What Quality of Life Plus Program does

Quality of Life Plus Program, operating as Project S.E.R.V.E. (Student Engineering for Resilience of Veterans and Emergency Responders), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009 and domiciled in Virginia (EIN 27-0172688). The organization pairs veterans and first responders living with injuries or disabling conditions with university engineering students who co-design and build personalized assistive devices — including adaptive golf prosthetics, wheelchair modifications, residual limb warming systems for para-athletes, and 3D-printed adaptive recreation equipment. Since founding, Project S.E.R.V.E. reports 480+ custom projects completed, 1,300+ veterans and emergency responders served, and 2,000+ engineering students engaged, with 27 partner universities nationwide including Virginia Tech, George Mason, CU Boulder, Colorado School of Mines, and George Washington University.

The core technology is a student-led, human-centered co-design methodology in which end users define accessibility challenges and guide engineering teams through 9-10 month capstone or senior-design cycles. The organization also runs an annual National Design Competition, hosted at Virginia Tech and sponsored by PenFed Credit Union, which in 2026 drew 56+ students from 12 universities to design devices for Team USA para-athletes. Distribution is direct project delivery to beneficiaries; no commercial pricing exists.

The business model is donation-funded: individual contributions, tiered corporate sponsorships (from $1,000 up to $500,000+), and foundation grants from named supporters including Bob Woodruff Foundation, Lockheed Martin Foundation, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, CTA Foundation, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and Navy SEAL Foundation. All services are delivered at no cost to recipients. The organization maintains active earned-media channels (WSJ, CBS, Forbes, Army Engineer Magazine), a newsroom and email newsletter, CES conference presence, and a referral pipeline through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran Resources Community Network. In September 2025, the organization rebranded from QL Plus to Project S.E.R.V.E. under new Executive Director Tara Newell.

Name

Quality of Life Plus Program

Legal name

The Quality of Life Plus Program

Website

https://qlplus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Project S.E.R.V.E. (formerly QL Plus) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that pairs injured veterans and emergency responders with university engineering students to co-design custom assistive devices at no cost, delivered through 27 partner universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Disability Services and Nonprofit Assistive Technology

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431)

SIC

Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Assistive, Biomedical & Human-Centered Engineering Programs (EDAMADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK), Veterans & Military-to-Civilian Transition Programs (EDAAAOAH)

Keywords

• Custom assistive technology
• Veteran disability services
• Engineering student projects
• Adaptive device design
• Nonprofit veteran support

Headquarters

HQ city

Mclean

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting the mission of improving quality of life for veterans and emergency responders through engineering solutions.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate donors at various tiers ($500,000+, $100,000-$499,999, $50,000-$99,999, $25,000-$49,999, $10,000-$24,999, $2,500-$9,999, $1,000-$2,499) providing funding for projects and the National Design Competition.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including Bob Woodruff Foundation, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, Lockheed Martin Foundation, Society of American Military Engineers, and others supporting specific programs and initiatives.
4. CTA Foundation Grant: Grant from CTA Foundation to advance assistive technology innovation, supporting organizational growth and expansion of university partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Quality of Life Plus Program (Project S.E.R.V.E.) connects veterans and emergency responders living with injuries or disabling conditions with university engineering student teams that co-design and build custom assistive technologies tailored to each individual's needs. All projects are delivered at no cost to the recipient through 27 university partners, with an annual National Design Competition showcasing student-developed adaptive devices for injured veterans and para-athletes.

Product overview

Quality of Life Plus Program (QL Plus), now rebranded as Project S.E.R.V.E. (Student Engineering for Resilience of Veterans and Emergency Responders), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that improves the lives of veterans and emergency responders living with injuries or disabling conditions through student-led engineering projects. The organization operates as a service platform that connects participants with university engineering teams to co-design custom assistive technologies. The core offerings include the Custom Assistive Technology Design Program (matching individuals with student engineers for personalized device creation), the annual National Design Competition (showcasing university team innovations for adaptive athletes), and the University Partnership Program (providing experiential learning across 27 partner institutions). All projects are delivered at no cost to the veteran or emergency responder recipient.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Assistive Technology Design Program Core program that pairs veterans and emergency responders living with injuries or disabling conditions with university engineering students who co-design custom assistive technologies to improve independence, mobility, recreation, and quality of life. All projects are delivered at no cost to participants.
• National Design Competition Annual national competition that brings together university engineering teams to design custom adaptive devices for injured veterans and adaptive athletes, held in partnership with universities and sponsors such as PenFed Credit Union.
• University Partnership Program Partners with leading university engineering programs nationwide to provide experiential learning opportunities for students while creating life-changing assistive technology for veterans and emergency responders. Currently partners with 27 universities.
• Individual Assistive Device Projects Custom-engineered assistive devices created for individual veterans and emergency responders, including adaptive golf prosthetics, wheelchair modifications, one-handed bobsled systems, voice-activated controls, fishing devices, prosthetic cooling systems, and adaptive sports equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 480+ custom assistive devices created since 2009
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Virginia Tech Department of Biomedical EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Host of the National Design Competition and ongoing partner for student engineering projects. Provides faculty advisors, facilities, and student teams for Project S.E.R.V.E. initiatives.
• USA Para Sliding (Kim Seevers, Chair)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecruits para-athlete mentors for the National Design Competition. Athletes provide real-world needs and test prototypes for student-designed adaptive technologies.
• Craig HospitalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRehabilitation hospital specializing in spinal cord and brain injury provides mentorship for student design projects and ensures solutions meet real-world clinical needs.
• River Deep FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit helping military veterans heal through adventure, recreation and support provides mentorship and real-world client insight for student engineering projects.
• Team RubiconsupportingOthersVeteran-led humanitarian organization offering additional resources and support opportunities for veterans served by Project S.E.R.V.E.
• Travis Mills FoundationsupportingOthersSupports post-9/11 recalibrated veterans and their families through adaptive retreat experiences and family support programs.
• 27 University Engineering ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partners including Virginia Tech, George Mason, CU Boulder, Colorado School of Mines, SDSU, USF, ODU, VCU, Trine, Bucknell, UC, Rowan, Norwich, FAU, Catholic University, Dayton, GWU, Rose-Hulman, Ohio University, Oklahoma State, UT Austin, VMI, UTSA providing student engineering teams for capstone projects.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VRCN)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerVA's Veteran Resources Community Network increases veteran engagement and has featured Project S.E.R.V.E. in outreach communications.
• Florida Atlantic University AccessTECHsupportingOthersWorkforce development initiative connecting talent with opportunities, potentially supporting veterans served by Project S.E.R.V.E.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• ABLE: Adaptive Behaviors for Lifelong Empowerment: ABLE (formerly ABLED) supports athletes with disabilities through adaptive sports equipment and programming — operating in an adjacent assistive-tech-for-athletes niche that overlaps with Project S.E.R.V.E.'s para-athlete work in the National Design Competition.
• Move United (Disabled Sports USA): Move United is a national nonprofit network providing adaptive sports opportunities for people with disabilities, including injured veterans. It is comparable in mission — improving quality of life through adaptive recreation — and is a likely natural partner or referral source for Project S.E.R.V.E.'s adaptive-sports engineering work.
• Travis Mills Foundation: Travis Mills Foundation supports post-9/11 recalibrated veterans and their families through adaptive recreation retreats in Maine. It shares Project S.E.R.V.E.'s adaptive-quality-of-life mission for severely injured veterans, but delivers experiences rather than custom-engineered devices — and is a current Project S.E.R.V.E. resource partner.

Broad incumbents

• Bob Woodruff Foundation: Bob Woodruff Foundation funds and supports post-9/11 veterans and their families through grants to vetted nonprofit programs — and is itself one of Project S.E.R.V.E.'s major donors. It is a comparable veteran-services funder/operator with overlapping beneficiary population but no engineering focus.
• DAV (Disabled American Veterans): DAV is a long-established nonprofit that delivers a broad range of benefits and rehabilitation services to disabled U.S. veterans. It is comparable as a major veteran-disability services organization but operates at national scale across many program types, not custom assistive engineering.
• Wounded Warrior Project: Wounded Warrior Project is one of the largest U.S. nonprofits serving post-9/11 veterans with physical and invisible injuries, offering a broad portfolio of programs (mental health, career, physical康复). It is comparable as a veteran-services nonprofit but at vastly greater scale and without Project S.E.R.V.E.'s custom-engineering specialization.

Direct peers

• e-NABLE: e-NABLE is a global volunteer community that designs and 3D-prints low-cost prosthetic hands and arms for those with upper-limb differences. It is the closest direct peer to Project S.E.R.V.E. — both are nonprofit-driven, volunteer-built custom assistive device programs serving amputees and people with disabilities, with similar co-design ethos.
• Limbitless Solutions: Limbitless Solutions is a nonprofit that designs and 3D-prints custom multi-grip bionic arms, primarily for children and young adults with upper-limb differences. Like Project S.E.R.V.E., it partners with university students (UCF) and uses co-design methodology to deliver personalized assistive technology at no cost to recipients.
• Victoria Hand Project: Victoria Hand Project is a nonprofit that partners with healthcare workers and local technicians in low-resource settings to 3D-print prosthetic hands. Its model — pairing technical volunteers with end users to deliver custom devices — is structurally analogous to Project S.E.R.V.E.'s student-veteran matching model.

Others

• Team Rubicon: Team Rubicon is a veteran-led nonprofit that mobilizes veterans to respond to disasters and humanitarian crises. While not a direct assistive-tech peer, it serves a comparable veteran population and is a current Project S.E.R.V.E. resource partner, illustrating overlap in the veteran-services ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qlplus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Quality of Life Plus Program