• Active-duty service members (including Guard and Reserve)
• Veterans (with qualifying discharge status)
• Spouses and surviving spouses
• Caregivers of eligible service members or veterans
• Open to all ranks and branches of the U.S. uniformed services

Grants of up to $1,000 to help cover urgent expenses related to a crisis, including:

• Housing (rent, mortgage, repairs)
• Utilities and essential bills (electric, water, internet, groceries)
• Auto expenses (repairs, loans/leases)
• Medical and insurance bills
• Other critical needs (case-by-case)

Note: Funds cannot be used for legal fees or child support.

Applicants must:

• Be experiencing a recent financial hardship due to a crisis (within the past 12 months)
• Fall within an eligible military-affiliated category
• Have an Honorable or General (Under Honorable Conditions) discharge if a veteran
• Demonstrate financial need and provide complete application information
• Not have been previously convicted of a felony

Note: Applicants with discharge statuses (e.g., dishonorable) are not accepted.

How Discharge Status Is Reviewed

We understand that every service member’s experience is unique. As part of our review process, we consider the reason for separation from service to ensure alignment with program guidelines.

Generally Eligible Situations
Applicants are often eligible when their separation was related to administrative or non-serious circumstances, such as:

• Performance challenges or difficulty meeting standards
• Minor or isolated incidents
• Family or dependency needs
• Medical or physical conditions that did not result in disability
• Force reductions or early separation
• Challenges adapting to military life

Situations That Are Not Eligible
Some discharge circumstances fall outside the scope of this program, including:

• Serious or repeated misconduct
• Drug-related offenses involving distribution or repeated use
• Violent or assault-related incidents
• Sexual misconduct
• Court-martial-related separations
• Alcohol rehabilitation failure

Uncharacterized Discharges
If your discharge is uncharacterized, additional factors such as reenlistment (RE) codes may be reviewed as part of your application.

Applicants should be prepared to provide:

• Details of the financial crisis and expenses
• Supporting financial information (bills, costs, invoices, eviction notices, bank statements etc.)
• Military service/affiliation details
• Post-award requirement: Proof of how funds were used (receipts, invoices, etc. within 30 days)

• Application: Open on a rolling basis
• Crisis requirement: Must have occurred within the past 12 months
• Review: Time for application reviews can very depending on volume of applications
• Decision: Time can vary but generally applicants will have a response within 5-7 business days of submitting an application
• Disbursement: Once awarded a grant applicants are asked to provide banking information for disbursement through our disbursement platform, Tipalti. Once banking information is received it can take between 3-5 days to receive disbursement
• Post-award reporting: Applicants are required to submit receipts within 30 days of receiving funds

REMINDER: MOAA will NOT ask you to provide your Social Security number or bank information over the phone or in response to an email. DO NOT provide this information unless asked for through a secure link or via SurveyMonkey. A MOAA staff member will only ask for this information and provide you a secure link to send if you are being awarded a grant, and the request will come directly from relief@moaa.org. 

Please email relief@moaa.org or call the MOAA Member Service Center at (800) 234-6622 if you feel uncomfortable about a request and would like to verify authenticity, or if you have any questions about the program.