Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services FAQs

Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services was established in July 2012 to harness the vast “sea of goodwill” that exists across our country—individuals, organizations, and communities eager to support veterans and their families but unsure how to engage.

Born from the advocacy and strategic vision of the Office of Warrior and Family Support in the Dept. of Defense, Dixon Center was created as a resource hub outside of DoD, designed to bridge the gap between the sea of goodwill and effective action that creates positive outcomes for veterans and their families. The Center serves as a conduit, connecting those who want to make a difference with practical solutions that integrate veterans into every aspect of American life.

Today, Dixon Center operates as a national organization with local impact, working through thousands of community partners across the country. Our administrative offices are housed within The Fedcap Group at 633 Third Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017.

Click here to learn more about our history and to see examples of our work, review our 10-year Retrospective

There are nearly 19,000,000 living veterans in the United States. Annually, approximately 180,000 service members and their families return to their families, neighbors and communities as veterans.

Throughout their lives as a veteran and military family, they face:

• Unemployment and Underemployment
• Entrepreneur Access to Capital
• Confusing Support Landscape and Access to VA Services/Benefits
• Challenges with Wellness
• Pathways to Citizenship
• Caregiver Burnout
• Poverty
• Affordable Housing
• Isolation and Loneliness

The American people are forgetting about the wars. We will not allow them to forget about those who fought those wars. The good news is the American people want to assist, they’re just not sure how. That’s where Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services comes in.

Purpose: We have a noble purpose to make the lives of veterans and their families better.

Mission: Our mission is to ensure veterans and military families can succeed where they live and that all sectors of society effectively integrate veterans and their families into their organization and existing programs.

Vision: To be the resource of choice for building capacity, nationally and locally, at the individual, organizational, systems, or movement level.

We focus our efforts on organizations, communities, and movements to assist them in supporting the military and veteran community—active-duty military, National Guard and Reserves, veterans from all eras, military spouses and families, caregivers, and the families of our fallen. Our partners are a cross-section of society, including but not limited to, employers, labor unions, academic institutions, local communities, other non-profits, and state and federal agencies.

We have a noble purpose to make the lives of veterans and their families better.

Across the nation, we work with individuals, organizations, and communities who share our noble purpose. We provide technical assistance/training, resource sharing, and strong leadership for our partners, who, with our ongoing support, enable veterans to Work with Purpose, Heal with Honor, and Live with Hope.

The Center is a catalyst for influence, ideas, and action — empowering partners and communities by building their capacity to support veterans:

• Providing our partners the tools, knowledge, and connections they need — so they can focus on making a real difference for veterans and their families.
• Mobilizing organizations, communities, and individuals to foster collective action toward lasting change for those who have served.
• Bringing together a multidisciplinary team, resources, and expertise to leverage the best outcomes for our partners.
• Through collaboration, build and expand strong, community-based networks that connect veterans to vital resources and support.
• Optimize direct services by guiding and uniting service providers to deliver stronger, more coordinated support for military and veteran communities.

Pillar: Work with Purpose.

Programs: Workforce Development and Career Placement, and Veteran Entrepreneurship

• Assist organizations in developing programs that put veterans on the road to productive, meaningful careers—careers that provide wages that allow veterans to invest in their families’ future, provide access to healthcare and benefits, and opportunities for advancement.
• Access to apprenticeships, credentials (licenses, certificates, and certifications).
• Increasing the impact of programs that support and encourage veteran entrepreneurs.

Pillar: Heal with Honor.

Programs: Clearinghouse, and Wellness

• We provide data and tools that help individuals and organizations drive positive outcomes for veterans and their families and help them achieve their goals.
• Connecting with direct-service wellness providers and programs supporting veterans.
• We advocate for veterans who have underlying issues that put them at greater risk of loneliness and isolation.
• Leveraging technology to increase access to wellness for veterans and their families.

Pillar: Live with Hope.

Programs: Housing, and Basic Needs

• Creating solutions that provide opportunities for affordable housing—living in a safe, secure, and comfortable setting in harmony with a local community where a veteran can function independently and contribute to society as a private citizen.
• Resource sharing to assist with basic needs.
• Increasing the impact of organizations that combat homelessness and help veterans navigate their evolving needs.

Our partners include employers, labor unions, academic institutions, non-profits, communities, and state and federal agencies. Every day our staff is drawing upon our decades of experience in the military and veteran community, sharing lessons learned and best practices with our partners to assist them in integrating veterans and their families into their programs and organizations. With our support, these organizations transform the lives of service members, veterans, and their families, ensuring they reach their full potential. Some of these activities include:

Resource Generation:  We have generated  millions of dollars for nonprofits across the nation. We have supported the distribution of 36 million dollars plus in strategic support through philanthropies and contract to communities, individuals and foundations.

Cultural and Engagement Strategy:  We conduct training to assist organizations to build a culture that attracts veterans and their families and assists them in reaching their full potential.

Research and Policy Development: We collect and analyze data to identify the evolving needs of veterans and their families. Collaborating with our partners, we share our analysis and conclusions to develop solutions and make policy recommendations that create positive outcomes for the military and veteran community.

Economic Development: We provide support to organizations from all sectors of society – public, private, social, and civic – and other community economic development projects.

Narrative Change: We partner with Media, Radio, Networks, Entertainment,  local communities, colleges, businesses, media institutions and speaking across the nation.

Relationship Building:  We use our experience in building private-public partnerships in hundreds of communities to generate collective action to increase the impact of programs focused on veterans and their families.

Capacity Building: We are engaged in building the capacity of thousands of nonprofits, enhancing their ability to deliver services and programs at the right time and the right place.

Equitable & Just Policy : Advocate and develop veteran and military wellness policy at the national, state and local level.

Leadership Development:  We are invested in resourcing and nurturing the growth of leaders in the military and veteran space.

Our Priorities

• Support for our partners who with our ongoing assistance and capacity building integrate veterans, and their families.
• Growth in our team, the numbers of partners we work with, as well as the number of veterans and military families impacted by our work with other organizations.
• Profitability, which includes a 12% increase in resources each year.

Our Key Tasks

• Programs and Services – Serve as a resource hub focusing on three pillars, six programs, and an annual goal of eighty projects.
• Awareness and Engagements – Providing leadership for local and national engagements and outreach, building public awareness; encouraging community involvement; and promoting community-based services.
• Resource Development – Function as team of leaders stressing donor relations and the donor experience vis-a-vis engagement, recognition, acknowledgement, and stewardship.
• Marketing and Communications – Everyone is involved in creating, promoting, and facilitating compelling, Dixon Center communications that enhance our work, our reputation, and drive key initiatives making the lives of veterans and their families better.
  

Governance and Support

• Dixon Center is housed within the Fedcap Group and is governed through the existing structures of the Fedcap’s Board of Directors.
• Dixon Center Command Council, authorized by The Fedcap Group Board of Directors, serves as an advisory committee, providing guidance and direction in the pursuit of Dixon Center’s purpose, mission, and vision.

Business Processes & Infrastructure Operations

Fedcap provides Dixon Center with 501(c)(3) support and an array of organizational supports, including services in the areas of finance, human resources, information technology, travel and meeting planning and logistics, and administration and production.

Command Council Commitment

• Support the mission, vision, veteran and military families needs, and strategic planning, where appropriate.
• Share ideas, strategies, and expertise.
• Engaging in various aspects of philanthropic fund development. We ask members to open doors, introduce potential corporate, foundation and major donors, and leverage contacts to build long-term philanthropic and sustained financial success.
• Allow Dixon Center to provide advice and insights on needs and solutions for veterans and their family’s quality of life where Command Council members live and visit. 
• Tell Dixon Center’s story.
• Hosting or attending donor engagement events and meetings.

Would you like to request a speaker?  Fill out our form here and make sure to choose Request Speaker or email us at info@dixoncenter.org.

To stay up to date on Dixon Center activities, sign up for our eNewsletter, The Bugler, read our blog, The Muster, listen to our Podcast, “Service Before Self” and Join us on social media:  Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Bluesky Threads

Dixon Center takes its name from an American hero, Army Staff Sergeant Donnie Dixon. He was killed in action while serving in Iraq in 2007, dying as he had lived—an inspiration to those who served with him. Dixon Center isn’t named in memory of Donnie. It’s named to honor his values—loyalty and duty, respect and honor, integrity, and courage. Qualities that America’s military holds dear.