Veterans' Education Success

What Veterans' Education Success does

Veterans' Education Success (VES) is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 2013 that provides free counseling, legal assistance, policy research, and legislative advocacy on behalf of military-connected students pursuing higher education. The organization serves three principal beneficiary segments: veterans and service members using GI Bill benefits, military family members, and whistleblowers reporting fraud at institutions receiving GI Bill funds. All services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries and are funded through donations and grants.

VES operates across six interconnected service areas: Help for Students (school selection, scholarship guidance, school closure assistance, student loan help), Research & Reports (policy analysis on veteran education outcomes and for-profit college practices), Policy Advocacy (work with Congress, VA, Department of Education, DoD, and state governments), Civic Engagement (veteran community programs), Legal Advocacy (support for defrauded veterans, including borrower defense claims and GI Bill benefit restoration), and Whistleblower Assistance. The organization does not sell technology products; its 'platform' is institutional access, coalition coordination, and policy expertise.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded. The organization has earned Charity Navigator four-star and GuideStar Platinum transparency ratings. It maintains a small staff (1-10 employees) including a president, multiple vice presidents covering legal affairs, military policy, and higher education policy, and directors overseeing research and legal operations. VES is governed by an independent Board of Directors, holds no parent company, and has no institutional ownership. The organization derives strategic leverage from a 19-organization coalition spanning labor, civil rights, consumer protection, and student debt constituencies, and has contributed to federal legislative outcomes including the closure of the 90/10 loophole and enactment of the Forever GI Bill.

Name

Veterans' Education Success

Legal name

Veterans Education Success

Website

https://vetsedsuccess.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Veterans' Education Success is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that provides free counseling, legal advocacy, policy research, and legislative work to protect military-connected students, particularly veterans using GI Bill benefits, from predatory for-profit colleges and education benefit fraud.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Education Advocacy Services

NAICS

Administration of Veterans' Affairs (92314), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterans Affairs & Military Family Services (BPAIAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterans, Military & Employer/Third-Party Billing Benefits (EDALAJAJ), Veterans & Military-to-Civilian Transition Programs (EDAAAOAH), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Veteran education advocacy
• GI Bill assistance
• Military family support
• Higher education policy research
• Student loan counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Veterans Education Success is a nonprofit organization that receives funding through donations from supporters. The organization accepts checks mailed to their Washington DC office and operates as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with GuideStar and Charity Navigator recognition.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Veterans' Education Success provides free assistance to veterans, service members, and military-connected students facing problems with schools, predatory recruiting, GI Bill denials, and student loan debt. The organization pairs this casework with policy research, congressional testimony, and legal advocacy before federal agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and state attorneys general.

Product overview

Veterans Education Success is a nonprofit advocacy organization (not a commercial product company) offering a suite of services to protect and advance higher education success for veterans, service members, and military families. The organization operates through six interconnected service areas: Help for Students (direct guidance and support), Research & Reports (policy analysis and data), Policy Advocacy (legislative work), Civic Engagement (veteran community building), Legal Advocacy (fraud victim assistance), and Whistleblower Assistance (fraud reporting). These services are free to veterans and work together to protect the integrity of the GI Bill and other federal education benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Assistance Program
• Research and Reports
• Policy Advocacy
• Legal Advocacy and Complaints
• Civic Engagement Program
• Whistleblower Assistance

Quantifiable outcome

• 86 for-profit colleges received over $1.15 billion in GI Bill funds while under investigation - documented in 2020 report
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AFT: Education, Healthcare, Public ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Coalition partner in advocating for Department of Education accountability measures. Jointly signed letter to Secretary McMahon urging stronger regulations to protect students and taxpayers from low-quality programs.
• American Association of University Women (AAUW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Coalition partner in advocating for education accountability and student protections. Part of 19-organization coalition working on higher education policy.
• NAACPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Coalition partner advocating for student protections and accountability in higher education, particularly for students of color.
• National Association for College Admission CounselingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Coalition partner in education accountability efforts. Part of 19-organization coalition letter on Department of Education proposed rules.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Coalition partner in advocating for student and taxpayer protections in higher education regulations.
• Debt CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Coalition partner focused on student debt relief and borrower defense advocacy.
• EdTrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Coalition partner in education equity and accountability advocacy.
• Project on Predatory Student LendingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Coalition partner in advocating for student loan forgiveness and protection from predatory lending.
• Vietnam Veterans of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndorsing organization that recognizes VES as devoted to researching facts, sharing research with government agencies, and holding the federal government accountable.
• Association of the United States NavycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting organization that commends VES for being a strong advocate for veterans and proud to support their work.
• Policy VetscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPodcast partner where VES Vice Presidents join former VA Secretary David Shulkin to discuss GI Bill protection work.
• Student Veterans of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in advocating for student veteran protections and working with VA on expanded GI Bill benefits.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wounded Warrior Project: Large, well-funded veteran services nonprofit covering mental health, employment, and education benefits; overlaps with VES on the education-benefits and policy-advocacy axis but with a much broader program portfolio.
• American Legion: Long-established congressionally chartered veterans service organization that lobbies on GI Bill and education policy; comparable to VES in its federal-level veteran advocacy footprint.
• Disabled American Veterans: Major veterans service organization providing benefits assistance and policy advocacy; comparable to VES on the federal advocacy and benefits-restoration axis, though with a broader disability-focused mission.

Direct peers

• Student Veterans of America: National nonprofit representing student veterans on college campuses; VES lists SVA as a direct partner and they share the same beneficiary base (military-connected students using GI Bill benefits) and policy advocacy on campus-level veteran support.
• Vietnam Veterans of America: One of VES's named endorsing partners; VVA works on veterans' benefits and education issues with comparable congressional engagement, serving as a coalition counterweight on veteran-policy advocacy.
• Project on Predatory Student Lending: Legal clinic affiliated with Harvard Law School focused on predatory for-profit college cases; VES is a coalition partner and the two collaborate on borrower defense and for-profit accountability cases.
• National Veterans Legal Services Program: Nonprofit providing free legal services to veterans on benefits and discharge upgrades; directly comparable to VES's Legal Advocacy and Borrower Defense work, often appearing as co-counsel or referral partner.
• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: Large post-9/11 veteran advocacy organization with overlapping policy work on GI Bill, veteran education access, and benefits; both organizations lobby Congress and the VA on behalf of the same veteran cohort.

Emerging players

• Debt Collective: Member-led debtors' union focused on student debt cancellation and borrower defense; VES is a coalition partner and the two work together on student loan relief and predatory lending campaigns.
• EdTrust: Education equity advocacy nonprofit that is a named VES coalition partner; comparable on higher-education accountability rulemaking and equity-focused research, with overlapping congressional engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gibillrights
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQMbqIzeW2YrWEdDylm85RA
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/veterans-education-success

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Veterans' Education Success