Nonprofit extends additional activity grants for longer overseas deployments, stateside activations, and more.

OAKTON, Va., July 23, 2021 — Effective immediately, Our Military Kids (OMK), a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is expanding its existing eligibility requirements for extracurricular activity grants to provide support to more children of deployed National Guard and Reserve service members and Veterans in recovery from severe combat-related injuries.

The updates to both the Deployed and Severely Injured Grant Programs are as follows:

DEPLOYED AND MOBILIZED NATIONAL GUARD OR RESERVE PROGRAM

• OMK is now accepting applications for children of stateside activated National Guard or Reserve service members with Title 10 and/or Title 32 orders. This does not include AGR assignments or active or inactive duty for training.
• For overseas or stateside missions of 90-179 days (cumulative within 12 months), each child (ages 3-18) is eligible for ONE (1) grant up to $300 for one extracurricular activity.
• For overseas or stateside missions of 180+ days (cumulative within 12 months), each child (ages 3-18) is eligible for TWO (2) grants up to $300 each for the same or different activities. Each grant requires a separate application.

SEVERELY INJURED PROGRAM

• Children of severely injured service members and Veterans in treatment are eligible to apply for a $300 activity grant every six months for a maximum of FIVE (5) grants per eligible child, which includes one FLEX grant that may be used at any point during the military parent’s recovery. Each grant may be used for the same or different activities.

OMK is implementing this important grant eligibility expansion to continue to connect military children and their families to friends, mentors, and a community that cares through the extracurricular activities they love. According to OMK’s 2020 Family Survey, 85 percent of grant recipient families reported an improvement in their child’s mental health after receiving their OMK grant, and 89 percent reported an improvement in the family’s overall well-being.

To learn more about eligibility requirements and apply for an OMK activity grant, please visit ourmilitarykids.org/apply.

About Our Military Kids

Our Military Kids, Inc. supports military children (ages 3-18) by funding sports, arts, tutoring, and other enrichment activities while a parent is deployed overseas or activated stateside with the National Guard, deployed or activated with the Reserve, or recovering from severe combat-related injuries sustained in a post-9/11 mission. Participation in these activities has been proven to help children cope with stress and build self-confidence during an otherwise difficult time in their lives.

For more information, please visit www.ourmilitarykids.org or contact Michelle Criqui at mccriqui@ourmilitarykids.org.

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