The Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) will provide up to $500 to organizations that host events on National Vietnam War Veterans Day through its newly created Event Assistance Program (EAP). The national holiday takes place March 29 and honors U.S. military members who served during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). More than 400,000 veterans live in Indiana and 34% of them served in Vietnam.

“We are dedicated to ensuring our veterans receive the recognition, gratitude, care and benefits they deserve,” said Dennis Wimer, IDVA director. “We understand it can be expensive to host events, so we developed the EAP to encourage organizations throughout the state to celebrate Vietnam Veterans Day by supporting the cost of the event.”

IDVA will select 20 nonprofit organizations to receive up to $500 of EAP funds. When applying, organizations must provide proof of nonprofit status and list the costs it will incur to host the event such as:

• Food

• Non-alcoholic beverages

• Guest speaker fees/expenses

• Venue/furniture rental

• Event marketing (advertisement, programs, posters, flyers, etc.)

EAP application submission will begin at 3 p.m. March 6 and close at noon March 13. Applications can be found here. EAP funds will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. Once all funds are expended, the process will close. Award recipients will be notified via the email address used to submit the application.

EAP assistance will be paid after the organization hosts the event. The organization must submit paid receipts to IDVA for each cost listed on the application; IDVA will then reimburse the organization up to $500.