Cause area
Leave a legacy for Veterans & Military Families
Roughly 16 to 18 million veterans live in the U.S. Gifts can fund mental health care, housing, job training and support for caregivers and military families.
Why it matters
Roughly 16 to 18 million veterans live in the U.S., depending on the count: 15.7 million in the Census Bureau's 2024 survey and 18.3 million in the VA's 2023 estimate. Many face lasting injuries, mental health challenges or a hard transition to civilian life.
Government benefits cover a great deal, but not everything. Charities fill the gaps in housing, caregiving and employment.
Sources:
Where an extra dollar goes furthest
These are the kinds of programs our research looks at first in this cause. With a research-guided gift, specific organizations are chosen when your gift arrives, so it can go to what works best then.
Mental health
Counseling and suicide prevention for veterans.
Housing
Preventing and ending veteran homelessness.
Careers
Job training and education after service.
Caregivers and families
Support for spouses, children and caregivers.
Three ways to give to veterans and military families
Recommended
Research-guided gift
Your will dedicates the gift to veterans and military families and asks your executor to choose the most effective organizations working on it when the time comes, guided by published research.
A charity you name
Leave your gift to a specific organization you already know and trust.
Your own named fund
Start a fund in your name or a loved one's that gives to veterans and military families every year. How it works
Sample wording for your will
Our builder fills this in for you. If you already have a will, share this wording with your attorney.
I give ____ percent (____%) of my residuary estate to one or more charitable organizations described in Sections 170(c) and 2055(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, selected by my Executor, to be used for the health, well-being and opportunity of military veterans and their families. I ask that my Executor consider the research and recommendations published by MyLastWill.org at the time of my death.
Sample language for discussion with your attorney. Not legal advice.
Questions about giving to veterans and military families
Can I support my own branch or unit association?
Yes. Name it as a specific charity, as long as it is a qualified charitable organization.
How do I check whether a veterans charity is legitimate?
Look it up with the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and your state charity regulator, and read its annual report. We do this for every organization in our funds.
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