OVERVIEW: The Wounded Warrior Project supports veterans and military families through a series of programs that work to help veterans transition to civilian life. It also makes a small number of grants each year to veterans benefit organizations.
IP TAKE: The Wounded Warrior Project is an organization that strives to adapt to veterans’ evolving needs. While the grants it makes are relatively few in number, they tend to be significant in size. Unfortunately, it tends to give to the same groups each year, and new recipients are preselected. On the plus side, this is a very transparent funder that provides access to several years’ worth of 990s, so grantseekers can see what types of organizations it supports and at what level. To get on this funder’s radar, your organization will need to network and have data, as well as financials, to back your claims. A media presence will also be a must in order to show how your organization facilitates this funding space.
PROFILE: Established in 2003, the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) was created by John Melia, a veteran who was wounded while serving in Somalia in 1992. Based in Roanoke, Virginia, it seeks “to honor and empower Wounded Warriors” and “to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in [U.S.] history.” Originally a program of the United Spinal Association that distributed backpacks filled with “comfort items,” the Wounded Warrior Project was spun off with a $2.7 million grant into a multifaceted veterans support organization. WWP does not make grants directly to veterans or have programs that allow benefit organizations to apply for grants; however, several of its support programs include some form of direct assistance to both veterans and military families.
Grants for Veterans
All of this funder’s grantmaking focuses on veterans and military families. This work aims to invest in this demographic from a variety of perspectives in order to fill gaps in an underfunded space.
- The Get Connected program works to connect veterans and military family members with others in similar situations. This is not a grantmaking program so much as a social network facilitating outreach, engagement, and growing connections within the veteran community. Its subprograms include:
- Alumni Connection Program puts newly returned service members in touch with “alumni” veterans, ie. those who have already successfully navigated the transition to civilian life.
- Peer Support connects veterans and military family members with local support groups to help adjust to “the new normal of civilian life.”
- Resource Center works with veterans to connect them with the program that will serve them best.
- Family Support services provide resources and tools for military family members as they transition into the role of caregivers for and life with returning veterans.
- International Support program supports the global community of veterans by helping “wounded, ill, and injured service members who are medically evacuated from deployed locations” get help at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany “or participate in programs throughout Europe at […] Warrior Transition Units.”
In addition to its support for individuals, WWP also makes grants to veterans’ organizations, including Bastion Community of Resilience, America’s Warrior Partnership, Blue Star Families, Warrior Reunion Foundation, Warrior Canine Connection, and Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Of America.
Grants for Health
The Wounded Warrior Project’s health and healthcare related programs focus on both immediate and long-term health concerns. These include lifestyle coaching, providing educational resources to promote healthy practices, fitness and wellness challenges, mental health support, and long-term care services for wounded veterans.
Grants for Public Health and Access
The Wounded Warrior Project’s general health programs concentrate on two key areas of healthcare: holistic health for returning veterans and long-term support for wounded veterans, their caregivers, and family members.
- WWP’s Physical Health and Wellness program is a multi-week program that focuses on “movement, nutritional education, coaching, goal-setting, and skill-building” to help wounded veterans improve their overall physical, mental, and emotional health.
- The Independence Program is individualized to suit the needs of wounded veterans and their caregivers. It works to empower veterans with as much high-quality independence as possible and provide caregivers with the support they need to support their veterans.
In addition to its Wounded Warrior and Caregiver support programs, WWP also makes grants to various hospitals, medical centers, and other types of healthcare organizations and facilities.
- Rush University Medical Center in Chicago received $45 million to support its Road Home Program, and $65 million went to Massachusetts General Hospital to support its Home Base program.
- Other groups include American Red Cross, David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education, Concussion Legacy Foundation, Burn Pits 360, Hope for the Warriors, Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s Caring for Military Families program.
Grants for Mental Health, Neuroscience Research
According to the National Center for PTSD, as many as 1 in 3 veterans report experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their life. The Wounded Warrior Project’s Mental Health Support programs include a handful that address returning veterans’ mental and emotional health, including PTSD, military sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, and others.
- Warrior Care Network is a $336 million program that collaborates with academic medical centers that offer individualized medical treatment focused on mental health, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury.
- Project Odyssey is an “adventure-based learning” program that helps veterans with PTSD, anxiety, and depression develop skills to live healthy lives.
- WWP Talk is a mental health support line.
- The Independence Program works to help wounded veterans and their caregivers live as independently as possible, including those with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, or neurological conditions.
- Previous mental healthcare groups that have seen support include Brain Injury Services of SW Va, Milspeak Foundation, Combined Arms, The Comfort Crew for Military Kids, and Canine Companions for Independence.
- UCLA Health’s Operation Mend received a five-year $20 million grant to help treat veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
Grants for Economic Development
Several of the Wounded Warrior Project’s programs focus on providing financial assistance and career services. Its Career and VA Benefits Counseling programs help returning veterans navigate some of the more practical concerns about transitioning to civilian life.
- VA Benefits Counseling helps veterans understand how to claim the benefits to which they are entitled
- Financial Education provides individualized financial counseling and education programs to improve veterans’ financial literacy
- Warriors to Work seeks to aid the transition to civilian life with career counseling, job placement assistance, and educational resources related to resume writing, interview preparation, salary negotiation, and help to translate military skills to the needs of the job market.
In addition to supporting the above programs, WWP workforce and financial education support grants have gone to The Honor Foundation, an organization that “helps U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) transition from military to private sector careers,” Warrior Reunion Foundation for vocational training, and Vets Community Connections, Team Red White & Blue, and The Mission Continues for adult education and workforce training.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $20,000 to over $14 million, but most grants fall in the $75,000 to $450,000 range. WWP gave away over $53 million in grants in a recent year.
- It only gives to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding.
- WWP provides its services to veterans and their families free of charge.
- View its 990s for information about the types of organizations it has supported in the past and in what amounts.
Grantseekers can reach out via WWP’s extensive contact page. Sign up to the newsletter for updates.
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