Project Grant NMSSG18102225

The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration awarded Paws And Stripes $750,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (CFDA 64.055), representing year four funding under this project grant.

Paws And Stripes, a woman-owned nonprofit headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, operates a service dog program addressing veteran mental health and suicide prevention, particularly for veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. The organization delivers community-based suicide prevention initiatives including outreach activities, mental health screening, suicide prevention counseling, and coordination of services connecting veterans and their families to VA and community resources.

The award obligates $750,000 with a period of performance from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, and place of performance in New Mexico. This represents the fourth consecutive year of project grant funding from Veterans Health Administration to Paws And Stripes under this program, totaling approximately $2.74 million across fiscal years 2022 through 2026. Since 2021, the organization has secured approximately $3.8 million in federal grant funding across multiple award cycles, including prior support from the Department of Defense Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

The grant program funds eligible entities to reduce veteran suicide through expanded suicide prevention services. Eligible recipients include incorporated private institutions or foundations, Indian tribes, community-based organizations, and state or local governments that can effectively network with local civic organizations and regional health systems to serve eligible individuals and their families.