
Developing Business in the Communities We Call Home
“To be sustainable, business development must be continuous.” – Duncan S. Milne, Retired US Marine Corps Colonel, President,Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services At
“We are thrilled to have secured a multi-year grant.”
– Eileen Greenlay, Director of Development
Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services has recently been awarded a multi-year grant from an anonymous foundation to advance our key initiatives: Live with Hope, Basic Needs, and Operation Veteran Empowerment (OVE).
The Live with Hope programs, which focus on Housing and Basic Needs, operate through a network of partnerships with organizations and service providers. The newly secured funding enables Operation Veteran Empowerment to offer one-time, needs-based emergency financial assistance to women veterans connected to New York State who are experiencing urgent financial hardship. Assistance covers essential expenses such as past-due rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, car repairs, and other critical needs.
Throughout the first cycle of the grant, Dixon Center leveraged opportunities to demonstrate its impact through regular check-in meetings, comprehensive mid-year and final grant reports, and convenings with stakeholders. The organization’s commitment to gathering learnings, conducting data analysis, collecting survey insights, and incorporating feedback from partners resulted in compelling evidence to support requests for increased and extended funding.
During a recent meeting with the funding foundation, Dixon Center shared significant data trends and detailed how collaboration with network partners helps meet the needs of veterans and their families. The evidence-based model established in the first year, combined with a vision for expanding impact over the next two years, strongly resonated with the foundation and secured their continued support.


“To be sustainable, business development must be continuous.” – Duncan S. Milne, Retired US Marine Corps Colonel, President,Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services At

“Veterans shouldn’t have to choose between purpose and opportunity. Registered apprenticeships offer both – clear pathways into skilled careers that value the discipline, leadership, and

“Now more than ever, we are reaffirming our unwavering support for those touched by military service by ensuring we have the resources to fulfill our commitments.” – Eileen

“Connection is not an event outcome — it is a system design challenge. If we want to reduce isolation, we must build the pathways that