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About the Action Fund

Where Military Strength Meets Energy Advocacy

The Project Vanguard Action Fund is the advocacy arm of the Project Vanguard movement, a veteran-led 501(c)(4) that mobilizes those who have served to champion all-of-the-above American energy and the policies that strengthen our energy security and national security.

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Who We Are
Advocating for Veterans & American Energy

Project Vanguard was created in early 2024 to build a community of veterans across American energy. The Action Fund carries that community into the policy arena, giving veterans a credible, nonpartisan voice in the debates that shape the nation's energy future.

What began as veteran happy hours at industry conferences quickly grew into a national network spanning more than 40 major energy companies. As that network matured, so did its conviction: veterans should not only build careers in energy, they should help shape the policies that govern it. The Action Fund exists to turn that conviction into action.

Today, the Action Fund advances an all-of-the-above American energy agenda, from oil and gas to nuclear, solar, wind, and grid infrastructure, through legislative advocacy, grassroots mobilization, and coalition building. Workforce development and educational programming are carried out separately by the Project Vanguard Foundation, our 501(c)(3) partner.

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The Veteran Advantage
Why America's Energy Future Needs Veteran Voices

Veterans represent the largest recurring pipeline of disciplined, mission-ready talent in the country, and the energy and infrastructure industry is where they belong.

📈 The Talent Pipeline at Scale

Every year, approximately 200,000 service members, roughly 2% of the total military force, transition to civilian life. This isn't a one-time event; it's a recurring annual pipeline of trained, security-cleared, leadership-tested professionals entering the workforce.

Of those 200,000 transitioning veterans, approximately 90% are within their first six years of military service: young, adaptable professionals at the beginning of their careers. Of that group, roughly half will use their GI Bill benefits to pursue higher education, leaving an estimated 100,000 veterans each year who are immediately available for the workforce and ideally suited for skilled trade careers in energy and infrastructure.

These aren't entry-level candidates in the traditional sense. They've already led teams under pressure, maintained complex equipment in austere conditions, managed logistics across continents, and operated within strict safety and compliance frameworks. The energy industry's growing workforce demands, from field operations and construction to grid maintenance and project management, map directly to the skills these veterans already possess.

This talent pipeline is also the highest recurring source of quality leadership and soft skills needed to accelerate the industry. Military veterans bring mission planning, team cohesion, accountability, and the ability to execute under uncertainty, exactly the capabilities energy companies struggle to find and develop in traditional hiring channels.

🎤 Veterans as Trusted Messengers

Beyond the workforce, veterans bring something the energy industry desperately needs: credibility. In an era of polarized energy debates, veterans cut through the noise because they are trusted by communities across the political spectrum.

The values that define military service (honesty, integrity, service, and pragmatism) make veterans uniquely effective and trusted voices on the energy industry. When a veteran speaks at a community meeting, a classroom, or a public forum about what working in the energy industry is really like, people listen. They don't bring a political agenda; they bring firsthand experience and a commitment to telling the truth.

When that credibility is coupled with actual industry experience (working on project sites, managing construction teams, navigating permitting processes, and understanding energy economics), veterans become the most credible and trusted voices on energy careers and the industry's role in their communities. They speak from experience, not ideology.

The Action Fund equips these veteran advocates to carry that credibility into the policy arena, helping lawmakers and communities understand what sound, all-of-the-above energy policy means for American security and prosperity.

200K
Veterans transition annually
100K
Workforce-ready each year
90%
Within 6 years of service
10%
Of energy workforce are vets
Our Policy Pillars
The Policy Priorities of the Action Fund

Three interconnected priorities drive our advocacy, from the halls of state legislatures to grassroots organizing in communities across the country.

⚡

Veteran Workforce Expansion

Advocating for policies that open the energy workforce to veterans: apprenticeship and credentialing pathways, hiring incentives, and recognition of military experience across every energy vertical.

🇺🇸

All-of-the-Above Energy for American Dominance

We champion every form of American energy: oil, gas, nuclear, solar, wind, hydrogen, geothermal, and grid infrastructure. Energy dominance means leveraging every resource at our disposal, not picking winners.

🛡

Energy Security Is National Security

Veterans understand that a reliable, affordable, and domestically produced energy supply is a cornerstone of national defense. Protecting our grid and expanding capacity is a strategic imperative.

Our Founder
Kevin Doffing

Army veteran, energy industry executive, and founder of Project Vanguard.

Kevin Doffing, Army service and energy industry leadership

Kevin Doffing

Founder & CEO, Project Vanguard LinkedIn Profile

Kevin Doffing created Project Vanguard in early 2024 to create a community of veterans in clean energy. He is currently CEO of the organization, which connects veterans with clean energy careers and educates the public on the role veterans play in strengthening America's energy workforce.

Kevin is a former Army infantry officer who deployed to combat in Ramadi, Iraq, as an Infantry Platoon Leader with 2nd Infantry Division. His passion for clean energy began when he left the military and has only increased as an industry sales executive, public speaker, and writer on energy transition topics.

One of Kevin's first steps into the energy transition was launching the Renewable Energy Alliance – Houston. Drawing on his experience organizing veteran communities, he helped establish the city's first renewable energy trade group, fostering connections between professionals in a historically fossil-fuel-driven region and advocating for an all-of-the-above energy strategy.

He went on to become a fellow with the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center. Today, he leads the organization's Veterans Advanced Energy Program, a part of the Energy & Defense practice at the non-partisan think tank focused on the intersection of energy security and national security.

Kevin connected with Project Vanguard's founding members at industry conferences over veteran happy hours he organized. These small, informal gatherings quickly morphed into efforts to organize and connect veteran employee resource groups at major clean-energy companies, resulting in a network of more than 40 major companies.

Our Team
Board of Directors
NameRoleLinkedIn
Kevin DoffingKevin Doffing
 Board Chair Profile
🎖️
Josh Hotvet
 Board Secretary Profile
🎖️
Christina Tamayo
 Board Treasurer Profile
Who We Serve
Benefits for Members, Volunteers & Leaders
For Advocates

Your Voice Carries Weight. We Amplify It.

Joining the Action Fund gives veterans and supporters a direct on-ramp into energy advocacy. Whether you are a veteran, a service member, or a civilian who stands with them, you gain a credible, organized way to make your voice heard on the policies that shape America's energy future.

Advocates join a national network of veteran energy professionals spanning oil & gas, renewables, nuclear, utilities, grid infrastructure, and energy technology. This is not a job board. It is an organized movement of credible, mission-driven voices who can speak to energy policy from firsthand experience.

Through action alerts and briefings, advocates stay informed on the legislation and policy debates that matter most, with clear, nonpartisan guidance on when and how to make their voices count with the decision-makers who represent them.

The Action Fund regularly hosts advocacy trainings, town halls, and grassroots organizing events, both virtual and in-person through our state-level chapters. Advocates receive opportunities to engage directly with policymakers and to represent the veteran energy voice in public forums.

Beyond the policy work, joining means belonging to a community with a shared mission. The camaraderie, purpose, and drive that defined your military service carry forward into a new fight worth having.

50+
States Represented
40+
Partner Companies
3
Policy Pillars
Free
For All Veterans
Become an Advocate →
🎖️
Free to Join
For all veterans, service members, and supporters ready to advocate for American energy.
For Volunteers

Lead From the Front. Again.

The Action Fund's volunteer community leaders are the backbone of our grassroots network. These are veteran energy professionals who have built credibility in their fields and now lead advocacy in their home states, turning out fellow veterans to make the case for sound energy policy.

As a community leader, you represent the Action Fund in your state. That means organizing town halls and advocacy events, mobilizing veterans to engage with their representatives, building relationships with state energy associations and policy stakeholders, and carrying the veteran energy voice to legislative hearings and public forums.

Volunteers gain access to leadership development including media training, public speaking coaching, and advocacy skills that amplify their impact, positioning them as go-to voices on veteran energy and policy issues in their states.

Beyond the policy impact, volunteering with the Action Fund provides a renewed sense of purpose and mission that many veterans find missing in civilian life.

Whether you're an energy executive, a mid-career professional, or a recently transitioned veteran with a passion for helping others, there's a role for you.

Volunteer With Us →

Want to represent veterans in energy in your region? Our volunteers show up on the ground to support projects, connect with fellow veterans, and build the community locally.

Volunteer Here →
Ways to Engage
Find Your Place in the Movement

The Action Fund unites a diverse community behind a shared belief: veterans belong in the energy policy debate, and America's energy future is stronger for their voice.

📣

Grassroots Mobilization

Turn Out. Speak Up.

The heart of the Action Fund is a national network of veterans ready to act. When energy policy is on the line, we mobilize.

Through action alerts and organizing channels, advocates know exactly when and how to make their voices count with the decision-makers who represent them.

  • Action alerts on key legislation
  • Contact-your-representative campaigns
  • State and local organizing channels
  • Rapid-response mobilization
  • Veteran turnout for public comment
Join the Movement →
⚡

Advocacy Campaigns

All-of-the-Above, All In

We run coordinated campaigns built around three priorities: all-of-the-above American energy, the veteran workforce, and energy security as national security.

Advocates lend their voice and their credibility to campaigns that move policy and shift the public conversation.

  • Issue campaigns on energy policy
  • Op-eds and letters to the editor
  • Digital advocacy and storytelling
  • Earned-media opportunities
  • Veteran spokesperson development
Add Your Voice →
🎖️

Public Policy Education

Advocate From Knowledge

Effective advocacy starts with understanding the issues. The Action Fund provides clear, nonpartisan briefings on the legislation and policy debates shaping America's energy future.

Advocates stay informed so they can speak with authority on the policies that matter.

  • Nonpartisan policy briefings
  • Energy-issue explainers
  • Legislative tracking and updates
  • Advocacy skills trainings
  • Town halls and webinars
Get Briefed →
🏛️

Legislative Engagement

Where Decisions Get Made

We put the veteran energy voice directly in front of the policymakers who shape energy policy.

From statehouse to Capitol Hill, advocates represent those who have served at the tables where decisions are made.

  • Meetings with elected officials
  • Testimony at hearings and forums
  • Capitol and statehouse engagement
  • Veteran advocacy days
  • Relationship-building with policy staff
Take Action →
🤝

Coalition Building

Stronger Together

Veterans don't advocate alone. The Action Fund builds coalitions with veteran service organizations, trade associations, and allied groups who share our commitment to American energy.

Together, these partners broaden the movement's reach and amplify its impact.

  • Partnerships with VSOs and trade groups
  • Joint advocacy initiatives
  • Shared coalition campaigns
  • Cross-organization mobilization
  • Allied stakeholder engagement
Become a Partner →
🔗

State Chapters & Leadership

Lead the Charge at Home

Advocacy happens where people live. Our state chapters give veterans a platform to organize advocates, build relationships with state policymakers, and carry the message in their own communities.

Step up to lead, and help grow the movement in your state.

  • Build or lead a state chapter
  • Organize local advocates
  • Engage state energy policymakers
  • Host advocacy events
  • Represent the movement regionally
Step Up to Lead →
How It Works
The Most Trusted Voices on American Energy

Our advocacy works because of who carries the message. Veterans who live in energy communities and veterans who build the industry are the most credible messengers America has on the issues that matter most.

Community Members Who Served

Veterans who live in the communities where energy projects rise. They've served the nation and now see firsthand what energy development means for jobs, local economies, and resilience. Their voice carries weight with neighbors and local leaders.

Industry Professionals Who Served

Veterans working across oil & gas, nuclear, renewables, utilities, and grid infrastructure. They bring technical credibility and frontline experience that few others can match in the policy conversation.

The Message: All-of-the-Above Energy

These messengers make the case that real energy dominance takes every resource working together — oil, gas, nuclear, solar, wind, and the grid that connects them.

The Message: Veteran Workforce

They show that veterans are the disciplined, mission-ready workforce the energy industry needs, and that strengthening that pipeline strengthens the country.

The Message: Energy Security is National Security

Having defended the nation, they understand better than anyone that reliable, abundant, American energy is a matter of national security.

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Ready to Take Action?

Whether you're a veteran, a service member, or a supporter, your place in the movement for American energy starts here.

Join the Movement → Volunteer Signup →