The Crisis Relief Program provides emergency financial assistance to members of the uniformed services community facing unexpected, short-term crises. It was developed in response to urgent needs highlighted during events like the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to support individuals dealing with disasters, financial shocks, or other emergencies.
Who We Help
- 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
What We Provide
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.
Eligibility
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.
Required Documents
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
- Caregiver documents if applicable
- Post-award requirement: Proof of how funds were used (receipts, invoices, etc. within 30 days)
Application Steps
- Review eligibility and program guidelines
- Complete and submit the online application (SurveyMonkey portal)
- Provide detailed information about the crisis and financial need
- Application is reviewed by the MOAA Charities team
- Applicants are notified of the decision via email
- If approved, set up a secure payment account (Tipalti) for disbursement
- Submit proof of fund usage after receiving the grant
Timeline
- 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 application
- Disbursement: Once awarded a grant applicants are asked to provide banking information for disbursement. Once banking information is received it can take between 3-5 days to receive disbursement
- Post-award reporting: Required within 30 days of receiving funds
Grant Disbursement
Once awarded a grant, applicants will be required to set up a separate account with our disbursement platform, Tipalti, in order to receive grants.
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.
Contact Us
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.
The MOAA Charities - Crisis Relief Program (New)
The Crisis Relief Program provides emergency financial assistance to members of the uniformed services community facing unexpected, short-term crises. It was developed in response to urgent needs highlighted during events like the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to support individuals dealing with disasters, financial shocks, or other emergencies.
Who We Help
- 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
What We Provide
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.
Eligibility
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.
Required Documents
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
- Caregiver documents if applicable
- Post-award requirement: Proof of how funds were used (receipts, invoices, etc. within 30 days)
Application Steps
- Review eligibility and program guidelines
- Complete and submit the online application (SurveyMonkey portal)
- Provide detailed information about the crisis and financial need
- Application is reviewed by the MOAA Charities team
- Applicants are notified of the decision via email
- If approved, set up a secure payment account (Tipalti) for disbursement
- Submit proof of fund usage after receiving the grant
Timeline
- 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 application
- Disbursement: Once awarded a grant applicants are asked to provide banking information for disbursement. Once banking information is received it can take between 3-5 days to receive disbursement
- Post-award reporting: Required within 30 days of receiving funds
Grant Disbursement
Once awarded a grant, applicants will be required to set up a separate account with our disbursement platform, Tipalti, in order to receive grants.
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.
Contact Us
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.