A gift to the Veteran Support Fund will forever alter the landscape of veterans’ services by raising ground-breaking gifts, and spreading the impact among IAVA and its partner organizations – Operation Mend, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Operation Homefront and National Military Family Association.

Not enough donors recognize that giving to veterans is not charity, it’s a necessity. The Veteran Support Fund will engage high-impact donors to meet the growing needs of our veterans and to share in America’s collective responsibility to give back. With over 40,000 U.S. non-profits with missions that specifically focus on service members, veterans and their families, the landscape of this space can be confusing to Americans who want to help. There are too many organizations chasing the same dollars and critical funds are being diverted from veterans.

Giving back to veterans addresses a rare need – taking care of those who have already taken care of our nation. All Americans have a moral obligation to return the favor. IAVA is the first, largest, most effective and trusted support group in America for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. IAVA has created the Veteran Support as a centralized tool for effective, enduring support for veterans where it matters most.

• IAVA is the home of the Veteran Support Fund.  We shoulder all responsibility for the operation of the fund, including the financial burden of creating a fund to benefit the veterans' space at large, and sponsoring a project that is bigger and more impactful than just IAVA alone.  In exchange for that leadership role, IAVA retains $2 million of all funds raised under the Veteran Support Fund.
• Each year, IAVA retains that $2 million threshold amount to cover, in part,  the expenses and overhead of running the Veteran Support Fund.  However, the bulk of that $2 million threshold amount is used to bolster IAVA's existing programs and services.  If we do not raise above $2 million, we are not able to disburse funds to our participating nonprofit partners.

• Once IAVA has raised more than $2 million in a given year, we re-grant 50% of all funds raised above that threshold to our participating nonprofit partners.  IAVA retains the other 50% of all funds raised above the $2 million threshold for our own critical programming focused on HEEC - health, education, employment and community.  For the funds disbursed to our nonprofit partners, we split the available funds into five equal parts, ensuring that each of our nonprofit partners gets an equal piece of the VSF proceeds.
• Our partners are thrilled to be included in the VSF initiative because, although no specific numbers are guaranteed, it is an unprecedented opportunity to reap the benefits of fundraising performed exclusively by IAVA.  Through the operation of the VSF, IAVA has created a holistic solution to address a broad range of the challenges facing our veteran community today. 

The Veteran Support Fund is an opportunity for donors to show our troops that sacrifices abroad will be generously honored and acknowledged at home. Civilians shoulder a special responsibility to support veterans and their families – it is simply the right thing to do – and giving to the Veteran Support Fund is the smartest way to do it.