USAA 529 Distinguished Valor Matching Grant Program

Program Overview

In honor and recognition of our fallen soldiers, wounded warriors, and active duty military personnel, the Nevada State Treasurer and the Nevada College Savings Board of Trustees, in partnership with Victory Capital, have established the USAA 529 Distinguished Valor Matching Grant Program to assist Nevada military families and their children attain their higher education goals.

The purpose of the USAA 529 Distinguished Valor Matching Grant Program is to support the education goals of our U.S. military and their families who have either lost a parent or had a parent injured in action. Additionally, through our recent program expansion, children of active duty U.S. military also qualify.

How does the matching grant work?

Account owners may submit a USAA 529 Distinguished Valor Matching Grant at any time. If the application is approved, the account owner is eligible to receive matching funds for contributions made to your USAA 529 Education Savings Plan in the same calendar year. The applicant may also receive contributions for the four following calendar years, up to a lifetime maximum of $1,500 over the five year period (A maximum of $300 per year). 

Some examples of the matching rate are shown in the following table:

Who's eligible?¹

There are two ways to qualify for the program

Category A

• You or the beneficiary must be a Nevada resident.
• The account owner must currently serve on active duty in the U.S. military, including the Active Reserves, Active Guard or Nevada National Guard.
• The account owner must have an adjusted gross income (AGI) for his or her household of less than $95,000.
• The designated beneficiary must be a child of the account owner and the child must not have attained the age of 13 by Dec. 31 of the year in which the application is submitted.
• You must be the account owner of a USAA 529 College Savings Plan account or open an account at the time the application is submitted.

Category B

• You or the beneficiary must be a Nevada resident.
• You must be the account owner of a USAA 529 College Savings Plan account.
• Those awarded a Purple Heart in either Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.
• The designated beneficiary must be a child or spouse of a Purple Heart Recipient.

How you apply

• Enrollment is accepted at any time (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31) each year.
• Download and complete a USAA 529 Distinguished Valor Matching Grant Program Application.
• Mail your application and required supporting documentation to the address listed on the application.
• You will be notified by mail of your application status.
• If approved, matching funds will be applied in January based on the previous year's contributions.

USAA 529 Distinguished Valor Matching Grant Program² funds are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.