About

Financial Independence for America’s Servicemembers

Like most Americans, many servicemembers, veterans and their families are facing personal financial challenges that are having a significant impact on their overall financial health. Not only can these financial issues be consuming day-to-day, but they also prevent people from achieving long-term financial security.

In addition, it is imperative that veterans and servicemembers are well-adjusted and adequately prepared to transition back to their daily lives and interact successfully with their communities and at their jobs. One of the best ways to meet these objectives is to improve the financial capability of each and every servicemember, veteran and family member who has served this country.

What is VALOR?

VALOR, or Veterans Assistance for Learning, Opportunity & Readiness, is a financial education and empowerment program created specifically to address these challenges for the military community. VALOR seeks to help servicemembers, veterans and their families to return to, engage with, and thrive in their communities by empowering them through financial education.

How Does VALOR Work?

Starting with a holistic financial health assessment, participants can access the information, resources and partners that can help them achieve their personal financial goals and put them a path to personal prosperity. In addition to connecting participants with local resources and facilitating face-to-face financial coaching sessions, VALOR uses an innovative and powerful web-based financial education program known as lifecents™ to help reach as many servicemembers and veterans as possible. Lifecents™ offers each participant a highly personalized learning experiences designed to help improve their financial health.

VALOR recognizes that there are a myriad of programs, partners and resources available to the military community. Rather than reinventing the wheel, VALOR helps participants to connect with those resources that are most important to them as individuals. This approach not only empowers veterans and servicemembers, but it also helps to build capacity among the many organizations already working with the military community.

How Can a Veteran Get Started with VALOR?

If you are a servicemember, veteran or family member, get started by registering for VALOR by clicking here. If you would like to learn more about what to expect from VALOR, click here.

History and Origins

VALOR was originally created through a public-private partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. in 2012. The program has continued to be adopted in communities around the country including cities with military bases and large populations of servicemembers including Hampton Roads Virginia.

VALOR is funded by the generous support of various corporate partners and foundations. VALOR currently operates as a sponsored fund through the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region (CFNCR), a 501(c)(3) non-profit with more than $360 million in community funds based in Washington, D.C. The mission of CFNCR is to strengthen the Washington metropolitan region by encouraging and supporting effective giving and by providing leadership on critical issues in our community.