The Heinz Endowments

The Heinz Endowments focuses much of its charitable giving on Post 9/11 Veterans by working to connect Veterans with opportunities to lead and serve in our community. The Heinz Family is committed to making systems that care for Veterans and Military family members transparent and accountable, where the health and wellness of Veterans supersede the needs of any organization or individual. They work to refocus shallow stereotypes of Veterans as broken or in need by highlighting their formidable talents. The Heinz Endowments partner with organizations that challenge them in positive ways.

The Heinz Endowment focuses primarily but not exclusively on post 9/11 Veterans to increase the amount of proactive and preventive resources available. The Pew Research Center’s October 2011 report, “War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era,” identified 44 percent of the post-9/11 veteran population as “at risk” as they leave the Military. But this confirms that 56 percent of returning Veterans reintegrate into civilian life seamlessly. Also contrary to popular perception, the overwhelming majority of the 44 percent identified as “at risk” do not struggle with significant mental health, physical health, or housing crises. Rather they are struggling, in large part, because of this faulty perception. This results in an inability to penetrate closed social networks, a misunderstanding of how their well-earned skill sets can be leveraged by employers, and a desire to serve without valued and vetted opportunities to do so.