The VA issued a notice in the U.S. Federal Register calling on community organizations that offer or coordinate veterans suicide prevention programs to apply for funding grants.
On April 14, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it will be issuing nearly $52 million in grant funds to organizations that provide or coordinate suicide prevention services for veterans and their families.
The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Grant Program was established under provisions enacted in the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019. The program will last for three years and approved applicants must reapply every year. Approved organizations may receive up to $750,000 each year to either provide or facilitate veterans suicide prevention programs.
According to the notice posted to the Federal Register, the “VA’s top clinical priority is preventing suicide among all Veterans—including those who do not, and may never, seek care within the VA health care system.” As such, the grant program is primarily directed at private and nonprofit entities, such as veterans service organizations, who either offer suicide prevention services or connect veterans with other organizations that do.
Commenting on the program, VA Secretary Denis McDonough says, “communities are important partners in our work to end veteran suicide. The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program will fund programs in local communities that provide suicide prevention services and resources to veterans and their families along with ensuring veterans have access to our community partners who know how to reach them.”
Eligible organizations have until June 10, 2022, to apply for grant funding. Online applications are available here, and readers can view the general requirements for the SSG Parker Gordon Fox program here.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
