Elizabeth Dole Foundation Convenes National Leaders to Launch Blueprint for Caregiving in America
Media Contact: Jodi Sheedy
media@elizabethdolefoundation.org
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2026—The Elizabeth Dole Foundation today launched the National Blueprint for Action at its 11th Annual National Convening, a solutions-driven roadmap to strengthen the millions of families who care for those who served. Held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, the convening brought together caregivers, policymakers, business leaders and service organizations to advance a nationwide Culture of Caregiving in support of the 14.3 million Americans caring for a wounded, ill or injured service member or veteran.
“The National Blueprint for Action is the foundation’s commitment to move from awareness to results,” said Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. “It sets a clear agenda for the next decade and gives federal agencies, state leaders, employers, providers and community partners a shared framework for action. We will measure our progress against it, hold ourselves accountable to it and ask every partner who serves caregivers to do the same.”
The National Blueprint for Action is organized around the four pillars of the foundation’s strategic plan: emotional and mental wellness, economic mobility, caregiving youth and families and supportive care ecosystems.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins joined Steve Schwab for a fireside discussion underscoring the federal commitment to family caregivers and highlighting the department’s ongoing implementation of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. “Family caregivers are vital to the health and well-being of our nation’s veterans,” said Secretary Collins. “The work being done by these families every day, in homes across this country, is inseparable from the care, recovery and dignity of the men and women who served. Supporting them is not optional. It is essential.”
During the event, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation awarded Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi with its inaugural Lifetime Leadership Award, recognizing her commitment to military and veteran caregivers.
“Through the work of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Senator Dole has ensured that millions of military and veteran caregivers are no longer invisible, but recognized as the essential pillars of strength they are,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “It is deeply humbling to receive the Lifetime Leadership Award, which I accept it on behalf of all who have worked to lift up caregivers and military families across our country. This convening and the Blueprint for Action make clear that supporting caregivers is a national responsibility – and we must act.”
Throughout the day, caregivers and their loved ones shared lived experience that grounded each pillar in the realities of daily caregiving, while breakout working sessions translated those insights into concrete commitments and next steps. The blueprint will guide the foundation’s programs, partnerships and advocacy in the year ahead.
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation also presented its Congressional Champion Award to U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, for his leadership delivering some of the most significant expansions of caregiver support in a generation.
The foundation also introduced its 2026 class of Dole Caregiver Fellows, announced earlier this month. The 23 caregivers, representing 19 states, will spend the next two years driving local action and advancing policy solutions in their home communities and on Capitol Hill, amplifying the voices of military and veteran families in every corner of the country.
B-roll footage of today’s event can be found here.
Pictures of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi with both Senator Elizabeth Dole and Steve Schwab can be found below:
To request an interview with a 2026 Dole Caregiver Fellow or a foundation spokesperson, contact Jodi Sheedy at media@elizabethdolefoundation.org.
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About the Elizabeth Dole Foundation & Hidden Heroes
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the preeminent organization empowering, supporting and honoring our nation’s 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers—the spouses, parents, siblings, family members and friends who care for America’s wounded, ill or injured service members and veterans. Established by Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2012, the foundation works to empower military and veteran caregivers, their families and their communities through programs, partnerships and advocacy that drive innovative, impactful and sustainable solutions. The foundation’s Hidden Heroes public awareness campaign brings vital attention to the untold stories of military and veteran caregivers, galvanizing action to strengthen support for them in communities across the nation. Visit elizabethdolefoundation.org for more information.