CATCH A LIFT FUND
Changing Bodies, Healing Minds, Saving Lives
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Catch A Lift Fund enables post 9/11 combat wounded veterans all over the U.S. to recover and rehabilitate both physically and mentally through physical fitness, motivation and support. The CAL Grant Program is for Veterans who served in the post 9/11 OEF/OIF wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, were wounded in combat, and are rated by the VA at 50% or above for combat injuries. At least one combat injury has to be rated at 30% or higher with the cumulative rating for combat injuries being 50% or greater. Common trends and major issues affecting our veterans currently within the population that Catch A Lift Fund addresses: mental and physical health, obesity, depression, lack of purpose, camaraderie, and suicide among others. During regular conversations with each veteran, mentors monitor less tangible but no less important improvements in feelings of well being and quality of life, personal relationships along with qualitative and quantitative outcomes.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Wellness & Grant Program
The CAL Wellness Program provides post-9/11 combat injured veterans with wellness programs complete with nutrition aid, coaching, mentorship, gym memberships, home equipment and certifications based on their needs, wants, injuries and goals. Veterans in CAL's program must have served overseas in OEF/OIF wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, injured in combat, and are rated by the VA at 50% or above for combat injuries. At least one combat injury has to be rated at 30% or higher with the cumulative rating for combat injuries being 50% or greater. Veterans nationwide are welcomed in the CAL community where they gain support from fellow brothers & sisters, coaches, and begin their fitness journey in the facility of their choice or within their own home with CAL provided home gym equipment. Their growth and success are tracked by required checkpoint reports and photos throughout their 12 month grant cycles.
Vet Outreach Program
Veteran members in the CAL program are routinely called and emailed by CAL staff and volunteers to check in, update contact info and get updates. Motivational text messages are sent on a continual basis with the ability for veterans to reply if desired. Often times milestones are discussed and acknowledged. If a veteran brings an obstacle to the surface, it is discussed, and solutions are found.
CAL Coaching + Certification Program
Qualified veteran candidates in the program have the opportunity to become certified in a wellness, fitness or nutrition field in which they are interested. Senior CAL veteran coaches who have completed this certification program oversee other potential coaches as well as run a group of veterans within the Wellness Program, using the discipline in which they are certified. CAL veterans who obtain a certification through the program are then tasked with returning 40 volunteer hours to their fellow brothers and sisters using their newly obtained certification.
Landing Zone & VetConnect Program
Veterans in the CAL program receive exclusive access through their personalized Dashboard to the Landing Zone and VetConnect platforms. The LZ is a robust guide to fitness, nutrition, and wellness complete with community highlights and coaching tabs. This allows you to start your fitness journey from day 1 without the need for a fitness membership or equipment as well as enhancing your journey after funding has been awarded. Updated frequently, information in the LZ includes recipes, meal planning tips, wellness-based challenges, body-weight workouts and access to our CAL community and more. VetConnect is a community based social platform where veterans can join groups, post photos, videos, updates and more to connect with their brothers & sisters on an exclusive veteran platform.
Women's Fitness Initiative
The CAL Women’s Fitness Initiative launched in January 2018 and is an opportunity for our female members to be further empowered through physical fitness. The WFI provides our combat-wounded women a safe platform to explore healing and growth through wellness and a healthier lifestyle among their fellow sisters. The WFI’s aim is to support each woman as she finds a passion for fitness and provide them with the tools needed to succeed.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
CrossFit Affliate 2021
External reviews

Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Veterans
Related Program
Women's Fitness Initiative
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Metrics are registered in our data base as veteran members are approved through criteria required to be in the CAL program.
Average grant amount
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Veterans
Related Program
Women's Fitness Initiative
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Each year as we add programs that each member benefits from, the programs become more encompassing with stronger outcomes.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Founded in memory of Army Cpl. Chris Coffland following his death in Afghanistan in 2009, the Catch A Lift Fund's mission is to provide combat wounded veterans with personalized fitness, nutrition, and wellness grants, enabling them to heal through physical fitness and mental wellbeing. Since its inception in 2010, the Catch A Lift Fund (CAL) – a national 501(c)(3) – has provided over 5,000 fitness grants to wounded veterans across the U.S. By focusing on fitness and wellness as a holistic recovery, CAL ensures a healthy future for our veterans. Our programs provide fitness memberships, adaptive home gym equipment, personalized exercise and nutrition plans, peer support networking, and Fitness Career Education. To date, thousands of CAL veterans have lost weight, reduced medications, increased their overall feelings of wellness, re-established relationships with family and friends, and re-integrated into their communities through fitness. A Catch A Lift Fund Grant can be used every day. It’s not a weekend trip or a one time adventure – it’s a lifestyle. Engaging in physical activity is a necessary habit that benefits each veteran’s current state of health and sets the groundwork for a productive and a healthy future. This single form of holistic wellness can be used everyday, which contributes to the veteran’s continued healing and growth.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
At intake, veteran baselines for health, mental wellness and goals are collected than recollected several times throughout the funding period. Exercise accountability is tracked through several methods. The MAPS Program (Motivation, Accountability, and Peer Support) is an invaluable tracking program which supports our veterans to ensure success for each CAL member.Veterans mentor other new members. Once a veteran receives his or her grant, they are provided access to our Squad Leader program where they are led by a civilian or military volunteer who helps keep them accountable and motivated throughout the year. For veterans with a high level of motivation, we offer a Self-Assess program in which veterans track their own goals and outcomes through proprietary surveys. CAL veteran coaches, if needed, help members obtain the correct and safe workouts, nutrition and coaching for their specific needs or injuries.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
CAL has developed a unique data base and custom application. This collects a large variety of information used throughout each members funding periods. Information can be updated, outcomes collected and data queried. Each members files are unique only to them and reflects all each individuals personal information, service history, injury reports, grants and outcomes. Our team consists of dedicated professionals that maintain data in a concise and confidential manner.
CAL proprietary surveys have been developed with wellness and mental health professionals, are detailed and insightful for collecting a wealth of invaluable knowledge from our members. Weight loss, reduction in pharmaceutical medicines, improved family interaction, new sense of purpose, career opportunities, and most importantly, cited from our members "saving lives" are all outcomes that have been proven through Catch a Lifts' past 6 years.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Catch A Lift has successfully accomplished impacting the lives of thousands of veterans. The impact has changed, if not, saved lives. Are program has brought hope to the future of our young veterans lives. Fighting a constant battle from the invisible scars of war can overcome a veterans life as well as reoccurring injuries. Engaging a veteran both physically and mentally has changed that battle. We look to the future with promise by offering healthy solutions to this strong and fearless generation of veterans.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Catch A Lift serves OEF/OIF combat injured veterans who have been deployed overseas and have a disability rating over 50% with at least 30% rating in one area.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
SMS text surveys, Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Community meetings/Town halls,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Our Wellness Program began as a 12-week program. Veterans entered the program, matched with a coach and had weekly check ins with their coach as well as surveys to complete on time for the duration of the 12 weeks. Upon return of close out surveys, coach to veteran meetings, and raw data of weekly survey completion, we recognized that 12 weeks was proving to be a difficult length of time to keep our veterans engaged and growing. With that new knowledge, we restructured the Wellness Program to 8 weeks instead of 12 based on the drop off percentages we saw in the previous groups. The alteration to the length of the program will incentivize veterans to keep pushing through and complete the 8-week course.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
By mindfully collecting and noting feedback from our veteran members we have been able to strengthen our relationship with our members. The program is for our veterans and all changes, adaptations and additions made within the program are in their best interest. We still hold power in knowing our resources and challenge our thought processes and problem-solving skills to effectively utilize our resources at hand to best tend to the suggestions and feedback from our veterans
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CATCH A LIFT FUND
Board of directorsas of 02/11/2022
Lynn Coffland
Catch A Lift Fund
Term: 2010 -
Willie Franklin
Franklin Investments Group
Term: 2010 -
Adam Vengrow
Stifel Bank
Bob Berlin
Lenape Capital LLC
Pat Collier
Clearbridge Investments
Tony Ferraro
ECBS
Sharon Kroupa
Venable, LLP
Michael Micciche
Wells Fargo Securities
Tom Galloway
Legg Mason
Todd Wickwire
WMS Partners, LLC
Andy Berman
Mental Grit Fitness
Sarah Rudder USMC
CAL Veteran
Melissa Leuck US Army
CAL Veteran
Carnell Martin USMC
CAL Veteran
Brooke Berlin
Apax Partners
Brody Howatt US Army
Bellator Funds
Gen. Charles Whittington
Pactiv Evergreen
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/25/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.