We understand that there are new challenges that face veterans, and dependents left behind when a service member dies in the line of duty. Whether it be trying to pay that past due electric bill, trying to get a laptop for your child for college, help purchasing a vehicle for your 16+ year old to get around, assistance with continued education, or many other needs.

To apply for a grant:

• Navigate to our "Contact Us" page

• Submit the required information

• That's it! :)

Then, our board will review applications and approved on a case-by-case basis, with available funds permitting.

Timeline? Once you apply, you will receive an outreach within two weeks, letting you know that we are reviewing your application and we may ask for additional information. You will then receive a subsequent outreach informing you if you have been approved or denied for funding. If you have been approved for funding, Shield Down is committed to paying out your grant as the earliest opportunity available.

As veterans, we understand that life hits us all with a host of new challenges when we transition to civilian life. As such, we’ve found that many veterans face obstacles that they just need some peer support in from somebody who relates to them but has seen the other side. Sometimes this presents itself as finding meaningful work or continuing education, finding ethical resources to help file disability claims, assistance with resources to combat homelessness or food insecurity, faith-based connections, a connection to qualified and effective mental health resources, and much more.

As such, while we are not licensed medical or psychological professionals, we've developed 5 pillars a veteran can pick to request coaching/mentorship in.

These pillars (below) spell out TFABO. Why does that matter? Our Founder and Founding Board of Directors, all served in Crash & Salvage together on the flight deck of the USS Eisenhower. In that, one of the things you learn to do when conducting a cockpit rescue is "TFABO" -- the early essential steps to performing a rescue. In this you shut off: Throttle, Fuels, Auxiliary, Battery, and OxyComms. It is only then that you can proceed in an environment more conducive to safety and success.

As such, we believe these are the essential areas of life that veterans strive for contentment in:

• T: TEAM - Human life isn’t wired to live in solitude, not scientifically nor biblically. If you select this pillar, your coach will work with you to identify and provide guidance and resources to help you establish a “village” of your own.

• F: FAITH - Research shows that one of the most common missing pieces of those who lack contentment/purpose is lacking a relationship with Christ. If you select this pillar, your coach will provide guidance and/or connect you with Christian resources near you.

• A: ACTIVE - Studies show an active life, whether rigorous recreational, is beneficial to mental, social, personal, and professional relationships. Your coach or mentor will provide guidance and resources to help strive for living a life that is not dormant but active; whether that be in exercise, recreation, employment, or social relationships.

• B: BOUNDARIES - Your coach will work with you to identify and provide guidance and resources to establish guard rails, aimed at creating sustainable healthy boundaries for you and those around you.

• O: OCCUPATION - Your coach will help you either find employment or position you to find more of a meaningful direction in your career. This might be as basic as going from unemployed to employed, to helping attain skills, trades, certifications, etc. to better position yourself for your desired career path. This includes resume-building support, interviewing help, work attire/supplies and other resource help. Equally as important, in this pillar we also coach on how to navigate the challenges of employment in the civilian side of life, like understanding and building culture, clearing hurdles on disconnects, how to relate and help others understand how to relate to you, and more.

What if I don't want help in all of these areas? No out of the box solutions here. Once you navigate to our "Contact Us" page to request to be assigned a coach, you can expect that within two weeks a representative of Shield Down will reach out to schedule an intake call where we will work to review the what and why, so that we know how to best serve you. From there, if accepted into our coaching program, your coach will work off of what you give him or her, to help you how YOU need it, not how somebody else needs it.

To get started:

• Navigate to our "Contact Us" page

• Submit the required information

• That's it! We'll be in touch with next steps and/or any additional information needed :)