Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration announced today it has awarded $1,021,640 in grants through the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ (DMVA) Veterans’ Trust Fund (VTF). The $1,021,640 in funding raised through donations will support 15 county directors of veterans affairs and 24 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 (https://www.pa.gov/dmva/donate/), 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. DMVA is proud that 100 percent of each dollar donated to VTF goes directly to fund grants. There are no administrative costs, salaries, or contract costs.
Since the VTF grant program began in 2013, a total of $8,504,500 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 so many incredible veteran advocacy organizations in Pennsylvania, but they can’t do all the work without financial support, and that is why the Veterans’ Trust Fund is so important,” said Maj. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “Thanks to the generosity of so many Pennsylvanians, we are able to provide much needed support through the VTF to these organizations. It is another example of how we are all one team with one mission of supporting our veterans and their families.”
The DMVA directed $201,790 in VTF grant funding to county directors of veterans affairs for new, innovative, or expanded programs or services. The grantees and the specific award amounts to support veteran outreach initiatives are as follows:
· Berks County Veterans Affairs: $15,000
· Butler County Veterans Services: $6,000
· Chester County Veterans Affairs: $15,000
· Clinton County Office of Veterans Affairs: $15,000
· Cumberland County Office of Veterans Affairs & Services: $7,000
· Franklin County Office of Veterans Affairs: $15,000
· Indiana County Department of Veterans Affairs: $15,000
· Juniata County Veterans Affairs Department and Mifflin County Department of Veteran Affairs: $30,000
· Luzerne County Veteran Affairs Office: $15,000
· Mercer County Veterans Affairs: $15,000
· Northampton County Department of Veterans Affairs: $8,790
· Somerset County Veterans Affairs Office: $15,000
· Union-Snyder Community Action Agency: $30,000
DMVA also awarded $819,850 in funding to 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 social determinants of health, transportation, and employment. The grantees, the specific award amounts, and the programs supported are as follows:
· Camp Freedom, LLC (Carbondale, Wayne County): $40,000 to provide disabled veterans all-inclusive hunting experiences
· Community Action Agency of Delaware County, Inc. (Boothwyn, Delaware County): $40,000 to provide emergency food and housing aid to veterans
· Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County (Sharon, Mercer County): $40,000 to support veterans and their families through the MilitaryShare food assistance program
· Friends of the Pittsburgh Fisher House, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Allegheny County): $15,000 to provide food for military and veterans’ families while a loved one receives care at a Veterans Administration hospital
· Good Karma Garage (Harrisburg, Dauphin County): $38,900 to provide veterans with cost-free repairs needed to pass state vehicle inspections
· Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation (Lake Ariel, Wayne County): $27,500 to expand adaptive hiking programs for disabled veterans
· Leg Up Farm (Mount Wolf, York County): $20,000 to provide equine therapy to veterans living with PTSD and their families
· Leroy O. Buck VFW Post 7863 (Duboistown, Lycoming County): $39,600 to support veterans and their families through the MilitaryShare food assistance program
· Metro Erie Meals on Wheels, Inc. (Erie, Erie County): $39,500 to provide nutritious meals and groceries at home to veterans in need
· Operation Troop Appreciation (West Mifflin, Allegheny County): $35,000 to provide timely access to affordable housing for veterans and their families
· PACT (Gladwyne, Montgomery County): $8,876 to expand care and foster services for active-duty service members’ and veterans’ pets
· Robert Irvine Foundation (Tampa, FL): $12,000 to support suicide prevention through shared meals among veterans and their families
· Robin’s Home (Butler, Butler County): $40,000 to provide transportation, household essentials, and other necessities to veterans in need and their families
· Rodale Institute (Kutztown, Berks County): $40,000 to support veterans as they transition military skills through training in organic farming
· Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania (Erie, Erie County): $39,000 to support veterans and their families through the MilitaryShare food assistance program
· Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania (Nazareth, Northampton County): $40,000 to support veterans and their families through the MilitaryShare food assistance program
· United Disabilities Services Foundation (Lancaster, Lancaster County): $40,000 to expand efforts that ensure veterans can age safely and independently in their own homes
· Veteran Community Initiatives, Inc. (Johnstown, Cambria County): $39,750 to support suicide prevention efforts
· Veterans Brotherhood (Pennsburg, Montgomery County): $39,000 to provide temporary housing and living expenses for unhoused veterans and veterans in need
· Veterans Multi-Service Center (Philadelphia, Philadelphia County): $35,000 to provide food and transportation for veterans experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable veterans
· Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg, Dauphin County): $30,725 to provide veterans access to support services and employment
· Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard (Pittsburgh, Allegheny County): $40,000 to expand program initiatives for low-income and transitioning veterans
· VFW Riders Group District 15 – PA (Muncy, Lycoming County): $40,000 to provide services to veterans in need with resources and direct aid, including home repair and food assistance
· Women Veterans Empowered & Thriving (Allentown, Lehigh County): $39,999 to provide veterans with skill-building, writing, and peer support through empowerment workshops
All grant awards are contingent upon the completion of a fully executed grant agreement.
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, Bldg. 0-47, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA 17003.
To learn more about the VTF, visit www.vtf.pa.gov or follow DMVA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/padmva.
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