Frequently Asked Questions

  • Veterans Collaborative is an incorporated nonprofit in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a registered 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service.

    We are a small, dedicated team of mission driven and people focused professionals with extensive nonprofit and philanthropic experience.

    We have a volunteer, unpaid Board of Directors and Advisors that govern Veterans Collaborative with their extensive knowledge and unique skillset.

    The term 501(c) refers to a subsection of the United States Internal Revenue Code that lists the types of nonprofit organizations exempt from certain federal taxes. Section 501(c)(3) is one of the tax law provisions granting exemption from the federal income tax to nonprofit organizations that exist for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, among others. See the IRS’s website for more information on the designation of charitable organizations. Veterans Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) registered charitable nonprofit organization.

  • With over 45,000 military and Veteran serving non-profits in the United States, resources for programs, healthcare, and services for our military and veterans communities are not the issue. However, accessibility and knowledge about who and what is out there to serve them is.

    We believe there are three core challenges that our military and veteran community encounter:

    • Resources are decentralized leading to a lack of knowledge and accessibility to services and opportunity.

    • Unique barriers exist that prevent access to vital resources for service members and families through the military service lifecycle.

    • A lack of localized support prevents direct service providers and smaller NGOs from accessing financial support from National funders due to inequitable grantmaking and funding practices.

    Veterans Collaborative will partner to address these challenges by leveraging existing resources and the power of philanthropy for increased access to opportunities and vital support. Visit Our Solutions for how we support gaps in our military and veteran community.

  • Veterans Collaborative leverages resources, capacity, and understanding with invested partners and existing programs across the country to boost the impact of your philanthropic investments, which ultimately strengthens our military and veteran communities.

    Veterans Collaborative does support projects through our Fiscally Sponsored Ventures, which are an extension of Veterans Collaborative’s mission, values, and hopes.

    Veterans Collaborative will leverage resources for special initiatives including Veterans Lab. G.I. X, and G.I. VR

  • You can support Veterans Collaborative with your time, talents, and treasure by:

  • No Fund may grant to individuals.

  • Simple, to grow your charitable services to service-members, Veterans and families. Veterans Collaborative manages all incoming and outgoing funds for each of its fiscally sponsored project “Ventures”.

  • There are three major eligibility requirements to become a fiscally sponsored project at Veterans Collaborative: mission alignment, confirmed funding and budget, and legal fit.

    Mission alignment

    All projects fiscally sponsored by Veterans Collaborative must be aligned with our Vision, Mission and Approach.

    Project Team

    To start your project at Veterans Collaborative, you must complete the Venture With Us form.

    You also need at least one designated representative who will work with Veterans Collaborative from your organization.

    Your project should plan to be with Veterans Collaborative for at least two years.

    Legal fit

    Veterans Collaborative’s Board of Directors has full governing authority and legal and fiduciary responsibility for all fiscally sponsored projects, employees, and activities of our organization. To uphold our legal nonprofit status, to ensure all fiscally sponsored projects follow the IRS regulations, and to maintain compliance with the law, Veterans Collaborative’s staff oversees the project’s activities through grantmaking.

    Our Ventures, fiscally sponsored projects, must have a U.S. base of operations and be charitable in nature.

    IRS regulations for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations preclude fiscally sponsored projects from engaging in direct or implied support or opposition of any candidate or party. Veterans Collaborative does not sponsor any forms of lobbying activities- direct, indirect, or grassroot.

  • For the comprehensive services, including grants management and oversight, projects are assessed a 9% overhead allocation on all gross revenue managed for the project.

    The overhead allocation for all funding from government sources is 15%. The fee is higher for this type of funding because government grants entail significantly more auditing and reporting services.

    Finally, projects need to be Risk and Insurance compliant and reserve a fixed amount of operating liability insurance.

  • Veterans Collaborative does not assist with direct fundraising for Venture Projects. Our services for Venture Projects provide infrastructure for supporting the charitable activity of mission aligned projects and are a valuable resource for accessing philanthropic capital.

    VETCheck organizations may be recommended to Partners for funding opportunities.