Improving Veteran Mental Health

Our Commitment

The Cigna Group Foundation is committing $9 million over three years to address the mental health of military veterans and the significant impact that social determinants of health have on the mental health of veterans. Specifically, we will focus on improving housing stability among veterans.

Our Why

Across the United States, veterans face an elevated risk of homelessness relative to the general population. On any given night, an estimated 40,000 veterans go without shelter, and another 1.5 million veterans are considered at-risk of homelessness.¹ Research shows that veterans experiencing housing instability are at an increased risk of mental distress disorders.²

Our Partners

The work we want to do in our communities cannot be done alone. Many great nonprofit organizations already have the reach and scale necessary to build healthier communities, so contributing to and collaborating with them will help strengthen our collective impact.

In the first year of this veteran mental health grant program, we’ve partnered with organizations leveraging evidence-informed programs and services to help local veterans feel stable where they live and ultimately create positive impact on their mental health.

Examples of impact through funded grant programs include:

• Mortgage and rental assistance
• Employment re-entry training
• Development and building of housing geared for veterans

Our Call for Action

We seek to collaborate with and support nonprofit organizations that leverage evidence-informed programs and services to help local veterans feel stable where they live and ultimately create positive impact on their mental health.

Nonprofit partners must align to at least one of these grant program goals: 

• Increase permanent housing available for veterans.
• Improve affordability for housing for veterans through rental or mortgage assistance.
• Enhance the offering of wraparound services for veterans transitioning from shelters.