Syracuse University’s IVMF gets $1 million foundation grant to expand SyracuseServes network

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University recently received $1 million in additional grant funding to expand the SyracuseServes program that supports veterans and their families in the region.

Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, a New York City–based nonprofit organization that aims to improve the lives of vulnerable New York residents, awarded the grant renewal, Syracuse University said in a news release.

The new grant award comes on top of funding that the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation previously awarded the IVMF. An initial $500,000 grant in 2020 helped in establishing a partnership between the City of Syracuse and the IVMF to create SyracuseServes.

It also supported a landscape assessment on the status of veteran care across New York State. The assessment — conducted by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and IVMF — was later used in developing an action plan for what this additional funding will achieve.

“Coordinated care has increasingly gained attention as an effective way to improve the health and well-being of veterans and the military-connected community. Accessing care can be difficult though, especially for veterans and their families,” Vincent DelSignore, IVMF’s director of community services, said. “The investment from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to expand the SyracuseServes network will further the reach of our coordinated care efforts and will help remove barriers so veterans and their families can easily, and more directly, access resources in their communities.”

Over the last two years, veterans from neighboring counties have “increasingly” sought out support from SyracuseServes, “indicating the need for expansion,” Syracuse University said. The first $500,000 grant in 2020 mostly supported military families in the City of Syracuse.

A portion of the new grant funding will contribute to expanding coordination services to the neighboring counties of Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, and Oswego. The expansion will have SyracuseServes continuing to support the important work of local partners and organizations serving about 45,000 veterans and their families residing in the five-county region, Syracuse University said.

Additionally, the funding will support IVMF’s continued efforts to help veterans and their families across New York. IVMF will establish a statewide Community of Practice with support from the grant and will also share the data gathered to further “help communities and organizations understand how to best serve the military-connected community,” the school added.