In its fight against veteran unemployment, the Call of Duty Endowment is looking for a few good charities

SANTA MONICA, CA (LC)

Jobs! America needs more of them, Donald Trump ran on a promise to create them, and each year thousands of U.S. service members transition out of the military looking for them. Currently, the unemployment rate for the most recent generation of veterans is 6.3%, representing some 211,000 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans unable to find work. The national unemployment rate is 4.7%.

In 2009, the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit affiliated with Activision-Blizzard’s Call of Duty franchise, stepped up to the challenge of fighting veteran unemployment, of helping vets find high quality jobs. 

We place #veterans into high quality jobs. 100% of donations received get our #vets back to work: https://t.co/lMOzAkCGjM pic.twitter.com/U3aiYKA3Bp

— Call of Duty Endowment (@CODE4Vets) May 11, 2017

The Coveted ‘Seal of Distinction’

As part of its mission, since 2013, the Endowment has vetted and awarded a “Seal of Distinction” to charities that demonstrate “the highest levels of effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity in placing veterans into high-quality jobs.” The Endowment partners with Deloitte Consulting to rigorously screen organizations that apply.

According to the Endowment, with the help of partners like Hire Heroes USA, the program has already assisted in placing 34,000 veterans in full-time jobs, with an average starting salary of $55,000. In the last year alone, organizations supported by the Endowment placed 11,615 veterans in jobs. In its fifth year of operation, the program has awarded $25 million in grants, including additional funding to ten previous Seal of Distinction winners. As a result, the Endowment has helped veterans capture over $1.7 billion in first year salaries and demonstrated the value of veterans in the civilian workplace to companies across the U.S.

Veterans deserve a shot at high quality jobs, and should know who to turn to for help when they finish their service.

-Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director, Call of Duty Endowment

This week, the Endowment officially opened its application process for its 2017 Seal of Distinction award. Along with the award, winners will receive a $30,000 unrestricted grant, as well as the opportunity to apply for future funding.

The Endowment will accept applications through June 5, 2017, which must meet the following requirements:

• Organization must be a charitable, non-profit, with 501(c)(3) status;
• Mission must include directly assisting unemployed and underemployed veterans to find high quality jobs;
• Group must complete an application, provide requested documentation and be prepared to submit to verification procedures by Deloitte;
• Applicants will be assessed by metrics including, the number of veterans placed in jobs, the quality of those placements, average cost-per-placement, average starting salary, six-month retention rate, key employee background checks, and a variety of organizational and financial health indicators.

All applications are to be reviewed and evaluated by the Call of Duty Endowment’s outside Board of Advisors. Semi-finalists will be independently assessed on a pro bono basis by Deloitte and ultimately approved by the Endowment’s Grant Committee.

The application can be accessed here: www.callofdutyendowment.org/seal

The Executive Director of the Endowment, U.S. Navy Captain Dan Goldenberg stated, “We’re thrilled to continue the Seal of Distinction program this year and expand our network of impactful, veteran-serving organizations. In the face of growing underemployment among veterans, the help provided by these organizations is more critical than ever.”

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LIMA CHARLIE NEWS, NEW YORK BUREAU

1720 ZULU+5 MAY 16 2017

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