The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that it awarded more than $77 million in grants during fiscal year 2025 for the expansion and improvement of 20 state veterans cemeteries nationwide, including an establishment grant for Alaska’s first such state cemetery.
The grants routinely fund the construction of pre-placed crypts, columbaria, and improvements required to continue interments and operations. They are supported by the VA’s National Cemetery Administration, which reimburses states for the cost of building, improving or expanding state-run veterans cemeteries.
VA grant-funded cemeteries interred more than 43,705 veterans and eligible family members during FY 2025, which ran from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025. That amounts to approximately 25% of the 174,705 total annual interments in all national and VA grant-funded veterans cemeteries.
“Veterans cemeteries keep the memories of America’s heroes alive,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement. “Under President Trump, VA is committed to ensuring America’s veterans cemeteries have the resources they need to provide excellent memorial benefits and services to our nation’s veterans and their families, and these grants underscore that fact.”
List of Impacted Cemeteries
The following is a list of all the states’ veterans cemeteries, dollars received through grant funds, and how many veterans and eligible family members are served:
- $16.7 million for the establishment of the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery in Fairbanks, which will serve more than 12,000 veterans and their eligible family members as part of the state’s first veterans cemetery.
- $804,117 for the expansion of Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at Marana that serves more than 122,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $2.1 million for the expansion of Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista, while the VA will also reimburse the state $450,000 for the cost of fabrication and delivery of pre-placed crypts. The cemetery serves more than 105,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $5.2 million for the expansion of the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery at North Little Rock. The VA will also reimburse the state $2.3 million for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles used for the project. The cemetery serves more than 93,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $929,477 for the expansion of the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery at Winfield. The VA will also reimburse the state $427,000 for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles. The cemetery serves more than 58,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $999,300 for the expansion of the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Central in Radcliff. The cemetery serves more than 156,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $1.02 million for expansion of Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West in Hopkinsville. The cemetery serves more than 171,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $2.3 million for the expansion of Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Agawam. The cemetery serves more than 360,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $1.7 million for the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Winchendon. The cemetery serves more than 397,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $1.5 million for the expansion of the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Missoula. VA will also reimburse the state $274,006 for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles. The cemetery serves more than 17,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $1.3 million for the expansion of the Fort Stanton State Veterans Cemetery in New Mexico. The cemetery serves more than 12,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $5.9 million for the expansion of the Angel Fire State Veterans Cemetery in New Mexico. This cemetery serves more than 18,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $657,855 for the expansion of Eastern Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in North Carolina. The cemetery serves more than 290,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $811,353 for the expansion of Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in North Carolina. The cemetery serves more than 134,000 Veterans and their eligible family members.
- $3,393,863 for the expansion of Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in North Carolina. VA will also reimburse the state $1.8 million for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles used for the project. The cemetery serves more than 257,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $7.3 million for the expansion of East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery at Governor John Sevier Highway. VA will also reimburse the state $3.3 million for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles used for the project. The cemetery serves more than 155,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $982,859 for the expansion of M.J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery in South Carolina. The cemetery serves more than 187,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $12.8 million for the expansion of Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. The VA will reimburse the state $3.7 million for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles used for the project. The cemetery serves more than 221,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $8.3 million for the expansion of the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Virginia. The VA will also reimburse the state $5.8 million for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles used for the project. The cemetery serves more than 321,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $982,675 for the expansion of Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery serves more than 95,000 veterans and eligible family members.
- $931,500 for the improvement of Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, which serves more than 420,000 veterans and eligible family members.
The VA allows family and friends to preserve veterans’ legacies if they are interred in VA-grant funded cemeteries by posting tributes, uploading images and sharing memories through the VA’s Veterans Legacy Memorial website. For more information visit this link.
