WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded nearly $2.2 million to eight educational and research institutions to expand programs that document veterans’ service and engage students in researching those buried in national and state veterans cemeteries.
The $2,199,686 in grants, issued through the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program, will support projects that combine historical research, cemetery visits and public presentations while adding biographies and other materials to the Veterans Legacy Memorial, the VA announced.
“These grants connect America’s youth with America’s Veterans,” VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Sam Brown stated. “They help teach young people valuable lessons about service, sacrifice, courage, and perseverance that will last a lifetime.”
The largest grant, $356,582, was awarded to National History Day Inc., which plans to recruit 50 teachers nationwide to guide students in researching Navy and Coast Guard veterans of World War II. The organization expects to add as many as 100 veteran profiles to the Veterans Legacy Memorial and its Silent Heroes project.
Montclair State University received $318,971 to develop a yearlong curriculum for teachers researching veterans with ties to New Jersey, including field studies at four veterans cemeteries.
The University of Alaska Anchorage was awarded $325,000 to support research on Alaska veterans and establish a campus memorial displaying student work.
The U.S. Korea Global Strategy Foundation received $329,997 for a project focused on Vietnam War veterans that aims to reach approximately 21,000 students and 900 teachers through webinars and research activities.
Texas State University was awarded $286,985 for its TexVet Legacy Project, which will produce biographies for the Veterans Legacy Memorial and create educational materials highlighting Gold Star families while serving an estimated 4,000 students annually.
The University of Central Missouri received $255,451 to fund student research, community events, walking tours and educational content centered on veterans buried at Fort Scott National Cemetery in Kansas and the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville.
The University of Denver was awarded $201,699 to expand veteran-focused curriculum in Colorado schools, develop virtual walking tours and strengthen collaboration with Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation Public School in Nebraska received $125,000 to develop age-specific programs introducing K-12 students to the history and service of veterans from the Omaha Tribal community through research and remembrance projects.
Established in 2016, the Veterans Legacy Program funds educational initiatives that connect students and communities with veterans buried in VA and VA-funded cemeteries. The program has engaged more than 15,000 students and supports the Veterans Legacy Memorial, an online archive commemorating more than 10 million veterans interred in U.S. and overseas cemeteries.
The National Cemetery Administration provides eligible veterans and their families with burial and memorial benefits, including gravesites in national cemeteries with available space, government headstones or markers, burial flags and Presidential Memorial Certificates at no cost to families.
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