--- title: AWARDS url: https://warriorwod.org/veteran-nonprofit-awards/ date: 2026-04-20T21:20:38+00:00 modified: 2026-10-03T14:57:20+00:00 lang: en_US --- # AWARDS ▸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. [Join the Mission](https://warriorwod.org/veteran-nonprofit-awards/?campaign=748784) Become a Warrior Supporter for $22 a month. 501(c)(3)Tax-exempt since 2021 EIN 87-1065126Gifts are tax-deductible Candid Platinum2022 through 2026 Veteran-ledFounded by a Marine combat veteran Charleston, SCWarriors 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](https://warriorwod.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/constellation-quality-health.png) 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 WarriorWOD](https://constellationqualityhealth.org/constellation-quality-health-awards-50000-for-pts-recovery-and-suicide-prevention-among-veterans/)Constellation Quality Health announcement ![Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency 2026, one of WarriorWOD's veteran nonprofit awards and recognition](https://warriorwod.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/candid-seal-platinum-2026.png) 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](https://www.guidestar.org/profile/87-1065126). ![Jefferson Award for Public Service emblem, awarded to WarriorWOD founder Phil Palmer](https://warriorwod.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/JeffersonAward-emblem.png) 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](/about/). Coverage[2022 Jefferson Award winner announced at News 4 banquet](https://abcnews4.com/news/local/2022-jefferson-award-winner-announced-at-news-4-banquet-wciv-philip-palmer-warrior-workout-kat-wehunt-winner-monthly-2022-2021)ABC News 4 · March 23, 2023[2022 Jefferson Award recipient honored for helping veterans](https://abcnews4.com/news/local/2022-jefferson-award-recipient-honored-for-helping-struggling-veterans-warrior-workout-of-the-day-wciv)ABC News 4 · March 23, 2023[Local Jefferson Award winner chosen to attend national awards](https://abcnews4.com/news/local/local-jefferson-award-winner-chosen-to-attend-national-awards-wciv-abc-news-4-warriorwod)ABC News 4 · October 23, 2023 ![Charleston RiverDogs Boeing Military Hall of Honor logo](https://warriorwod.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Boeing-Military-Hall-of-Honor.png) 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. Coverage[WarriorWOD founder to be inducted into RiverDogs Military Hall of Honor](https://abcnews4.com/news/local/warriorwod-founder-will-be-inducted-to-charleston-riverdogs-military-hall-of-honor-phil-palmer-joseph-b-riley-park-baseball-non-profit-veteran-exercise-nutrition-mentorship-south-carolina-sc-wciv)ABC News 4 · May 15, 2024 ### 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](https://warriorwod.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/SC-Department-of-Veterans-Affairs.png) SC Department of Veterans AffairsMemorandum of understanding with the state veterans agency. ![MUSC logo, WarriorWOD research partner](https://warriorwod.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/MUSC.webp) MUSCResearch partner. WarriorWOD complements licensed clinical care and does not replace it. ![College of Charleston logo, independent evaluator of WarriorWOD veteran PTSD outcomes](https://warriorwod.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/college-of-charleston.png) College of CharlestonIndependent 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](https://cofc.edu) (Dr. Katie Trejo Tello, Ph.D., grant SCTR CES-P UM1TR005294) found a statistically significant 14.42-point reduction in [PCL-5](https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/assessment/adult-sr/ptsd-checklist.asp) 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](/veteran-ptsd-recovery-program-research/) ▸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](/program/). 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. [01 IRS Form 990 Revenue, expenses, and compensation, filed with the IRS.](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/871065126) [02 Candid Platinum profile Board, strategy, and program metrics in one place.](https://www.guidestar.org/profile/87-1065126) [03 Independent outcomes The College of Charleston evaluation, with methods and effect size.](/veteran-ptsd-recovery-program-research/) [04 Named leadership Founder and board, by name, with their service records.](/about/) ## 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.