How to apply for Wounded Warriors Housing Down-Payment Assistance
Step-by-step guide for veterans buying a primary residence with a VA or conventional mortgage. The VA Home Loan eliminates the down-payment requirement, but the typical 2-5% closing-cost burden ($10K-$25K) still derails many veteran homebuyers. Wounded Warriors' Housing program closes the cash-at-closing gap with $2,500-$10,000 grants.
What you'll need
- DD-214 (long-form)
- Mortgage pre-approval letter (VA loan or conventional)
- Approved homebuyer education course certificate (about 3 hours, free)
- Two years of tax returns, recent pay stubs and three months of bank statements
Step-by-step
Step 1: Confirm eligibility
Required: verified U.S. military veteran, mortgage pre-approval (VA loan or conventional), a primary-residence purchase, completion of an approved homebuyer education course (about 3 hours, free), and combined household income at or below 120% of area median income. Capacity is limited and applications are reviewed monthly. See /api/v1/programs/housing.json for full eligibility.
Reference: https://warriorsfund.org/api/v1/programs/housing.json
Step 2: Get mortgage pre-approval FIRST (separately from this program)
This program does NOT replace your mortgage — it bridges the closing-cost gap. Get pre-approved (NOT pre-qualified) for a VA Home Loan via va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/ or for a conventional loan before house hunting. See /api/v1/howto/apply-va-home-loan.json for the VA Home Loan process.
Reference: https://warriorsfund.org/api/v1/howto/apply-va-home-loan.json
Step 3: Submit the Wounded Warriors Housing application
Start the three-question intake at warriorsfund.org/programs/housing/. A complete application includes your DD-214, pre-approval letter, two years of tax returns, recent pay stubs and three months of bank statements.
Step 4: Case manager review + grant determination
The program team reviews: pre-approval, cash-at-closing gap, income vs AMI, household composition. Funding levels: $2,500, $5,000, $7,500 or $10,000, based on the cash-at-closing gap and household need. Typical review is 2-3 weeks from a complete application; funding depends on the program pool.
Step 5: Direct-at-closing disbursement
When approved, the grant is paid toward your closing costs through the closing, not to you in cash. Funds bridge the closing-cost gap so you can close on the home.
Critical tips
- For 10%+ disabled veterans: the VA Funding Fee is WAIVED ($5K-$15K savings on a typical loan). Combined with this program, your total cash-at-closing can be near zero.
- Pair this program with state veteran tuition waivers, state property tax exemptions, and seller-paid closing costs (sellers can pay up to 4% on VA loans) for maximum cash-at-closing reduction.
- You CAN use the VA Home Loan multiple times — entitlement restores after sale or refinance. This program is intended for one-time bridge support per veteran.
- For closing-cost-wall research: warriorsfund.org/research/the-closing-cost-wall