The short answer
SSG Fox grantees that meet their enrollment targets treat outreach as a system, not a series of events. They know where eligible Veterans live in each county, have a referral network that sends Veterans to them, make referring easy, run outreach built for each community, and can prove where every enrollment came from.
That last step matters as much as the first four. VA’s FY2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) sets targets that 40% of the people a grantee serves are unaffiliated with VA at intake and 75% are referred to VA (VA FY27 NOFO). You cannot meet either target without outreach that reaches Veterans outside the VA system, and you cannot prove it at renewal without records.
This guide is written for organizations that hold a current SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) award and need to grow enrollment across one or more counties.
Why is finding eligible Veterans the hardest part of an SSG Fox grant?
The Veterans this grant is built for are, by design, the ones not already in care. VA’s program page says it prioritizes reaching Veterans not yet connected with VA, especially in rural, Tribal, and under-resourced areas with high-risk populations (VA SSG Fox SPGP). Those Veterans do not show up in a VA clinic list, and many do not identify as Veterans in everyday settings.
The rules raise the bar further. Outreach must identify and engage Veterans and Service members at elevated suicide risk or not receiving VA care, and every outreach and education effort must link directly to a referral into your program (VA FY27 NOFO). General awareness that does not lead to an intake does not count.
And the clock is short. FY2027 awards are one-year awards with a period of performance that began September 30, 2026. Renewal applications score “Outreach and Engagement” inside a 55-point Program Outcomes section, so the enrollment you build this year is what you compete on next year.
What separates SSG Fox grantees who hit their enrollment targets?
Grantees that reach their numbers share five capabilities. Most programs have one or two of them. Few have all five working together in the first 90 days of an award.
- They know where their Veterans are. Enrollment depends on knowing, county by county, where eligible Veterans live and how far they are from care. Grantees without that picture spread effort evenly and reach the same Veterans everyone else reaches.
- They have a referral network, not a mailing list. The Veterans this grant targets rarely self-refer. They arrive through people who already see them. A grantee’s enrollment ceiling is set by how many of those people actively send referrals.
- They make referring effortless. Partners refer when it is easy and when they trust the hand-off. A slow or confusing referral path quietly shuts the network down.
- Their outreach is local. A message that works in a suburban county will not land the same way in a rural one. Veterans respond to outreach that names their community and comes from people they trust.
- They can prove where every enrollment came from. VA measures results, and renewal reviewers ask what worked. Grantees that can show which counties, partners, and channels produced enrollments make better decisions mid-year and stronger renewal applications.
Each of these is a system to build, not a task to delegate, and the sequence matters. Getting it right early determines whether a one-year award reaches its targets.
How do grantees turn a referral into an enrolled Veteran?
Enrollment is where most outreach is lost, so treat the first contact as the most important step in the program.
Confirm eligibility early. An eligible individual is a person at risk of suicide who is one of the following (VA SSG Fox SPGP):
- A Veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable (38 U.S.C. 101(2))
- A former service member with an other-than-honorable discharge (38 U.S.C. 1720I(b))
- A person who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations (38 U.S.C. 1712A)
Family members can receive services only when the related Veteran or Service member is enrolled.
Screen with the required tools. Grantees screen for suicide risk with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), which VA provides. Every enrolled person also completes a baseline screening with four VA-provided tools, the PHQ-9, ISEL-12, SES, and WEMWBS, at enrollment and again at exit. Eligibility and risk level must be documented before services begin (VA FY27 NOFO).
Make the VA referral a warm hand-off. Anyone at risk on the C-SSRS or PHQ-9 must be referred to VA. Where practical, that means scheduling the appointment together and arranging transportation, not handing over a phone number.
Close the gap between referral and intake. This is where most enrollments are lost. Grantees that hold on to referrals have a defined response standard, one consistent point of contact for each Veteran, and intake options that work for Veterans far from an office.
If a Veteran is in immediate crisis at any point, connect them to the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.
What outreach records should grantees keep for VA reporting and renewal?
Keep records that tie each enrollment to the outreach that produced it. Grantees enter participant data in VA’s secure Data Collection Tool and file periodic and annual performance reports, and VA measures three targets (VA FY27 NOFO):
VA’s Data Collection Tool records what happened to each participant. It does not show which outreach brought them in. Grantees that compete well at renewal keep their own source-level records, so they can show which counties they reached, which partners delivered, and what it cost to enroll each Veteran.
Frequently asked questions from SSG Fox grantees
How much is an SSG Fox grant, and how long does it last? Awards are up to $750,000 per year. FY2027 awards fund one year of services starting September 30, 2026, and grantees may apply to renew each year.
Do Veterans need to be enrolled in VA health care to receive SSG Fox services? No. The program is built to reach Veterans who are not connected to VA, and VA sets a target that 40% of people served are unaffiliated with VA at intake.
Can Veterans with an other-than-honorable discharge be served? Yes. Former service members with an other-than-honorable discharge described in 38 U.S.C. 1720I(b) are eligible if they are at risk of suicide.
What screening tools do SSG Fox grantees use? The C-SSRS for suicide risk, plus a baseline screening with the PHQ-9, ISEL-12, SES, and WEMWBS at enrollment and exit. VA provides all of these tools.
Can grant funds pay for outreach and marketing? Outreach to identify eligible Veterans is a listed grant service, and every outreach effort must link to a referral into the program. Confirm specific costs with your VA grant liaison and the cost rules in 2 C.F.R. Part 200 before you commit funds.
What kinds of companies help SSG Fox grantees reach Veterans? Three kinds of help are common. VA provides program guidance and technical assistance to grantees. Local partners such as county Veteran service officers, VSOs, and hospitals supply referrals. Outreach and communications firms that specialize in publicly funded behavioral health and Veteran programs build the targeting, messaging, local campaigns, and referral tracking a grantee needs to meet its enrollment targets.
How STRIVE3 helps SSG Fox grantees
STRIVE3 builds the outreach system described above for grantees who need to grow enrollment fast. STRIVE3 is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business founded in 2005 in Reston, Virginia, and led by Victor Rogers, a Marine Corps Veteran of Operation Desert Storm. Its VA work includes a national awareness and clinician recruitment campaign for VA Vet Centers and PTSD outreach videos for the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.
The STRIVE3 Outreach Operating System has four modules: a Reach Audit, a Message System, Localization and Deployment, and Measurement and Optimization. Most grantees start with the Reach Audit, a three-week engagement from $8,500 that maps your counties against where eligible Veterans live and identifies the referral partners and channels to activate first.
