SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Call of Duty Endowment today announced that it has selected seven new best-in-class veterans service organizations to receive its 2014 Seal of Distinction Award, which comes with an initial $30,000 grant, along with operational advice and support, and the opportunity to apply for additional restricted funding to encourage further growth. This year alone, organizations supported by the Endowment have placed more than 5,000 veterans in jobs at a cost-per-placement of under $1,000 – less than one third the cost of federal government programs.
“The Call of Duty Endowment is proud to offer its support to these seven organizations, which are models for how to deliver employment services to veterans in a smart and cost-effective manner,” said Dan Goldenberg, executive director of the Endowment. “Working with Deloitte, we’ve created an extremely rigorous process for evaluating these organizations to ensure that only those with the strongest track records of impact receive funding. We owe it to America’s veterans to hold all non-profits in this space to the highest standards.”
The 2014 Seal of Distinction recipients, which provide high-impact employment services to a range of veteran populations across the country, including homeless and service-disabled veterans, are:
- National Able Network, Inc., based in Chicago, runs the Veterans Forward program, which helps veterans – many of them homeless or living in poverty – prepare for the civilian workplace with job readiness training and placement programs.
- Abled-Disabled Advocacy, Inc. provides veterans in and around San Diego, especially those with disabilities, with personalized employability services to help them transition into “high-wage, high-growth occupations” in the civilian sector.
- Project Renewal is a New York City-based organization that works with a population of homeless veterans, as well as those with disabilities and other challenges. Its vocational and training services create new career opportunities.
- Thresholds also serves some of the most challenged veterans, including homeless individuals and those grappling with mental illness and physical disabilities, through its Chicago-based Thresholds Veterans Project. It utilizes the evidence-based practice of Supported Employment, a highly-effective model for helping people with mental illness find and maintain good jobs.
- CareerSource Palm Beach County assists veterans in and around Palm Beach County who face a physical, psychological, and/or economic barrier to employment by providing career assessments, training and employment assistance. It connects area employers directly with qualified veterans.
- Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania offers one-on-one personalized job-readiness services with direct referrals to a range of Pittsburgh area businesses, from Fortune 100 companies to small/mid-sized companies.
- American Red Cross, Southern Nevada Chapter hosts Boots to Business, an initiative that provides pre-employment and post-employment support to veterans transitioning from military to civilian jobs. The program consists of a series of trainings and workshops designed to enable U.S. Veterans to use their leadership and military skills in the civilian workplace.
Applicants for the Seal of Distinction had to meet a number of rigorous criteria to be considered, including opening their books to provide extensive documentation about their results in placing veterans in jobs. A sample of the metrics assessed included number of placements made, average cost per placement, average starting salary, retention rate, and a variety of organizational financial health indicators. All qualified applications were initially reviewed and evaluated by the Call of Duty Endowment’s Board of Advisors. Finalists were then independently assessed on a pro bono basis by Deloitte and approved by the Endowment’s Board of Directors.
“Deloitte is honored to work closely with the Call of Duty Endowment to ensure that the Seal of Distinction continues to represent the very best in the veterans non-profit sector,” said Edwin Byers, principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP. “We’re confident that this detailed vetting process, with its emphasis on metrics, transparency and high standards, has once again yielded a very strong group of organization that merit support.”
The Call of Duty Endowment launched the Seal of Distinction in August 2013. It awarded $1.2 million in total grants last year and will award more than $4 million in grants this year, including grants to the seven previous Seal of Distinction winners.
About the Call of Duty Endowment:
The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit corporation conceived by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. The Endowment seeks to help organizations that provide job placement services for veterans. For more information about the Call of Duty Endowment, please visit www.callofdutyendowment.org.
ACTIVISION and CALL OF DUTY are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.
