What We Do: Financial Education, Focused on the Military Community
“The Edge is so helpful. I love the wide variety of topics they cover! I love that it’s gamified. The assessments that make it personalized. I’ve really enjoyed the mortgage articles as we consider selling/buying at our new duty station.”
- Chelsey M.
All donations to the GoVA Foundation go to our scholarship program. We give free scholarships to service members, Veterans, and spouses to join The Edge platform, with hundreds of interactive courses, articles, videos, tools, and calculators on a variety of financial topics.
Tips for Budgets, Saving, and Preparing for Retirement
The Credit Repair Path helps members learn about and improve credit scores
The Homebuyer Path educates on mortgages, interest rates, and debt consolidation
The Entrepreneur Path supports military spouse and Veteran-owned small businesses
Why Focus on the Military?
40% of military households are Low to Moderate Income (LMI).
25% of military families are considered food insecure, according to the USDA.
Many military bases are surrounded by low and moderate income (LMI) census tracts.
45%
The four lowest paygrades (E-1 to E-4) make up over half of all Enlisted service members. of the entire Enlisted force are age 17-24.
The White House and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognize Veterans as an underserved population.
We Bridge the Gap to Empower Military Families Financially
GoVA makes housing affordable for LMI individuals with VA loans and military discounts on interest rates.
We partner with organizations that improve the military community’s access to financial tools and lower barriers to banking.
Data from Our Members
41% of our members have a Poor Credit Score upon registration. 11% have a Fair score.
Average user debt is $22,284 (primarily from auto loans, student loans, and credit cards).
Average user debt from VA Loans is $84,250.21.
Upon registration, more than 75% of users did not use a budget to track spending.
65% of users felt “overwhelmed by finances” before they registered. 55% felt “exhausted by finances.” 80% had a high stress score in initial evaluations.
“Fantastic site, so glad it was created and I was able to find it as it’s been a lifesaver. I got a budget book to help with saving and spending and it’s already helping me. I’ve already learned so much and I’m a military wife of 23 years!”
- Tanna R. The Money Mindfulness section had over 1,224 visits in the first 3 months, focusing on meditations and journal entries.
A majority of users requested help primarily with budgeting and getting out of debt.
What Makes GoVA Different?
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We are not a bank or financial institution, so we offer neutral education on financial decisions.
Our platform is smart, easy to navigate, and can suggest content specific to each user. We provide live support and assistance from the military spouses and Veterans in our Concierge Center.
“Working with GoVA was the best thing I did in 2023. They made my life easy, helped me find ways to increase my credit and provided the right suggestions to make my credit check process a smooth one. In a month’s time, I got approval for a home loan with a good interest rate and ended up with good credit.”
- Lorrell F.Our educational content is constantly updated and meets the educational standards of the regulatory agencies.
Our Financial Improvement Tools (F.I.T.) meet the educational standards of these regulatory agencies:
Ways to Get Involved:
Join us and make a difference in the financial wellness of military families!
Donate to the Scholarship Fund
Each scholarship is worth $300
Provide a service member with a free 1-year membership to The Edge, with unlimited access to financial courses and tools
Partner with Us Through Grants
We had 1,000 requests for military scholarships within the first 3 months of launching
Scholarships can be given to militaryaffiliated employees of your organization or to any military member waiting to join The Edge
We help banks achieve CRA goals by reaching military members in their geographic region.
LMI Impact Reporting: GoVA can provide partners with data to quantify the impact and outcomes of their contributions.
Data includes households served, geographic areas represented, member activities, and course or event results.
Volunteer for GoVA Activities
Virtual and in-person financial literacy training sessions or webinars
Military spouse representatives needed at military bases
