Face the Fight™ First-Year Results Show Measurable Impact in Veteran Suicide Prevention
June 25 2024 - 7:38AM
Business Wire
Coalition grows to more than 175 organizations;
over $12 million provided in philanthropic grantmaking
Face the Fight™ has released its first annual impact report
demonstrating the effect that organizations and nonprofits together
can have on saving veteran lives through suicide prevention
efforts. The report also shares the initiative’s founding story and
how the supporting research and insights led to the approach.
“What we’ve learned over the past year is just how powerful
reaching out and connecting with someone can be,” said Wayne
Peacock, president and CEO of USAA. “We’ve heard stories of those
who’ve connected with old friends, battle buddies and loved ones;
they’re building a sense of community and purpose – and actively
breaking the stigma that asking for help is a weakness. Through
Face the Fight, we’re raising awareness and answering the call for
veterans who need us now more than ever.”
Launched in June 2023 by founding partners USAA, Reach
Resilience and the Humana Foundation, Face the Fight has made
strides by bringing together like-minded organizations to help
reduce veteran suicide through a multi-pronged approach that
includes charitable giving, public education and awareness.
More than $85 million has been pledged through 2027 from the
founding partners and many other private organizations and
donors.
“Face the Fight is different because it engages the private
sector to grow efforts that complement work already being done by
the VA, DoD and many others,” said Katy Dondanville, a clinical
psychologist at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San
Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) and chief scientific advisor for
the initiative. “Our teams put nearly two years of research and
strategic planning into this initiative, and we continue to evolve
our approach with insights from Face the Fight Scientific Advisory
Committee that provides deep expertise around veteran suicide
prevention.”
Through guidance from UT Health San Antonio, the nonprofits
funded through the first round of grantmaking include Cohen
Veterans Network, Stop Soldier Suicide, The Headstrong Project, the
University of Washington Center for Suicide Prevention and Recovery
and The Ohio State University Suicide and Trauma Reduction
Initiative for Veterans. These organizations have shown early
impact by:
- Screening nearly 15,000 veterans for suicide risk.
- Providing more than 5,000 veterans with suicide-specific
interventions.
- Training 130 mental health clinicians to deliver
suicide-specific treatments.
- Training over 140 mental health clinicians and peers to talk
with veterans about voluntary, safe and secure storage of firearms
at times of distress.
- Provided 10 new expert, national trainers in suicide-specific
treatment.
In addition to the five initial nonprofit recipients, 14
nonprofits received funding in September 2023 and six nonprofits
were funded in April 2024, including Center for Deployment
Psychology, Endeavors, RAND, Institute for Veteran and Military
Families, University of Colorado and Worried About a Veteran. To
date, Face the Fight has provided over $12 million in philanthropic
grantmaking.
Amplifying the grantmaking is the coalition of more than 175
organizations and nonprofits that have brought a vast network of
relationships with the military service organization ecosystem, as
well as with corporate America, nonprofits and government. The
Elizabeth Dole Foundation (EDF) has helped to manage and grow the
coalition with their storied expertise. Additionally, EDF has
helped provide critical guidance for how the organizations work
together and act as a force to drive awareness of the crucial goal
of Face the Fight, broaden the conversation about the problem and
provide actionable ways to help prevent it.
To read the full 2023 Face the Fight progress report and learn
more about the efforts, visit www.wefacethefight.org. Follow
@wefacethefight on Instagram, X and LinkedIn.
About Face the Fight™
Launched in June 2023 by founding partners USAA, Reach
Resilience and the Humana Foundation, Face the Fight has made
strides by bringing together like-minded organizations to help
reduce veteran suicide through a multi-pronged approach that
includes charitable giving, public education and awareness. Face
the Fight is committed to supporting every veteran, regardless of
their unique needs and challenges, and aspires to reduce veteran
suicide in half by 2030.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240625978384/en/
USAA external_communications@usaa.com