Fund emergency financial aid for veterans in acute crisis
Direct grants paid to landlords, utility companies, and medical providers — preventing eviction, utility shutoff, and medical-debt spirals for veteran families one missed paycheck from collapse. Median grant: $1,200. Funds disburse in 5-7 business days from intake.
Funding Ask
$25,000–$500,000 underwrite the next 12 months of grants
A $25,000 grant funds approximately 20 emergency-aid awards. A $100,000 grant underwrites a state-specific emergency-aid track for a year (4-6 grants per month). A $500,000 multi-year grant funds the program through scale-up to 50 states with disbursement automation.
Veterans are dying because the system gaps last 90 days, not 7
~32,800
veterans experiencing homelessness on any given night
Source: HUD 2023 AHAR Part 1
17.6/day
veterans dying by suicide (2021)
Source: VA 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
~260,000
veterans backlogged on VA disability decisions
Source: VA Monday Morning Workload Report
~15-20%
of veterans live below 200% of poverty line in some states
Source: US Census ACS 5-yr 2018-2022, joined to veteran-population
A veteran files for VA disability and waits ~125 days for a decision. Their landlord does not wait. Their utility company does not wait. The hospital billing department does not wait. The federal safety net runs on quarters; the eviction notice runs on weeks. We sit in that gap — paying a landlord directly so the veteran does not become homeless while waiting for the VA to decide.
The program model
How a dollar becomes an outcome
1
Veteran intake
Veteran (or their VSO, social worker, or family member) submits a single-page application via /apply. We verify DD-214 / Statement of Service to confirm veteran status.
2
Documentation review
Caseworker reviews the bill, eviction notice, or shutoff threat. We pay the third party directly — never the veteran — to prevent diversion and ensure the gap actually closes.
3
Direct payment
ACH or check issued to the landlord, utility company, or medical provider within 5-7 business days. Veteran receives confirmation + a copy of the proof-of-payment.
4
Resource handoff
Caseworker connects the veteran to longer-term resources from our 100,400-record directory: SSVF for housing stabilization, VA disability advocate, state veteran benefit, employment program. The grant prevents the immediate cliff; the directory prevents the next one.
Median grant: $1,200 Typical use: Rent (1 month): $1,000-$2,500 · Utility past-due (electric/gas/water): $200-$800 · Auto repair (sole vehicle to job): $400-$1,500 · Medical co-pay or balance: $300-$3,000 Disbursement speed: 5-7 business days from approved application
Why fund through Wounded Warriors
✓ Three things that differentiate us
Data-infrastructure moat. We operate the only Model Context Protocol (MCP) server in the US veteran-aid sector — 41 tools exposed to AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Glean) at warriors-fund-api.emperormew.workers.dev/mcp. Our 100,400-record veteran-resource directory is FIPS-tract geocoded to 99.92% precision, joined with US Census ACS, CDC PLACES, and HUD CHAS data. No peer veteran nonprofit operates comparable infrastructure.
Trust signals. Texas 501(c)(3), IRS ruling year 2021, EIN 86-1336741. Candid 2026 Platinum Seal of Transparency. Four consecutive Form 990s on ProPublica. 3-year program-expense ratio averaging 88%.
Funds 4 emergency-aid grants. One named grant per quarter for the funder.
$25,000
Funds ~20 emergency-aid grants over 6-12 months. Funder receives quarterly impact report with anonymized case summaries.
$100,000
Underwrites a state-specific emergency-aid track for one year (4-6 awards/month). Funder logo on /transparency dashboard if desired. Quarterly briefing.
$500,000+
Funds the program through scale-up to 50 states with disbursement automation. Founding-funder recognition. Influence on geographic and demographic prioritization.
Reporting & accountability
Quarterly impact reports with anonymized case summaries, geographic breakdown, outcome metrics, and program-expense detail.
Restricted-gift policy: donor restrictions honored per Gift Acceptance Policy + IRS regulations on charitable giving. Restricted gifts of $50,000+ require Board acknowledgment.
Common funder questions
How do you prevent fraud or grant misuse?
Three controls: (1) we verify DD-214 / Statement of Service for every applicant, (2) we pay third parties directly — landlord, utility, provider — never the veteran, (3) we cap any single grant at $5,000 absent extraordinary documentation, and re-review applicants who return within 12 months. Audit trail retained per our Records Retention Policy.
What is the program-expense ratio for this program?
Per our most recent IRS Form 990 filings on ProPublica, our 3-year program-expense average is 88%. Emergency Financial Aid is staffed primarily by 1099 caseworkers paid per case, which keeps overhead low even as volume scales. Form 990s are at projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/861336741.
Can we restrict the grant to a specific state, MOS, or service era?
Yes. We honor donor restrictions provided they comply with our Gift Acceptance Policy and IRS regulations on charitable giving. Common restrictions: state, post-9/11 era, women veterans, formerly-homeless veterans, MST survivors. Restricted grants $50,000+ require Board acknowledgment.
How is reporting handled?
Three layers: (1) a foundation-specific quarterly PDF with award counts, anonymized case summaries, geographic breakdown, and outcome surveys, (2) a real-time machine-readable feed at /api/impact-report and /api/grantmaker/snapshot, (3) annual audit-trail review by our independent reviewer (FY2024 audit engagement underway).