Giving Compass' Take:

• Fast Company reports on Craig Newmark's $5 million commitment to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonprofit for post-9/11 veteran advocacy and support.

• Part of the mission of this group is to address mental health issues, support for female veterans and recognizing health dangers to soldiers who served near burn pits. How might other funders follow Newmark's lead?

• Here's why female veterans are facing greater post-service financial difficulties.

Craiglist founder Craig Newmark just gave $5 million to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), a nonprofit for post-9/11 veteran advocacy and support. In doing so, he continues a charitable spending spree that, within the last year, has included separate $20 million gifts to support journalism at the City University of New York and a nonprofit news site called The Markup.

“I can see that veterans and active service members and also their families actually put into real action what we aspire to believe in in this country,” he says. That includes promoting and defending core values like “fairness and opportunity and respect” — the cornerstones of Craig Newmark Philanthropies.

The donation was made on the same night that Newmark, who has served on IAVA’s board for more than a decade, earned a civilian leadership award from IAVA. “We only found out he was considering doing more in the last few days,” says IAVA founder and CEO Paul Rieckhoff in an email to Fast Company. “It’s another example of how Craig steps up when veterans need him. He’s always got our back — and especially now.”

Read the full article about Craig Newmark's $5 million commitment to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America by Ben Paynter at fastcompany.com.