Press Releases

The Pritzker Military Foundation (PMF), founded by Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired), has announced a $100,000 donation to the Fisher House Foundation to aid in the construction of its 100th Fisher House. This new facility will be located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago/Great Lakes and is expected to be completed in 2025. The PMF has a history of generous contributions totaling $500,000 to various Fisher Houses, including those at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, the, Minneapolis VA Medical Center, the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, at Fort Liberty, North Carolina (formerly Fort Bragg) and now in North Chicago.

“We are truly honored to contribute to the establishment of the Fisher House Foundation’s 100th house and to take part in the meaningful celebration of its remarkable expansion,” said Col. Pritzker (Ret.). “These houses are making a profound difference in the lives of countless individuals who are dedicated to caring for their active-duty and veteran loved ones during challenging times.”

Fisher House serves active-duty military and veteran families across the country and overseas. Lovell FHCC is the nation’s only fully integrated Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility, making the newly constructed facility the first Fisher House with the mission to support both active-duty military families and veteran families. The Lovell FHCC location will span more than 14,000 sq. ft. and will provide free lodging for the families of veterans and military members, allowing them to remain close to their loved ones during critical medical care. At full capacity, it has the potential to save these families over $1.3 million each year. It will also provide patients with access to necessary care that was previously out of reach without suitable lodging for their families nearby.

In early October, staff from the Pritzker Military Foundation, along with donors and community leaders, gathered for a “Topping Off” ceremony to sign a beam for the entrance of the new Fisher House. The event was hosted by Dr. Robert Buckley, Director of Lovell FHCC, and David A. Coker, President of  Fisher House Foundation. The new facility will include 16 accessible suites, a spacious kitchen, large communal living and dining areas, a laundry room, and a shared patio. Once completed, the home will be donated to the Lovell FHCC as part of a public-private partnership involving the Fisher House Foundation, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Fisher House is grateful to the Pritzker Military Foundation for their partnership and contributions to the 100th Fisher House,” said Ken Fisher, chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation. “They clearly value the importance of caring for the military and veteran community, and it is especially meaningful for them to help bring this new Fisher House to North Chicago.”

To learn more about the Pritzker Military Foundation grants, please visit https://www.pritzkermilitaryfoundation.org/our-grants/. The Pritzker Military Foundation is a private foundation that accepts applications by invitation only. There is no open application period.

About Pritzker Military Foundation 

The Pritzker Military Foundation seeks to support the work of nonprofit organizations in preserving American military history, restoring historic military artifacts and making them accessible to the public, and providing services and essential resources to past and present service members in all branches of the United States Armed Forces. To learn more, visit www.pritzkermilitaryfoundation.org.

The Pritzker Military Foundation (PMF) and its founder, Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired), announced charitable gifts to the Marine Corps Association Foundation (MCA) to support a three-year pilot program to select ROTC schools, representing all branches of the military. The program will be administered by the MCA. A total of more than $800k is specifically designated for operating expenses of the PMF annual Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) merit awards and staff ride programs.

“ROTC enabled me to take my career to a new level by training me to make the transition from enlisted soldier to commissioned Army officer,” said Col. Pritzker (Ret.). “It’s an honor to give back to this vitally important program, provide support to the next generation of military leaders, and contribute to the valuable services of the Marine Corps Association.”

The program is invitation-only with participating schools already chosen for the entirety of the full three-year pilot; there is no open application or request process. MCA will receive $678,000 over three years for distribution to individual schools for cadet merit awards and cadre staff rides. An additional $132,500 will be provided to MCA for general operating and administrative expenses over the course of the pilot. PMF and MCA will work together to evaluate the applications and monitor the progress of recipients.

ROTC is a leadership training and development program that prepares full-time, college-enrolled students for service opportunities in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, and is currently offered at 1,700 colleges and universities. The Marine Corps Association is dedicated to enhancing the professional growth of Marines through staff rides, professional reading materials, and awards to recognize the achievements of Marines across the Corps. The PMF Program allows MCA to expand its reach to ROTC programs of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

“The Marine Corps Association appreciates the generous three-year grant from the Pritzker Military Foundation,” said Col Timothy Mundy, USMC (Ret), Vice President of MCA’s Foundation. “This partnership allows us to support ROTC students and programs, and we appreciate PMF’s support of our own programs. We are grateful to COL (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Ret) for the Pritzker Military Foundation’s partnership and commitment to MCA as we continue to enhance the professional military education of Marines and their families.”

The grant runs from September 1, 2024, to July 31, 2027. To learn more about the Pritzker Military Foundation grants, please visit https://www.pritzkermilitaryfoundation.org/our-grants/. The Pritzker Military Foundation is a private foundation that accepts applications by invitation only. There is no open application period.

About Pritzker Military Foundation 

The Pritzker Military Foundation seeks to support the work of nonprofit organizations in preserving American military history, restoring historic military artifacts and making them accessible to the public, and providing services and essential resources to past and present service members in all branches of the United States Armed Forces. To learn more, visit www.pritzkermilitaryfoundation.org.

The Pritzker Military Foundation and its founder, Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired), announced a charitable grant of $20,000 to Combined Arms, a not-for-profit organization that connects military veterans to support services through an interconnected technological network with the aim of helping veterans thrive. Under the terms of the agreement, Combined Arms will use the funds exclusively for marketing initiatives and national outreach efforts. Since the technological platform’s success is dependent upon veteran utilization of the network and service providers’ participation, additional communication efforts will enhance Combined Arms’ ability to carry out its mission. The funding will also help Combined Arms expand outreach to previously underserved areas and additional state service provider partners.

Veteran services and benefits are under-utilized in the U.S. As one example, nine million veterans were enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration’s health program, but there are more than 16 million veterans across the country. Combined Arms seeks to increase access to a variety of benefits by unifying service providers in a single network and connecting veterans to these services.

The organization provides a digital marketplace for federal, state, and veteran service organizations, improving service availability, reducing response time, and streamlining case management for veterans and military families. Combined Arms has served over 70,000 veterans since its founding in 2015, and data from its SaaS platform indicate that its work has made a $990 million economic impact during that time.

“People are often shocked to realize how complicated it can be for military veterans to access the range of services they need and deserve, and Combined Arms is doing tremendously important work to improve the process,” said Pritzker. “We are proud to support this important cause for military families.”

Combined Arms emphasizes accountability in its network, such as requiring that service providers respond to veterans’ requests within 72 hours. On the veteran side, Combined Arms requires that all participants complete a World Health Organization Well-Being Index, and has documented empirical improvements in veterans’ responses after using Combined Arms’ services.

“Transitioning out of active military service is cause for celebration, but it’s also a daunting and confusing time for veterans. There are more than 45,000 veteran service organizations across the country, and sorting through them all, determining eligibility, and managing the request processes can be overwhelming and discouraging,” said Mike Hutchings, CEO of Combined Arms. “We are grateful to the Pritzker Military Foundation for recognizing the importance of service access and supporting Combined Arms’ national expansion.”

To learn more about the Pritzker Military Foundation grants, visit https://www.pritzkermilitaryfoundation.org/our-grants/. The Pritzker Military Foundation is a private foundation that accepts applications by invitation only. There is no open application period.

About Pritzker Military Foundation

The Pritzker Military Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that preserve American military history, restore historic military artifacts and make them accessible to the public, and provide services and essential resources to active-duty military, veterans and families of service members in all branches of the United States Armed Forces. To learn more, visit www.pritzkermilitaryfoundation.org.

About Combined Arms

Combined Arms (CA) is a  501(c)(3) organization committed to transforming the way veterans and military families connect with vetted resources needed to thrive. Through innovative technology and data sophistication, the COmbined Arms platform unifies top-tier veteran-focused nonprofits, state and federal agencies and communities with data-fueled insights. This optimizes connection to resources and drives network-wide efficiencies and transparency, ultimately improving the quality of life for veterans and military families so they can thrive. For more information, visit CombinedArms.us.