Key Takeaways
- Military and veterans community giving rose 5.9 percent in 2024, to about $4 billion before inflation adjustment.
- The top 10 recipients captured 85 percent of the 2024 growth, which by WYDE's calculation is about $191 million of an increase of roughly $224 million.
- Military and veterans community organizations received 0.68 percent of U.S. charitable giving in 2024, a share that has stayed between 0.6 and 0.7 percent for a decade.
Giving to the military and veterans community rose 5.9 percent in 2024, to about $4 billion before inflation adjustment, according to the Military and Veterans Community Index from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The index was released on October 22, 2026. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported the findings on October 27.
Growth was concentrated. The index's report says the 10 organizations receiving the most support accounted for 31.6 percent of all giving to the sector, about $1.3 billion, and drove 85.4 percent of the growth from 2023 to 2024. The release names Wounded Warrior Project, Inc. among the large organizations that drove much of the increase.
How the 2024 increase split between the top 10 and everyone else
Applying the 5.9 percent rate to the $3.8 billion base for 2023 gives an increase of about $224 million. The top 10 recipients took 85.4 percent of that, about $191 million. All other recipients combined added about $33 million. The dollar figures are computed from the index's rate and shares. The sources do not print them.
The 2023 base was also revised. The first edition of the index put 2023 giving at around $3.7 billion, and this release gives $3.8 billion. Growth calculated from the older figure would mix two editions, so the 5.9 percent rate is applied to the revised $3.8 billion.
Wounded Warrior Project's contributions in the fiscal year ended September 2024
Wounded Warrior Project, Inc. reported $363.1 million in contributions on its Form 990 for the fiscal year ended September 2024. Its contributions were $332.6 million in the fiscal year ended September 2023, according to ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. That is a rise of 9.2 percent, by WYDE's calculation from those two totals. Form 990 is the annual information return that U.S. nonprofits file with the Internal Revenue Service.
The fiscal year ends in September 2024, and the index reports its figure for 2024. The sources do not say which months that figure covers, so set against the index's $4.0 billion, the $363.1 million works out to about 9 percent by WYDE's calculation. The comparison is approximate for that reason.
The share has stayed between 0.6 and 0.7 percent for a decade
Military and veterans community organizations received 0.68 percent of all U.S. charitable giving in 2024, virtually unchanged from 0.67 percent in 2023, according to the index. Giving USA, whose 2025 annual report covers 2024, estimated that U.S. charities received $592.50 billion. Dividing the index's $4.0 billion by that total gives 0.68 percent, the same share.
The Chronicle wrote that the visibility of these charities has not led to mass financial support. Jon Bergdoll, interim director of data and research partnerships at the Lilly Family School, said that, judging by the number of TV commercials that run yearly, "you might think that veteran organizations are this huge chunk of the nonprofit space instead of not even three quarters of a percent."
Adjusted for inflation, the index puts support at $2.99 billion in 2014 and $4.0 billion in 2024. By WYDE's calculation from those two figures, the rise is about 34 percent over the decade. The index says support has not grown faster than the broader philanthropic sector. The number of organizations fell from 39,716 in 2023 to 39,535 in 2024. By WYDE's arithmetic, that is a drop of 181, or 0.46 percent.
Related coverage: Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark Commits $450 Million to Veterans, Cybersecurity, and Pigeon Rescue and U.S. Charitable Giving Hit a Record $617 Billion in 2025 as Megagifts Surged.
People Also Ask
How much did giving to the military and veterans community grow in 2024?
Giving to the military and veterans community grew 5.9 percent in 2024, to about $4 billion before inflation adjustment, according to Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The index was released on October 22, 2026.
What share of U.S. charitable giving goes to military and veterans community organizations?
Military and veterans community organizations received 0.68 percent of U.S. charitable giving in 2024, according to the Military and Veterans Community Index. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported on October 27, 2026 that this share has stayed between 0.6 and 0.7 percent for a decade.
Did the 2023 figure for military and veterans community giving change?
Yes. The first edition of the Military and Veterans Community Index put 2023 giving at around $3.7 billion, and the 2026 edition gives $3.8 billion, so the 2023 figure was revised. The 5.9 percent growth in 2024 uses the revised $3.8 billion base.
Sources: Indiana University, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Equitable Giving Lab index report, Military and Veterans Community Index inaugural report, Giving USA, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.