Based on available resources at any given time, Warrior Rising strives to accept and assist veterans at any point in the process of starting their own business, whether it is only a concept or if they have actual operations. Please take note: If you are considering forming a non-profit, be aware that while they may offer assistance in the nature of training and mentoring, there may be limitations placed on us providing financial assistance in order to avoid conflicts or other concerns with donors having funds directed towards another non-profit. In addition, passive investments (ex. flipping houses, stock speculating) are not considered by us to be an operating business that their platform is intended or able to assist.
Vet Applicant Instructions/Intake Process
Please complete all information in the application and ensure that it is accurate. If you omit information, in particular, telephone number, or information such as the email address is incorrect, it will only delay or prevent your application from being processed. Once you click Submit you will receive a confirmation email. Your application may take approximately 7-10 days to process initially. You will be contacted by their staff to schedule an intake call. The call is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email for the scheduled time. Please ensure that you check your inbox and your spam folder for the intake email.
After completion of the intake call, you will receive an email summarizing the background information discussed during intake along with Onboarding documents for you to complete. Once you have returned these documents completed and signed, they will provide an email with recommendations and next steps.
Please note that the mentoring process is to help you think through issues and opportunities and to guide you in completing the work yourself. In that way you will learn valuable skills that will help you long beyond your experience with Warrior Rising.
Please be aware that, at a certain point in their process you may be requested to send a business plan or other information for review as part of next steps. Their staff and volunteers will maintain as confidential all business information you provide and they do not disseminate to anyone that is not subject to confidentiality obligations (in other words, those outside of their organization) without your permission. Please note that, because of the number of applications and applicants, they do not execute confidentiality agreements with applicants. Please note that it may take up to 21 days to receive back comments and further recommendations on how to proceed. Please do not send plans in advance of their specific email request. Your patience is greatly appreciated. The review that is done will be focused on:
- Substance of the plan,
- Clarity,
- Thoroughness of plan/strategy as it relates to your concepts and key factors,
so please do not just cut and paste information into a template online for the sake of “having” a business plan since that will not help advance the process, and in fact, will probably stall it a great deal.
Note also that, while they do provide start up or launch grants, they seek to ensure that, first, your business model or plan is robust, and like any other funding source, that it is thorough and you have thought through all the key aspects. Their process will assist you with that. There is a specific procedure for making a funding request that will be provided to you when appropriate but please understand that their process has been employed many times and, regardless of your experience, they still ensure the fundamentals are achieved before funding. They also do not guarantee funding under all circumstances. While they make best efforts to accommodate timing needs for funding, if approved, please be aware that they are not an emergency financial assistance organization, so they cannot shortcut their processes to provide funding to meet all timing expectations.
PROCEDURES FOR OFFERING GRANTS AND ASSISTANCE
Warrior Rising will follow a process, developed by its Executive Director and approved by its Board of Directors,for receiving and fulfilling applications for Grants and Assistance. The process may be described in detail in a separate document and amended from time to time. The process will include the following characteristics:
• Potential Recipients will apply for Grants and Assistance. All applications will be made in writing.
• For every application, the decision whether to offer Grants and/or Assistance will be recorded in writing and sufficiently explained. This documentation may be, but does not need to be, provided in part or in full to Recipients or potential Recipients.
• Assistance and Grants will be offered only to Recipients who fit within the Guiding Principles spelled out in this Policy.
• Warrior Rising, in its sole discretion, may attach conditions to any Grant or Assistance.
• Assistance and Grants will be offered only for specific amounts, the offer of which may be limited to specific time periods, which will be duly noted in the application and upon award confirmed in writing from Warrior Rising. In no cases will the time periods exceed one calendar year; although any Assistance and Grants may be re-offered in one or more subsequent years. The presence or absence of a specific time period shall in no way obligate Warrior Rising to subsequent Grants or Assistance.
• Applicants will affirm Warrior Rising’s expectation that any portion of a Grant that is not used as intended, during the specified time period for the Grant, will be returned to Warrior Rising.
• Warrior Rising will monitor every Recipient’s use of the Warrior Rising Assistance and Grants during the specified time period and a Recipient shall cooperate with Warrior Rising by promptly complying with any reasonable request for information by Warrior Rising in respect of such Grant or Assistance.
• For every Grant, and for any Assistance deemed to have a fair-market value of more than $500, Warrior Rising will retain electronically based documentation for all the above-listed process characteristics for a minimum of 10 years.
