Mental Health

Veterans Community Initiative

Overview

For many veterans and their families, transition into civilian life from military service—the military-to-civilian transition (MCT)— can present challenges that affect their ability to thrive post-service. While a successful transition looks different for each veteran, it often requires support across multiple dimensions, including health care, housing, and employment. Moreover, the unique needs of veterans and their families can persist throughout their lives, underscoring the need for sustained investment in the well-being of our veteran community.

The Veterans Community Initiative recognizes that the prosperity of the veteran community relies on the existence, access, and synergy of support. In 2024, the Tullman Family Office (TFO) and The Duchossois Family Foundation (TDFF) partnered with Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy to conduct a comprehensive review exploring the MCT, to identify philanthropic opportunities poised to make an outsized impact for veterans and their families throughout the transition.

Milestones

The Veterans Community Initiative has four initial milestones:

Map the Current State of Veteran Support
Conduct research and interviews with 80+ experts across sectors to understand the current state of the veteran support ecosystem.
Host Veterans Community Initiative Retreat
Host convening with a select sample of organizations across the ecosystem to further discuss barriers and solutions to enhance veteran support.
Identify Actionable Opportunities for Philanthropy
Develop actionable opportunities for strategic philanthropic engagement and investment.
Publish Opportunities for Veteran Support Ecosystem and Funders
Publish a report outlining philanthropic opportunities to better support veterans, their families, and the veteran support ecosystem. The report, Thriving Beyond Service: Strategic Philanthropy for the Military-to-Civilian Transition, published in August 2025, provides an overview of the current state of veteran support systems, outlines a framework for comprehensive MCT services, and identifies philanthropic opportunities to help veterans and their families thrive.

Emerging Opportunity Areas

Through research and stakeholder engagement, the Veterans Community Initiative developed a comprehensive transition support framework that identifies crucial factors that influence the ability for veterans and their families to thrive post-service. The framework includes four main components: Health and Well-Being, Economic Opportunity, Community, and a Streamlined Veteran Support Ecosystem. Conversations with funders and experts across the veteran support ecosystem highlighted the importance of collaboration, cross-sector engagement, and standardizing data collection to sustain impact.

Selected Emerging Philanthropic Opportunities

Enhance veteran well-being through brain and mental health research and enhanced access and delivery of clinical care
Advance economic opportunity by providing for basic needs, increasing opportunities for career advancement, and aligning higher education to veterans' needs
Center community through transition support for families and prioritizing solutions that strengthen community safety and well-being
Streamline resources to increase efficiency and impact across the veterans' transition support ecosystem
Deploy targeted capital and efforts to build community and connection across multiple stakeholder groups
Build pathways to improve integrated support for veterans and their families that address multiple dimensions of the transition experience

Our Partners

About the Tullman Family Office

The Tullman Family Office directs the Tullman family’s philanthropy, political advocacy, business investments focused on social impact, and community engagement initiatives. TFO is committed to enabling all individuals to pursue healthier and more prosperous lives, enabling businesses to prioritize civic impact, and empowering moderate politicians to serve with reason and compassion. In the simplest of terms, the family’s giving mentality can be described as patriotic philanthropy. The family recognizes the responsibility to contribute to making America—and the world—stronger, safer, and more equitable. For more information: https://www.tullmancommunityventures.org/

About The Duchossois Family Foundation

The Duchossois Family Foundation strives to empower individuals to enhance their quality of life through wellness and economic opportunity, with a specific commitment to supporting our nation’s veteran population. TDFF’s existing and future work focuses on ensuring veterans and their families have access to job services, career opportunities, mental health, and well-being support, and efforts to diminish food and housing insecurity, social isolation, substance abuse, and suicide. TDFF is deeply committed to connecting, collaborating, and convening with others to strengthen opportunities for veterans and build awareness and support to help them succeed during their transition to civilian life. For more information: https://thedff.org/.