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Las Vegas, Nevada · 2026
Impact
framework
VetGRID is a Las Vegas nonprofit built on a single claim: isolation is the risk, and connection is the intervention. This page states the evidence behind that claim, what we will count, and how we will report it — before we have results to brag about.
17.6
Veterans die by suicide each day
VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
≈50%
Had no recent contact with VA care
VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
1 in 2
Military families report loneliness
Military Family Advisory Network survey findings
Figures above are published national statistics, not VetGRID results. VetGRID is in its pilot stage; every number we publish about our own work will be dated and sourced.
Executive summary
Veteran suicide is rarely about one bad day. It builds as structure disappears, the unit scatters, and the week loses its shape. The protective factors are well documented — belonging, routine, purpose, and a reason to leave the house — and unlike most risk factors, they are buildable.
VetGRID exists upstream of crisis. We are not a hotline and not a clinic. We ask a veteran, spouse, dependent, or caregiver what they are actually interested in, then return real local activities that are open, nearby, and free to them.
The hard part is proof. Reduced isolation and renewed purpose are difficult to quantify, so we commit up front to a small set of measures we will publish whether or not they flatter us: who we reach, whether they come back, and what they say about belonging ninety days in.
What the landscape tells us
Six things we designed around
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Directories are not interventions
Las Vegas has hundreds of listings for veterans. What is missing is the step between a list and a life: someone naming what you like, finding the version of it that is near you and open this week, and removing the cost.
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Families carry the load and belong in the data
Spouses, dependents, and caregivers get their own VetGRID accounts and their own matches, so household connection is measured, not assumed.
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Repeat participation is the outcome that matters
One good night is a story. A week with a shape is a change. Our primary engagement measure is the share of members who attend a second and third time, not first-time sign-ups.
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Cost and logistics are the barriers we can actually remove
Fees, gear, and transportation are the frictions members name first. They are also the cheapest to solve — through grants, donations, and businesses donating seats as tax-deductible in-kind gifts.
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Crowds and anxiety require design, not exclusion
Every listing carries plain details — group size, noise, indoor or outdoor, whether you can leave early — so a veteran can decide before arriving instead of guessing at the door.
Theory of change
Ask. Match. Remove the cost. Measure.
Ask
The Interest screen: eight plain-language categories. No eligibility maze, no diagnosis, no intake packet.
Match
Discovery ranks on-device by interest, distance, rating, and who the activity is open to — and every card states why it surfaced, so results are explainable and auditable.
Lower the barrier
The GRID map and Resources put listings and verified local, state, and national services side by side. Cost to the member is $0 — grants, donations, and in-kind partner seats cover participation.
Measure
Follow-up on attendance, repeat participation, Community activity, and self-reported connection — reported honestly, including what does not work.
Measurement plan
What we count
Three outcome groups, reported to funders and partners on a rolling basis. Everything is collected with member consent and reported in aggregate.
Reach
- Verified members by role: veteran, spouse, dependent, caregiver
- ZIP-level coverage across the Las Vegas valley
- Partner organizations and donated seats available
- Resource directory depth by tier: local, state, national
Engagement
- Interest categories selected per member
- Match-to-attendance conversion from Discovery
- Share of members attending a second and third activity
- Median days from sign-up to first activity
Wellbeing
- Self-reported belonging and loneliness, at intake and 90 days
- Household participation (family members attending together)
- Community participation: posts, replies, and returning contributors
- Member-reported barriers, tracked and retired over time
Use of funds
Where a dollar goes
Indicative allocation for the pilot year. Members never pay: participation is funded by grants, donations, and businesses donating seats and services as tax-deductible in-kind contributions.
Platform and matching30%
Outreach and partner recruitment30%
Participation subsidies25%
Evaluation and reporting15%
Methodology & ethics
How we will report
- Origin. VetGRID began as a Doctor of Social Work capstone and dissertation project, and keeps that research posture: stated hypotheses, pre-registered measures, honest reporting.
- Consent and privacy. Members opt in to follow-up. No individual is identifiable in any published figure, and we never sell or share member data.
- Explainable matching. Ranking is deterministic and reviewable — no opaque model deciding who hears about what.
- Null results published. If a category, partner, or outreach channel does not produce repeat participation, that appears in the report too.
- Not a crisis service. VetGRID is upstream prevention. Anyone in crisis is routed to 988, press 1, and the resources on our support page.
Fund the week that has a shape
Grantmakers, donors, and Las Vegas businesses: this framework is the accountability we are offering in exchange for support.