established the Hidden Heroes Fund to award grants to nonprofit organizations that are making a real difference in the lives of America’s military and veteran caregivers.”

Code of Support Foundation, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, provides essential one-on-one case management assistance to struggling service members, veterans and their families. The organization received the grant to employ their first-ever Military Caregiver Peer Navigator, who will provide critical support and resource navigation counsel to more than 500 caregivers and their families in 2017.

“Code of Support is honored to be selected as a grant recipient by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. These funds will allow Code of Support’s case coordination team to immediately hire a Caregiver Peer Navigator, who will provide critical, high-quality services to those caregivers who connect with us through the Dole Foundation’s Hidden Heroes campaign,” said Kristina Kaufmann, Executive Director, Code of Support Foundation. “The Dole Foundation’s investment in a Caregiver Peer Navigator will increase and strengthen Code of Support’s case coordination peer capacity and further ensure that military and veteran caregivers who are in crisis will have someone with whom they can truly relate while receiving direct holistic one-on-one support.”

Selection criteria for the grants include: the organization’s effectiveness in addressing military caregivers’ unique needs as determined by the Foundation-commissioned RAND study which established baseline research on the status of military caregivers; alignment with the Foundation’s eight critical impact areas: community support at home, education and training, employment, faith and spirituality, financial and legal support, mental and physical health, military family support and respite care; use of evidence-based resources to inform the creation of effective programming for caregivers; and the replicability of the program.

2017 Hidden Heroes Fund grant recipients are as follows:

●     American Red Cross

●     Blue Star Families

●     Centerstone Military Services

●     Code of Support

●     Home Base

●     The Military Family Research Institute (MFRI)

●     Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)

●     Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)

●     Public Counsel

●     Project Sanctuary

●     Southern Caregiver Resource Center

●     Tidewater Arts Outreach

●     Vail Veterans Program

●     Yellow Ribbon Fund

About The Elizabeth Dole Foundation

The mission of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation is to strengthen and empower America’s military caregivers and their families by raising public awareness, driving research, championing policy, and leading collaborations that make a significant impact on their lives. Learn more about the Hidden Heroes campaign at www.HiddenHeroes.org.

About Hidden Heroes

Hidden Heroes, an initiative of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, brings vital attention to the untold stories of military caregivers and seeks solutions for the tremendous challenges and long-term needs they face. Hidden Heroes’ goals are to raise awareness of the issues military caregivers confront every day, inspire individuals, businesses, communities, and civic, faith and government leaders to take action in supporting military caregivers in their communities, and establish a national registry, encouraging military caregivers to register at HiddenHeroes.org to better connect them to helpful resources and support.

About Code of Support Foundation

Code of Support Foundation (COSF) is a national 501c3 nonprofit that is dedicated to leveraging the nation’s full spectrum of resources to ensure all members of our military, veterans and their families receive the support services they need and, through their collective sacrifice, have earned. COSF was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. For more information, please visit http://www.codeofsupport.org.