Craig Newmark Philanthropies Announces $2.95M Grant to Bob Woodruff Foundation to Expand National Support for Veterans

By: Bob Woodruff Foundation via Business Wire

February 28, 2022 at 09:00 AM EST

Today, Craig Newmark Philanthropies announced a generous $2.95 million grant to the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) to strengthen the Foundation’s Got Your 6 Network. The Got Your 6 Network is the nation’s largest non-governmental cohort of organizations serving veterans. Thanks to the incredible continued support of Craig Newmark Philanthropies, BWF will infuse its Network with funding to address the most pressing issues facing veterans and military families in their communities. To date, Craig Newmark Philanthropies has donated over $18 million to support the military/veteran community through the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

Ongoing global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have exacerbated existing challenges and gaps in services for the military/veteran community. Veteran unemployment, which had been at a 20-year low of 3.1% in December 2019, surged to a high of 11.9% in April 2020. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, one in five military families faced food insecurity – nearly double pre-pandemic levels. Now, as conflict erupts in Eastern Europe, the military/veteran community is bracing for a new wave of challenges. For deploying service members, concerns about the health and wellbeing of their families can impact mission readiness. In response to these crises, BWF is providing their national Got Your 6 Network with funding to provide meaningful relief to veterans and their families who are struggling.

“Our service members, veterans, and military families make serious sacrifices to defend democracy. It pisses me off that some have a hard time getting enough to eat or finding a safe place to sleep,” said Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and member of the Bob Woodruff Foundation Board of Directors. “I want to make sure that the Bob Woodruff Foundation and its Got Your 6 Network, who are actually really good at what they do, can do their work.”

With this latest grant of $2.95 million from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, BWF will find, fund, and shape programs to address veterans’ urgent and long-term concerns, including food insecurity, employment, mental health, and housing/homelessness. The grant will also help the Foundation continue to collect data and insights from the Got Your 6 Network to stay on the front lines of veteran needs. Together, Craig Newmark Philanthropies and BWF reinforce a message of support for veterans and their families, noting they are here to help and have “got your six” during this period of increased uncertainty.

“At the Foundation, it is our enduring commitment to meet veterans where they are and ensure they have access to the resources and tools for success,” said Anne Marie Dougherty, Chief Executive Officer of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “With the visionary support and leadership of Craig Newmark Philanthropies during a critical time of world conflict, we’re not only helping veterans thrive – we’re strengthening American communities.”

For more information on the Bob Woodruff Foundation and its Got Your 6 Network, visit www.BobWoodruffFoundation.org.

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, BWF has led an enduring call to action for people to stand up for heroes and meet the emerging and long-term needs of today’s veterans, including mental health, caregiver support, food insecurity, and service-connected fertility issues. To date, BWF has invested over $80 million to Find, Fund and Shape™ programs that have empowered impacted veterans, service members, and their family members, across the nation, reinforcing the message that BWF has ‘Got Your Six’. For more information, as well as stories of success and innovation from BWF’s network of partners, please visit bobwoodrufffoundation.org or follow us on Twitter at @bwforg.

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 advance people and grassroots organizations that are "getting stuff done" in areas that include trustworthy journalism & the information ecosystem, voter protection, women in technology, and veterans & military families. 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.