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▸Awards & Recognition

Veteran Nonprofit Awards and Recognition, Earned on Measured Outcomes

WarriorWOD Foundation's veteran nonprofit awards and recognition include Constellation Quality Health's 2024 Innovative Partner of the Year, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, and the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, held every year from 2022 through 2026.

None of it was given for good intentions. Instead, each one followed documented work: a six-month veteran PTSD recovery program that measures every Warrior with the PCL-5 and C-SSRS each month, and an outcome evaluation the College of Charleston ran without our review.

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501(c)(3)
Tax-exempt since 2021
EIN 87-1065126
Gifts are tax-deductible
Candid Platinum
2022 through 2026
Veteran-led
Founded by a Marine combat veteran
Charleston, SC
Warriors in 38+ states
▸The record

Veteran nonprofit awards and what each one verified

An award tells you someone outside the organization looked closely. Below is who looked, what they examined, and what it means if you are deciding where to give.

Constellation Quality Health Innovative Partner of the Year 2024 award to WarriorWOD Foundation
2024 · Funder award

Constellation Quality Health Innovative Partner of the Year

Constellation Quality Health named WarriorWOD its 2024 Innovative Partner of the Year and awarded a $50,000 grant to the veteran PTSD recovery program. The award recognized the program model: exercise, nutrition coaching, and peer mentorship from a Battle Buddy who completed the program.

For funders: at $1,500 per veteran, that grant funds 33 veterans' complete six-month recovery.
Coverage
Constellation Quality Health awards $50,000 to WarriorWODConstellation Quality Health announcement
Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency 2026, one of WarriorWOD's veteran nonprofit awards and recognition
2022–2026 · Transparency

Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency

Platinum is the highest seal Candid (formerly GuideStar) awards, and fewer than 1% of US nonprofits hold it. To earn it, WarriorWOD publishes its mission, strategy, board, financials, and program metrics on a public profile. We have held Platinum for five consecutive years.

For donors: you can read our numbers before you give. View the Candid profile.
Jefferson Award for Public Service emblem, awarded to WarriorWOD founder Phil Palmer
2022 · Public service

Jefferson Award for Public Service

Founder Phil Palmer was named the 2022 Jefferson Award winner for the Charleston area, announced at the News 4 banquet in March 2023. In October 2023 he was chosen to represent the region at the national Jefferson Awards. Phil is a Marine combat veteran of the Battle of Ramadi and takes no salary from WarriorWOD.

Why it matters: the program was built by a veteran who lived with PTSD. Meet the veteran-led team.
Charleston RiverDogs Boeing Military Hall of Honor logo
2024 · Community

Charleston RiverDogs Boeing Military Hall of Honor

In 2024, Phil Palmer was inducted into the Charleston RiverDogs Boeing Military Hall of Honor at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. The Hall recognizes distinguished military service and lasting community impact in the Lowcountry.

Why it matters: local veterans and local businesses know who runs this program and where it started.

Institutional partners

Partnerships are not awards. They are institutions that chose to put their name next to ours after reviewing the work.

South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs seal
SC Department of Veterans Affairs
Memorandum of understanding with the state veterans agency.
MUSC logo, WarriorWOD research partner
MUSC
Research partner. WarriorWOD complements licensed clinical care and does not replace it.
College of Charleston logo, independent evaluator of WarriorWOD veteran PTSD outcomes
College of Charleston
Independent evaluation partner. Ran the PCL-5 outcome study without WarriorWOD review.
▸What the recognition rests on

Independently verified veteran PTSD outcomes

An independent evaluation by the College of Charleston (Dr. Katie Trejo Tello, Ph.D., grant SCTR CES-P UM1TR005294) found a statistically significant 14.42-point reduction in PCL-5 PTSD scores among program completers. Veterans entered above the 31–33 clinical threshold for probable PTSD and left below it. The findings were not subject to WarriorWOD review before release. Peer review is pending.

14.42
Point PCL-5 reduction, 43.37 to 28.95
p < .001 · Cohen's d = 1.33 · n = 21 matched pairs
265
Veterans completed the full six-month program
12 Warrior Classes · 38+ states
90.4%
Of completers saw PTSD symptoms drop
38.25% average severity reduction · internal data
9 of 9
Veterans who entered with suicidal ideation are alive
C-SSRS measured at intake and every month

Read the veteran PTSD recovery program research summary

▸Why we measure

PTSD drives veteran suicide risk. We track both every month.

Untreated PTSD is one of the strongest risk factors for suicide among veterans. That is why WarriorWOD does not stop at a before-and-after snapshot. Every Warrior completes the PCL-5 and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale at intake and every month for all 26 weeks, with escalation to licensed clinical care when a score calls for it.

Battle Buddy mentors are veterans who completed the program, and all are VA S.A.V.E. certified. See how the six-month program works.

35.2
Veteran suicides per 100,000 in 2023

18.2M US military veterans nationwide. The 2023 veteran suicide rate of 35.2 per 100,000 is 93.4% higher than the non-veteran adult rate of 18.2 per 100,000. Veterans are nearly twice as likely as their civilian peers to die by suicide.

Source: VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
▸Check our work

How to verify a veteran charity before you give

Veteran charities are a frequent target for fraud, and donors are right to check. These are the four records we would ask any organization for. Ours are public.

VETERAN MENTAL HEALTH GETS STRONGER WITH EVERY VICTORY.

With your support, more victories become possible, giving veterans the chance to once again find purpose and rediscover lost joy.

▸Questions

Nonprofit awards and recognition FAQ

What nonprofit awards and recognition has WarriorWOD received?

WarriorWOD Foundation was named Constellation Quality Health's 2024 Innovative Partner of the Year with a $50,000 grant, and has held the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency from 2022 through 2026. Founder Phil Palmer was the 2022 Jefferson Award winner for the Charleston area, advanced to the national Jefferson Awards in 2023, and was inducted into the Charleston RiverDogs Boeing Military Hall of Honor in 2024.

Is WarriorWOD Foundation a legitimate veteran charity?

Yes. WarriorWOD Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 87-1065126, founded in 2021 and based in Charleston, South Carolina. Its Form 990 is public, it holds the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, and its outcomes were independently evaluated by the College of Charleston.

What does the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency mean?

Platinum is the highest seal Candid, formerly GuideStar, awards. Fewer than 1% of US nonprofits hold it. It requires an organization to publish its mission, strategy, board, financials, and program metrics on a public profile that donors can review.

Has WarriorWOD's veteran PTSD program been independently evaluated?

Yes. A College of Charleston evaluation led by Dr. Katie Trejo Tello found a 14.42-point PCL-5 reduction, from 43.37 to 28.95 (p < .001, Cohen's d = 1.33, n = 21 matched pairs). WarriorWOD did not review the findings before release. Peer review is pending.

How do I know a veteran charity is trustworthy?

Ask for four records: the IRS Form 990, a watchdog profile such as Candid, outcome data measured with a validated instrument, and named leadership. A trustworthy veteran charity makes all four public. WarriorWOD links to each one on this page.

What does a monthly gift to WarriorWOD fund?

$125/month for one year funds one veteran's complete recovery. That covers a Preferred Partner Gym membership, 24 nutrition coaching sessions, InBody assessments at intake and graduation, and weekly contact with a Battle Buddy mentor. Veterans pay nothing.