Purple Heart Project Canada

What Purple Heart Project Canada does

Purple Heart Project (PHP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2016 by master woodworker Rob Cosman, Jake Cosman, and retired U.S. Army Colonel Luther Shealy to provide therapeutic relief to combat-wounded veterans through traditional hand tool woodworking. The core product is a fully funded scholarship program that selects physically and mentally combat-wounded veterans — from any era or branch — to attend Rob Cosman's week-long Training the Hand Workshop in New Brunswick, Canada. Each scholarship covers round-trip travel, ground transportation, lodging, meals, a premium hand tool kit, and a delivered hand-tool workbench (built and delivered by the volunteer Bench Brigade network). The organization targets 42 veterans per year and operates as a Wall of Heroes alumni gallery, a community of combat-wounded veterans connected through newsletter updates and ongoing outreach.

The business model is donation-driven rather than commercial. PHP accepts individual donations (via Donorbox, PayPal, Venmo, ACH, stock, check), foundation grants (e.g., a $42,000 pledge from StellaNova Foundation), peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, eBay auctions of donated items, and (as of 2025) Combined Federal Campaign payroll deductions. The organization is a 501(c)(3) registered in Washington State (EIN 88-2217122) and operates a separate Canadian entity (PHP Canada) registered as a Canadian charity since October 2023. PHP is entirely volunteer-run — there are no paid staff — with a Board of Directors anchored by retired military leadership and a distributed network of functional volunteer managers (donations, scholarship applications, alumni relations, charity operations, CFC). Distribution-to-veterans is executed through an open application process, Blue Chip nominations from alumni/board members, and the PHP Ambassadors initiative that gives presentations at American Legion, VFW, and service clubs. Marketing channels include organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn), a quarterly newsletter, peer-to-peer fundraising pages, and community events such as the June 2024 inaugural dovetailing seminar with Rob Cosman and Marc Spagnuolo.

Name

Purple Heart Project Canada

Legal name

Purple Heart Project

Website

https://thepurpleheartproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Purple Heart Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2016 that provides fully funded hand tool woodworking therapy scholarships to combat-wounded veterans through Rob Cosman's Training the Hand Workshop in New Brunswick, Canada, with a target of 42 veterans annually and operations funded entirely by individual donations, grants, and peer-to-peer fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Veteran support services
• Therapeutic woodworking programs
• Combat veteran rehabilitation
• Nonprofit veteran services
• Scholarship charity programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Mckenna

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute via credit/debit card, PayPal, Venmo, bank wire, ACH, stock donation, or mail-in check. PHP (USA) donors receive IRS-recognized receipts; PHP (Canada) donors receive CRA-recognized receipts.
2. Foundation Grants: PHP receives grants from foundations such as the StellaNova Foundation ($42,000 pledge to fully fund six veterans). The organization is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit incorporated in Washington State with EIN 88-2217122.
3. In-Kind Donations: PHP receives in-kind donations of items to be auctioned on eBay, as well as stock donations and affiliate product sales through Thunder Werks custom 3D printed items.
4. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: Supporters run personal fundraising campaigns via Donorbox P2P portal, with donations flowing directly to PHP's collection system.
5. Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): PHP was approved for the U.S. federal government's 2025 CFC campaign, allowing federal employees to donate via payroll deduction.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Purple Heart Project Canada provides fully funded scholarships that send combat-wounded veterans to a week-long traditional hand tool woodworking workshop led by master woodworker Rob Cosman at the Training the Hand Workshop in New Brunswick, Canada. The scholarship package covers round-trip travel, lodging, meals, a premium hand tool kit sourced through Lie-Nielsen and SurfPrep partnerships, and a custom Cosman Workbench built and delivered after the workshop by the volunteer Bench Brigade network. The program is delivered at no cost to selected veterans and is funded entirely by individual donations, foundation grants, employer matching gifts, CFC workplace giving, and in-kind donations, with 100% of donations reaching program activities thanks to a fully volunteer staff.

Product overview

The Purple Heart Project (PHP) operates as a unified charitable program built around a core scholarship initiative for combat-wounded veterans. The organization centers on three interconnected offerings: the PHP Scholarship Program that selects and funds veterans to attend Rob Cosman's Training the Hand Workshop in Canada, the Bench Brigade that builds and delivers Cosman Workbenches to recipients, and a Peer-to-Peer Fundraising platform enabling supporter-driven donations. Additional components include premium hand tool kits provided during training and the Wall of Heroes gallery honoring program alumni. The organization accepts donations through multiple channels including Donorbox (with PHP USA and PHP Canada chapter options), StockDonator, and eBay auctions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PHP Scholarship Program The PHP Scholarship Program is the Purple Heart Project's flagship offering, providing fully funded scholarships that send combat-wounded (mentally or physically) veterans to attend a week-long traditional hand tool woodworking workshop at master woodworker Rob Cosman's Training the Hand Workshop in New Brunswick, Canada. The scholarship covers all round-trip travel, lodging, meals, a premium hand tool kit from Lie-Nielsen and SurfPrep partnerships, and a custom Cosman Workbench built and delivered by the Bench Brigade after the workshop. Applications are accepted from any era or military branch and run from August 1 through June 30 annually, with a four-member board committee reviewing each application.
• Training the Hand Workshop The Training the Hand Workshop is a week-long traditional hand tool woodworking course run by master woodworker Rob Cosman at his New Brunswick, Canada shop, hosted for PHP scholarship recipients at no cost. The curriculum teaches traditional hand tool joinery using premium hand tools (sourced via Lie-Nielsen and SurfPrep partnerships) and emphasizes craftsmanship, mindful focus, and craft as therapy for combat-wounded veterans. Each attendee also receives a custom Cosman Workbench delivered to their home afterward by the Bench Brigade.
• Bench Brigade The Bench Brigade is the Purple Heart Project's volunteer network (commanded by Board Member Jack Lane) that designs, builds, and ships a custom Cosman Workbench to the homes of PHP Scholarship Program alumni after they complete the Training the Hand Workshop. It extends the therapeutic impact of the workshop by giving recipients a meaningful hand tool workstation to use at home, reinforcing the lifelong craft and PHP alumni community engagement.
• Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Peer-to-Peer Fundraising is the PHP donation mechanism hosted on Donorbox that lets individual supporters and teams create personal fundraising pages to collect donations in support of combat-wounded veteran scholarships. It enables donors across the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia to run fundraisers, claim employer matching gifts via Double the Donation, and contribute through credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, or direct stock transfer via StockDonator.
• PHP eBay Charity Auction The PHP eBay Charity Auction is the Purple Heart Project's eBay storefront where donated items are auctioned and 100% of the proceeds support combat-wounded veteran scholarships. The auction channel provides PHP supporters with an alternative giving mechanism to credit card donations, P2P fundraisers, stock transfers, and CFC workplace giving.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced nightmares and increased relaxation reported by scholarship recipients practicing hand tool woodworking at home.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rob CosmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRob Cosman is a Canadian master woodworker who created the Training the Hand Workshop in 2000. He co-founded the PHP concept and continues to host PHP scholarship selectees at his New Brunswick Canada workshop. He and his family prepare meals for workshop attendees and assist in teaching.
• SurfPrep SandingminorOthersSponsor of the Purple Heart Project, listed among PHP's sponsors on the website homepage.
• Lie-Nielsen ToolworksminorOthersSponsor of the Purple Heart Project, listed among PHP's sponsors on the website homepage.
• Thunder WerksminorOthersAffiliates custom 3D printed items for PHP, selling through their site with proceeds benefiting PHP. Listed among PHP's sponsors.
• Marc Spagnuolo ('The Wood Whisperer')minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted PHP's inaugural fundraising event — a dovetailing seminar at his workshop in Wentzville, Missouri on June 29, 2024, featuring Rob Cosman. 72 attendees raised approximately $21,000.
• Tidewater Woodworkers GuildminorOthersVolunteer woodworker guild that has built and delivered multiple workbenches to PHP scholarship selectees as part of the Bench Brigade. Visible across 2023 and 2024 bench delivery photos.
• DonorboxcoreTechnology or IntegrationPHP's primary donation management and peer-to-peer fundraising platform. Handles all online donations, recurring donations, employer matching (Double the Donation), and P2P campaign pages.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Team Red White & Blue: Veteran community-building nonprofit focused on veteran well-being through physical and social engagement. Comparable to PHP's emphasis on the veteran community ecosystem (alumni network, peer support) as a therapeutic mechanism.
• The Mission Continues: Deploys veterans into community service leadership roles to address veteran reintegration challenges. Comparable to PHP's vocational/rehabilitative angle — both organizations address the post-combat identity and purpose gap in veterans.
• Travis Manion Foundation: Veteran character-development and community-service nonprofit. Comparable in mission framing around post-combat veteran purpose and community reintegration, and in reliance on volunteer leadership from the veteran community.

Direct peers

• Hope For The Warriors: Provides comprehensive support — including clinical rehabilitative services and grants — to combat-wounded veterans, their families, and caregivers. Closely aligns with PHP's focus on the therapeutic and recovery journey of physically and mentally wounded veterans.
• Student Veterans of America: Scholarship-focused veteran nonprofit supporting higher education access for veterans. Closely comparable to PHP in targeting scholarships as the primary intervention modality for combat-wounded and veteran populations.
• Pat Tillman Foundation: Provides scholarships and leadership development to military veterans and spouses — directly comparable to PHP's scholarship-based model and veteran-focused mission. Both organizations fund defined cohorts of veterans through structured programs.
• Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation: Scholarship-granting 501(c)(3) for military families and veterans. Comparable operating model — distributes scholarships from donated funds, accepts CFC, and targets defined veteran cohorts — providing a structural peer for fundraising and program administration.

Broad incumbents

• Wounded Warrior Project: The largest U.S. nonprofit serving post-9/11 wounded veterans. PHP serves a much narrower subset (hand-tool woodworking therapy) but the target population — physically and mentally combat-wounded veterans — is the same, making WWP a benchmark for program design and donor engagement in this space.
• Gary Sinise Foundation: Large veteran-services nonprofit (founded by actor/musician Gary Sinise) supporting wounded veterans through entertainment, family programs, and grants. Comparable celebrity-adjacent brand model and broad veteran-services portfolio, though at significantly larger scale.
• Fisher House Foundation: Established veteran-services nonprofit providing housing and support to military and veteran families. Comparable as a long-tenured, donation-funded 501(c)(3) serving the combat-wounded veteran population with structured programs and CFC participation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PHeartProject
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100084996126522
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purple-heart-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/thepurpleheartproject_official

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Purple Heart Project Canada