Stronger Together: Introducing WWP's Community Partners Supporting Economic Empowerment and Quality of Life
Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) proudly provides free programs and services to meet the needs of the nation’s post-9/11 wounded warriors and their families. However, no single organization can handle this population's various needs and challenges.
WWP invests in best-in-class organizations to augment its programs and services and build a collaborative support network. This work is vital to building robust and resilient veteran families and communities.
Learn more about WWP’s community partnerships.
In recognition of Financial Wellness Month in January, WWP is shining a light on our community partners that support warriors and their families in financial wellness and wraparound services. Data collected from WWP’s 2021 Annual Warrior Survey shows this is a pressing and comprehensive need.
- While the unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was about 3% in August 2021, the unemployment rate for the wounded, ill, and injured warriors WWP serves was about 13% in that same timeframe.
- Unemployed WWP warriors say the most common barriers to employment are related to mental or psychological distress, a lack of skills or knowledge for the workforce, and a lack of education.
- In addition, about 1 in 10 WWP warrior households identified living in poverty, and more than 2 in 5 warriors (42%) did not have enough money to make ends meet in the past 12 months.
- Meanwhile, 93% of warriors receive VA disability compensation, and 77% of warriors have a service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher.
Alongside WWP’s financial wellness programs, including Warriors to Work, to meet this need and complement WWP’s programs and services, WWP is proud to partner with and support the following veterans service organizations:
Dog Tag Inc. - Dog Tag Inc’s (DTI) mission is to empower post-9/11 veterans with service-connected disabilities, military spouses, and caregivers to discover purpose and find community outside the military. DTI serves the military community by providing fellows with experiential learning through a living business school comprised of five main elements: 1) Education-Partnership with Georgetown University or Loyola University, 2) Hands-on Learning: Rotations, 3) Learning Labs, 4) Capstone Project, and 5) Wellbeing & Reflection. DTI’s fellowship program provides training and education on entrepreneurship and business skills with a certificate of Business Administration from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, or Loyola University in Chicago, IL.
Farmer Veteran Coalition - The mission of Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) is to mobilize veterans to feed America. FVC fulfills this mission by developing viable employment and meaningful career opportunities through collaboration with farming and military communities. This linkage between farm and military communities is rooted in a strong belief that veterans possess the unique skills and character to strengthen rural communities and create reliable food systems. FVC believes that agriculture offers veterans purpose and abundant opportunity, as well as physical and psychological benefits. FVC is committed to cultivating new generations of farmers and food leaders and supporting those groups across the farming and ranching industries.
Fields 4 Valor Farms - Fields 4 Valor Farms was founded to combat food insecurity among veterans and veteran families. Located in Brandywine, Maryland, the organization is dedicated to growing and donating healthy food as an important part of easing the financial burden for veterans and veteran families who are transitioning to civilian life.
The 7-acre farm grows fresh produce and makes weekly deliveries of fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, honey, and other seasonal items to its members, all at no cost to the veteran or veteran family. In addition to food donations, Fields 4 Valor Farms offers programs on the farm, including culinary classes, beekeeping training, volunteer opportunities, and veteran employment.
Five STAR Veterans Center - Five STAR Veterans Center’s mission is to put military veterans experiencing homelessness back to work by providing safe and secure housing with extensive services, intense case management, and counseling that promotes mental and physical wellness. Five STAR Veterans Center serves male homeless veterans in the Jacksonville, Florida, community.
Hesperus - Hesperus provides pathways to education and employment through technology for members of rural and tribal communities. Hesperus focuses on partnering with corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits to provide technical training, career opportunities, and benefits support for underserved tribal veterans. The Summit Program developed for Native American and Alaska Native veterans focuses on career skills, resume building, networking skills, and job searching as an investment in the next generation of American Indigenous leadership.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Hiring Our Heroes - Hiring Our Heroes’ mission is a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment opportunities.
The Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse and Caregiver Fellowship Program offers 12-week paid fellowships that provide military spouses and caregivers with professional training, networking, and hands-on experience in the civilian workforce. The professional development and direct connection to local employers offered through the program enable military spouses and caregivers to quickly build their networks and gain localized job experience. Hiring Our Heroes’ Career Summits, held on military bases across the country, connect thousands of transitioning service members and their families with employment and educational opportunities, helping to bridge the critical gap between military service and civilian careers.
The D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families - The D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University is higher education’s first interdisciplinary academic center created with the specific mission to study and act on opportunities to impact the social, economic, and wellness concerns of America’s veterans and military-connected families. The D’Aniello Institute’s Research and Analytics team is a trusted resource for data and insights empowering government, private industry, and nonprofits to address the challenges of today’s veterans and their families. And the IVMF offers 13 national no-cost online and in-residence training programs in career preparation and entrepreneurship as well as community assistance to identify and implement customized grassroots solutions for providers in communities working to enhance post service lives.
Soldiers To Sidelines - Soldiers To Sidelines (STS) provides a renewed sense of purpose for veterans, service members, military spouses and Gold Star Families to become character-based sports coaches who serve their communities. STS provides coaching certification seminars, workshops, online courses, and webinars for the military community who desire to coach sports such as football, basketball, lacrosse, power sports performance, endurance sports, rugby, and soccer. STS programs provide impact through a renewed purpose for military members who become Soldier Coaches. STS works with their Soldier Coaches to identify ways and opportunities for them to connect with their local community as character-based sports coaches.
Student Veterans of America - Student Veterans of America’s (SVA) mission is to act as a catalyst for student veteran success by providing resources, network support, and advocacy to, through, and beyond higher education. With a mission focused on empowering student veterans, SVA is committed to providing an educational experience beyond the classroom. Through a dedicated network of more than 1,500 on-campus chapters, SVA aims to inspire yesterday’s warriors by connecting student veterans with a community of like-minded chapter leaders.
The COMMIT Foundation – The COMMIT Foundation works to connect service members and veterans to a professional network that encourages them to widen their apertures and translate their professional skills to a meaningful career in the civilian sector. The organization’s Transition Mentoring Workshops help participants to clarify their values and goals, engage with industry experts and mentors, and prepare them for a future in which they thrive.
U.S.VETS - U.S.VETS is the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive services to homeless and at-risk veterans. U.S.VETS’ mission is the successful transition of military veterans and their families through the provision of housing, career development, counseling, and comprehensive support. Its vision is that all veterans and their families shall have their needs met to regain and maintain productive independence. U.S. VETS has grown from a single facility in Inglewood, California, serving five homeless Vietnam veterans, to 39 residential and service centers across five states – Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Texas – as well as the District of Columbia.
Included in U.S.VETS programming is the ADVANCE Women’s Program, a transitional housing service focused on addressing the unique needs of women who were exposed to sexual trauma during their military service and may be experiencing problems with substance use. U.S.VETS also partners with Women Vets on Point to connect women who have served by connecting them and their family to employment, housing, and other resources, including specialized mental health services for individuals and families.
Veterans of Foreign Wars – Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) fosters camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts. To serve veterans, the military, and communities, VFW advocates on behalf of all veterans, and its vision is to ensure that veterans are respected for their service, receive their earned entitlements, and are recognized for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of this great country. In fiscal year 2022 alone, the VFW’s worldwide cadre of VA-accredited representatives recovered more than $11.2 billion dollars for veterans, spouses, and survivors. WWP’s support of VFW’s pre-discharge program enables transitioning military personnel to access their earned VA benefits and care prior to separation from active duty and connects them to support systems to help them thrive long term.
Since 2012, WWP has invested more than $359 million in 218 organizations that assist wounded veterans and families at the local and national levels, connecting them with the resources they need to thrive in civilian life.
Contact: Krissty Andaur — PR Specialist, kandaur@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.760.6957
About Wounded Warrior Project
Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers — helping them achieve their highest ambition. Learn more.