We are early-stage exploring a donor-to-veteran direct gifting application. The concept: donors gift verified veterans directly, with controls in place, to help cover essentials like food, transportation, medication, and clothing that housing alone does not resolve. The application would be paired with the option to donate to the CHV general fund.
What the concept explores
- •Veteran identity verification with DD-214 or VA record match
- •Prepaid-card issuance with Merchant Category Code controls aligned to essentials (food, transportation, medication, clothing, basic supplies)
- •Donor-attribution metadata so a gift can be traced to its recipient with privacy preserved
- •Partner-agency coordination on spend visibility
- •No cash withdrawal; controlled spend categories only
Structural safeguards being designed
The concept design anticipates three structural safeguards. First, verified identity: every potential recipient would be a verified veteran with a known case-management backstop through a partner agency. Second, controlled spend: transactions would be limited to essential categories only, with no cash withdrawal. Third, timeliness: funds would reach the veteran without the six-week federal-program lag that can break stability.
“Safeguards are part of the product design from day one, not a gate added at the door.”
Why this research area matters
The Denver Basic Income Project showed that unconditional cash transfers produced durable housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness in a U.S. metro. The New Leaf Project in Vancouver produced the same finding with a single one-time payment. J-PAL has documented the cash-transfer mechanism across more than twenty countries. The common finding: direct cash works, and recipients use it pro-socially.
What has not been tested is this mechanism applied to U.S. veterans specifically. No Randomized Controlled Trial of direct cash aid to U.S. veterans has been published. A properly-designed CHV pilot, partnered with an academic institution, could be the first one. That research opportunity is being explored.
Current status
Planning and development only. No veterans have received funds through this concept. No pilot is running. Conversations with potential partner hosts in the region are informal and exploratory. If the concept advances, CHV will say so plainly.
How to follow or support the concept
Subscribe to updates if you want to be notified as the concept advances. Foundations interested in funding the development and evaluation of the concept should reach out directly. Veteran-serving organizations that would be interested in a future partnership can submit an inquiry through the Partner With Us page.
Filed under: In development
Bryan Worsley
Founder and Executive Director