HARRISBURG, Pa. – Governor Tom Wolf announced on Thursday that $800,000.00 of grant money from the Veterans Trust Fund (VTF) will be awarded to 29 Pennsylvania organizations that support veterans’ programs throughout the Commonwealth.

The VTF is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).

The VTF is funded by generous Pennsylvanians who voluntarily make a $3 donation when applying for or renewing their driver’s license, photo ID, or a motor vehicle registration. The VTF also receives proceeds that come from the sale of the Honoring Our Veterans license plate and private donations. Since the grant program began in 2013, a total of $3,632,860 has been awarded to organizations that serve Pennsylvania veterans.

“The VTF continues to serve as an important source of funding for organizations and county offices that provide much-needed programs and services for veterans, thanks to voluntary donations from generous Pennsylvanians,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “The VTF has been a tremendous program for Pennsylvania veterans addressing critical issues including homelessness, employment, addiction treatment, behavioral health, and nutrition.”

Grantees slated to receive funding identified $912,522 in matching funds pledged toward grant-funded initiatives. Combined with the VTF grants, this will result in more than $1.7 million for veterans’ initiatives during the next two years.

“It is important for us to connect with all of our veterans who need assistance, but the DMVA cannot do that alone,” said Maj. Gen. Tony Carrelli, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “The VTF grantees are vital community partners that help to broaden our reach from the big cities to rural and isolated areas. This gives every veteran in the commonwealth the opportunity to participate in the programs and services they have earned through service to our nation.”

Up to a total of $150,000 in grant funding was available for new, innovative, or expanded programs or services provided by County Directors of Veterans Affairs or the Pennsylvania Association of County Directors of Veterans Affairs. The two areas of emphasis for grantees in this category were veterans’ outreach and veterans’ courts. The grantees, the specific award amounts, and the programs supported are as follows:

• Bradford County Office of Veterans Affairs: $10,000 to expand veterans’ outreach
• Centre County Office of Veterans Affairs: $9,750 to expand veterans’ outreach services
• Chester County Office of Veterans Affairs: $20,000 to implement a veterans’ court mentor program
• Cumberland County Office of Veterans Affairs: $20,000 to support a veteran nine-line project
• Franklin County Office of Veterans Affairs: $20,000 to support service dogs for veterans
• Indiana County Office of Veterans Affairs: $20,000 to expand veterans’ outreach services
• Montgomery County Office of Veterans Affairs: $8,101 for its transportation program
• PA Association of Veterans Affairs: $2,149 to distribute PTSD educational materials
• Snyder County and Union County Office of Veterans Affairs (joint application): $40,000 to support homeless veterans and provide emergency assistance.

The VTF grant also identified up to a total of $650,000 in funding available to Veteran Service Organizations with 501(c)(19) status and non-profit, 501(c)(3), charitable organizations with a mission of serving Pennsylvania veterans. Funding priorities for grants in this category were veterans’ programs focused on homelessness, behavioral health initiatives, veterans’ court initiatives or other programs addressing newly identified, unmet or emerging needs of veterans and their families. The grantees, the specific award amounts, and the programs supported are as follows:

• 3P Ride, Inc., York (York County): $50,000 for transportation services to veterans
• Ayres-Stone Auxiliary Post 5642, Montrose (Susquehanna County): $10,000 for outreach and emergency financial assistance to veterans in need
• Community Action Agency of Delaware County, Boothwyn (Delaware County): $36,700 to provide mortgage assistance to veterans in need
• Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County, Sharon (Mercer County): $22,102 to support the MilitaryShare program
• For the Love of a Veteran, Inc., Hanover (York County): $35,000 for care packages for deployed troops and homeless veterans
• Maranatha Ministries DBA CandleHeart, Inc., Chambersburg (Franklin County): $49,995 to provide outreach and emergency services to veterans
• Military Assistance Project, Philadelphia (Philadelphia County): $49,600 to provide free legal services to veterans
• Operation Homefront, Doylestown (Bucks County): $10,000 to provide financial assistance to veterans in need
• Operation Troop Appreciation, McKeesport (Allegheny County): $45,000 to provide welcome home kits to at-risk veterans
• Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, Camp Hill (Cumberland County): $45,000 for emergency financial assistance to veterans in need
• Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia (Philadelphia County): $11,836 to support podcasts addressing business topics of interest to women veterans and military spouses
• Second Harvest Food Bank, Nazareth (Northampton County): $18,307 for its MilitaryShare program
• Shamrock Reins, Pipersville (Bucks County): $16,460 to provide equine therapy to female veterans
• The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Harrisburg (Dauphin County): $50,000 for its MilitaryShare program
• Travelers Aid Society, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County): $50,000 to provide transportation assistance to veterans
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County): $25,000 to fund its ELeVATE program which assists wounded, injured or ill veterans with the transition from military to college
• Veteran Community Initiatives: Johnstown (Cambria County): $50,000 for its rural veterans’ outreach project
• Veterans Multi-Service Center, Philadelphia (Philadelphia County): $25,000 for its women veterans’ program
• Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg (Dauphin County): $50,000 to support homeless veterans’ reintegration back into society

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 www.donate.dmva.pa.gov or mailed to: PA Veterans’ Trust Fund, Bldg. 0-47, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA 17003.