Calling all Veteran Serving Organizations

VA’s Veterans Experience Office VetResources Community Network (VRCN) is launching the $100,000 Community Catalyst Challenge in January 2025—a bold initiative designed to identify trailblazing organizations and revolutionize how we engage with Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.

VA is looking for the most creative, impactful, community-based solutions that will help expand access, build trust and empower Veterans to access the services they deserve, from VA and beyond. This is your chance to ignite positive change and make a lasting impact on the lives of thousands.

Here’s the big picture: 10 trailblazing organizations will be selected to create and execute 10 game-changing outreach events or activations—targeting 5,000-plus underserved Veterans in four priority categories:

• Transitioning Veterans.
• Rural Veterans.
• Minority Veterans.
• Veteran gaming community.

Are you up for the challenge? Here’s what we’re looking for in your application:

1. Community engagement mastery: Can your organization rally the target community like never before, using cutting-edge outreach and partnership strategies?
2. Execution excellence: Can you hit the ground running and launch your outreach activation(s) within six months, while coordinating seamlessly with local VA facilities and community stakeholders?
3. Health & impact awareness: Can you evaluate and address the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH,) ensuring Veterans receive the right resources through strong referral systems?
4. Massive reach and impact: Are you ready to engage over 500 Veterans with an event(s) and/or activation(s) that will have a ripple effect far beyond your immediate community?
5. Sustainability & longevity: How will your outreach continue to thrive and evolve long after the event(s)/activation(s) ends?
6. Real Results: Can you measure and demonstrate real impact—with data, success stories and tangible outcomes?
7. Choose VA: How will you share key VA information in a way that excites and empowers Veterans to take charge of the benefits they earned?

Don’t miss out—follow VRCN, the Veterans Experience Office and challenge.gov for all the details. This isn’t just an opportunity, it’s a movement that’s going to change the way Veterans experience VA and the services available to them. We’re not just improving lives—we’re revolutionizing the future for Veterans across the nation.