Stop Soldier Suicide

What Stop Soldier Suicide does

Stop Soldier Suicide is a Raleigh, North Carolina, nonprofit founded in 2010 by three U.S. Army veterans, Brian Kinsella, Nick Black and Craig Gridelli, to reduce suicide among U.S. service members and veterans. It describes itself as the only national nonprofit focused solely on that issue, and it has set a goal of cutting the military suicide rate by 40% by 2030.

Its core program, the ROGER Wellness Service, is free and fully virtual. Each client is paired with a wellness coordinator and checks in by phone, text or video, while licensed clinicians provide trauma-informed care, safety planning and ongoing risk assessments, usually over 12 to 14 sessions. Veterans and service members of any age or length of service are welcome, however they were discharged. The group also runs the Black Box Project, which uses data science to study what leads up to suicidal behavior, and a veteran firearm-safety program. In its 2024 evaluation it reported serving more than 1,400 people. Among clients who stayed in care for over 30 days, 46% said ROGER helped prevent a suicide attempt.

The evaluators disagree. Charity Navigator gives it three of four stars. CharityWatch graded it a C for the year ending March 2025, citing 62% of spending on programs, a $42 cost to raise $100, and a payment to a board member's marketing firm that did not appear on the related-party schedule of its IRS filing.

Key facts

• Served 1,400+ veterans and service members and provided 15,000+ clinical hours, per its 2024 program evaluation
• 46% of clients engaged in care for more than 30 days said ROGER helped prevent a suicide attempt; 73% of clients saw reduced suicidal thinking (2024 evaluation, self-reported)
• Won the 2023 Mission Daybreak award ($3 million), per its Candid profile
• Spent $13.6M against $10.0M revenue in the fiscal year ended March 2025 (IRS Form 990 via ProPublica)

Before you give

• Accepts donor-advised fund grants, stock, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, cryptocurrency, employer matching and planned gifts (donate page).
• The org says Facebook donations carry no processing fees, while online gifts through its payment vendor incur a small transaction fee; checks go to a Dallas P.O. box listed on the donate page.