Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration announced today it has awarded $804,973 in grants through the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) Veterans’ Trust Fund (VTF). The $804,973 in citizen-donated funding will support nine County Directors of Veterans Affairs and 19 nonprofits and Veterans Service Organizations across the commonwealth as they carry out initiatives to address challenges Pennsylvania veterans face, from food and housing insecurity to transportation and behavioral health issues.
Donations from generous Pennsylvanians fund the VTF. This is done through direct donations online, as well as donations when applying for or renewing their driver’s license, photo ID, or motor vehicle registration. The VTF also receives proceeds from the sale of the Honoring Our Veterans and Honoring Our Women Veterans license plates, as well as private donations. Every dollar donated to VTF goes directly to fund grants that benefit veterans. There are no administrative costs, salaries, or contract costs.
Since the VTF grant program began in 2013, a total of $9,968,473 has been awarded to organizations that serve Pennsylvania veterans.
“Our veterans have served our country and fought for our freedoms, and my administration has their backs,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “The Veterans’ Trust Fund, supported through Pennsylvanians’ generous donations, provides vital resources for the organizations that support Pennsylvania’s 700,000 veterans – organizations that make sure our veterans can put food on the table, have transportation to get where they need to go, and receive the benefits they earned through their service. We will continue to work to ensure that the brave men and women who protected our freedoms have the opportunity to succeed and can prosper here in the commonwealth.”
“There are countless outstanding organizations across Pennsylvania dedicated to advocating for veterans, but their impact depends on strong financial backing — which is exactly why the Veterans’ Trust Fund plays such a critical role,” said Maj. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “Because of the generosity of Pennsylvanians, the VTF allows us to deliver essential funding to these groups. It’s a powerful reminder that we are united as one team, working toward a single goal: supporting our veterans and their families.”
The DMVA directed $128,936 in VTF grant funding to nine County Directors of Veterans Affairs for new or expanded programs or services. The grantees and the specific award amounts to support veteran outreach initiatives are as follows:
- Bedford County Veterans Affairs: $14,900 for veterans service dog training in cooperation with Alpha Bravo Canine
- Bucks County Veterans Affairs: $9,036 to support the Bucks County Veterans Response Team
- Chester County Veterans Affairs: $15,000 to implement four outreach initiatives for information, resources, and awareness
- Fayette County Veterans Affairs: $15,000 to expand post-traumatic stress disorder rehabilitative programming and community engagement
- Indiana County of Veterans Affairs: $15,000 to host a veteran expo and stand down event
- Juniata County Veterans Affairs and Mifflin County Veteran Affairs: $30,000 to address veterans' immediate financial, housing, and health care needs and to expand outreach efforts
- Union-Snyder Community Action Agency: $30,000 to provide direct emergency assistance to veterans and their families
The DMVA also awarded $676,037 in funding to 19 Veteran Service Organizations with 501(c)(19) status and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and a mission of serving Pennsylvania veterans. Funding priorities for grants in this category were mental health and behavioral health, transportation, and employment. The grantees, the specific award amounts, and the programs supported are as follows:
- AHARI A Home Is a Right (Philadelphia): $40,000 for veteran outreach, short-term employment opportunities, and a Stand Down event
- Alpha Bravo Canine (Philadelphia): $37,017 for veterans’ service dog training and owner-trained service dog programs
- Community Action Agency of Delaware County (Boothwyn): $37,700 for emergency food assistance and housing assistance for veterans and their families
- Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County (Sharon): $40,000 to purchase food for the MilitaryShare program
- Heroic Gardens (Elkins Park): $37,625 for a trauma-responsive, therapeutic horticulture program for veterans
- Horses with Hope (Bethel Park): $23,400 for free or reduced cost Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) for veterans
- Legal Aid Southeastern PA (Norristown): $33,000 for outreach and legal representation for veterans with behavioral health conditions
- Leroy O Buck VFW Post 7863 (Duboistown): $39,950 for food distributions to veterans and their families experiencing food insecurity
- Meals On Wheels Erie (Erie): $39,500 to provide nutritionally balanced, daily, ready-to-heat meals to homebound, senior, and/or disabled veterans
- Operation Troop Appreciation (McKeesport): $35,000 for establishing residences for veterans who are transitioning to civilian life, exiting in-patient or agency-provided temporary housing programs, or coming out of homeless situations
- Pittsburgh Hires Veterans (Pittsburgh): $40,000 to support veterans in overcoming unemployment, underemployment, and the challenges of transitioning to civilian careers by connecting them with local employers
- Rabbitcares (York): $39,900 to provide free medical transportation and fixed-route employment transportation to veterans
- Robert Irvine Foundation (Tampa, FL): $25,000 for educating Pennsylvania veterans and their families on evidence-based suicide intervention and prevention strategies
- Second Harvest Food of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania (Nazareth): $40,000 to provide food to veterans and their families through the MilitaryShare program
- Shining Stars Therapeutic Riding Program (Gettysburg): $37,800 to improve and expand the Stars and Stripes Veterans Program equine-assisted program
- Standing Stone VFW Post 1754 (Huntingdon): $20,000 to purchase food for distribution through the MilitaryShare program
- Valhalla Veterans Services (Scranton): $40,000 to expand access to mental health counseling and suicide prevention training for veterans, service members, and their families
- Valor Clinic Foundation (Brodheadsville): $39,375 for repairs to a facility supporting homeless and at-risk veterans through essential programs and services
- Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg): $30,770 for providing support services, resources, income, and benefits that support wellness to veterans exiting homelessness
All grant awards are contingent upon the completion of a fully executed grant agreement.
The DMVA is authorized to solicit and accept donations to the VTF on behalf of the commonwealth. Tax-deductible donations can be made online at https://www.pa.gov/dmva/donate/ or mailed to: PA Veterans’ Trust Fund, Lickdale Veterans’ Outreach Center, 40 Fisher Avenue, Jonestown, PA, 17038.
Please consider supporting the VTF through your estate planning.
To learn more about the VTF, visit www.vtf.pa.gov or follow DMVA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/padmva.