A state fund, paid for largely by voluntary donations at driver license renewal and by veteran plate fees, that grants money to county veterans offices and to nonprofits serving veterans in need. Veterans reach it through those organizations rather than applying directly.
Also called: Veterans Trust Fund, VTF, grants, DMVA, county veterans affairs, nonprofit, homelessness, donation.
The Veterans' Trust Fund is how Pennsylvania funds the parts of veteran support that no specific program covers. It is worth understanding because it is the money behind a great deal of what a County Director of Veterans Affairs can actually do.
The fund is supported largely by voluntary donations Pennsylvanians make when renewing a driver license or vehicle registration, by sales of veteran-related license plates, and by direct contributions. It is not a general appropriation, so what it can award varies year to year.
Grants go to county Directors of Veterans Affairs offices, to Pennsylvania veterans service organizations with statewide structures, and to nonprofits with a mission of serving veterans. Award priorities have included veteran homelessness, behavioral health and suicide prevention, and assistance for veterans in immediate need.
A veteran does not apply to the fund directly. The practical route is to contact the County Director of Veterans Affairs, who has access to Trust Fund money alongside Veterans Temporary Assistance and the other programs in this catalog, and who can say which pot fits a given situation.
There is no disability rating requirement and no formal income test at the fund level, though individual grantees set their own criteria for the assistance they administer.
For a veteran in crisis, the sequence that usually works is: call the County Director, ask about Veterans Temporary Assistance first because it is a defined entitlement, and ask what Trust Fund grantees operate in the county for anything the $1,600 cap does not cover.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Pennsylvania Veterans Trust Fund Grants
Gate
Rule
Reached through a county office or a grantee organization
The fund awards grants to organizations rather than to individuals, so a veteran reaches it through a County Director of Veterans Affairs or a grantee nonprofit. No disability rating is involved at the fund level, and the rating filter never hides this entry.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.