Caring for Military Families the Elizabeth Dole Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

Outreach & Awareness: The Foundation's Outreach and Awareness initiatives help bring the stories, service, and sacrifice of America's military and veteran caregivers and their families to light. Too often, the family, loved ones, and friends of our nation's wounded and ill service members and veterans do not know that they have taken on a new role - that of caregiver. This can exacerbate the challenges caregivers face and often leaves caregivers feeling isolated, misunderstood, and alone. Our outreach and awareness efforts help caregivers recognize this new role that they have assumed. Self-identification is the first step to accessing programs and finding a community that understands and can offer support. The Hidden Helpers initiative supports children, youth, and young adults up to age 18 who are involved in caring for wounded, ill, or aging service members or veterans. Through collaboration with nonprofit, corporate, and government partners, the Hidden Helpers program aims to create a positive collective impact for military-connected youth caregivers and their families. The subject of military children - and the impact of caregiving on their development and growth - has revealed itself to be a pressing issue on the minds of support organizations, military leaders, policymakers, and military families themselves. The Foundation is working to fill this gap through research and programming on (1) how military children are affected by a family member with a combat injury or illness, (2) how military children are affected by taking on caregiving duties themselves, and (3) what interventions or programs can best support the children of caregivers. -The Foundation's annual Heroes and History Makers Gala focuses on the stories of nation's military and veteran caregivers. This national event also features successes from the broad scope of the Foundation's annual programming and creates opportunities for caregivers to build connections with one another. -The Face The Fight initiative is a coalition effort led by USAA and organized by the Foundation to raise awareness and support for veteran suicide prevention, aiming to halve the veteran suicide rate by 2030 through strategies such as safe firearm storage, equitable care access, and support for at-risk veterans. -The Elizabeth Dole Foundation National Cabinet is a donor initiative to bring change-makers with the experience, talent, and determination to solve the challenges facing America's military and veteran caregivers. Members of this National Cabinet have a deep sense of appreciation for the nation and feel a sense of duty and commitment to support the wounded and ill veterans, their caregivers, and their families.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 81.2%; rating input score 81
• Program expense ratio: 76.8%; rating input score 77
• Fundraising efficiency: $10.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 98.5%; rating input score 98; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 95%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -4.7%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.67; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.28; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 16.2%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 16.6% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 14.9% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings