Proof of Life connects survivors of violence with a vetted network of board-certified specialists delivering restorative care at direct cost. No service fees. No margin between a survivor and their surgeon.
Violence leaves reminders the world can see. Scars. Disfigurement. Dental damage. Burns, tears, markings the skin and bone did not ask for.
Medical insurance calls these reminders "elective" and "cosmetic." We call them medicine that has not been prescribed yet.
The Proof of Life Foundation funds restorative medical care through a vetted network of board-certified specialists who accept grants at direct cost. Survivors apply confidentially. A medical advisory committee reviews each case against clinical criteria. Approved survivors choose their provider from the network. We pay the provider at cost. The survivor pays nothing.
We built this model because it is the only one that scales. A nonprofit that markets compassion while routing donor dollars through retail-priced vendors is just a worse insurance company. We built the opposite — a provider-aligned network where every dollar of donor capital purchases a dollar of care.
Built on three principles: clinical precision, survivor sovereignty, and a zero-markup provider network.
Our medical advisory committee reviews each application against clinical criteria developed by board-certified specialists. We do not approve general need. We fund defined, restorative interventions with measurable outcomes.
Applications are confidential. The committee reviews medical documentation and specialist referral — never emotional testimony. Once approved, the survivor chooses their provider from our network. They own the care pathway.
No service fees. No profit margins. A $12,500 reconstruction grant funds a $12,500 procedure — not an $8,500 procedure with $4,000 of administrative friction in between. The margin providers decline is the margin that scales our care.
Our network is composed of board-certified specialists across reconstructive dermatology, plastic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, restorative dentistry, and trauma-adjacent specialties.
Each provider has agreed to deliver care to grant recipients at their direct operational cost — no service fees, no profit markup. Network providers are nominated by peer referral, reviewed by the medical advisory committee, and re-certified annually.
They are donors in a form most foundations never account for: the margin they decline is the margin that scales our care.
When we say a donation funds care, we mean the procedure. Not the administrative distance to it.
See Our Network CriteriaWe do not tell survivor stories without consent, and we do not reduce people to their worst day. What we can show you is what becomes possible when resources arrive at the right time — and when donor dollars fund the procedure rather than the administrative distance to it.
"A survivor of domestic assault carried a visible facial scar from a cutting injury. Our network included a board-certified dermatologic surgeon specializing in scar revision. Three sessions of fractional laser therapy and a surgical revision, at provider direct cost."
"A survivor of sexual assault required reconstructive procedures insurance classified as elective. Our network connected her with a peer-reviewed plastic surgeon. The grant funded the procedure and post-operative care at provider direct cost."
"A survivor of intimate partner violence suffered dental damage that went unaddressed for four years. Our network included a restorative dentist and oral surgeon. Six teeth reconstructed and a surgical implant, at provider direct cost."
These are not exceptional cases. They are the ordinary, urgent needs that fall through every insurance crack — and your contribution closes those gaps without the markup.
If you are considering funding this mission, you deserve to know exactly how your money works.
Proof of Life operates a zero-markup provider network. Grants are paid to network providers at their direct cost — the literal cost of delivering care, without service fees or profit margin. A $10,000 grant funds $10,000 of care. Not $7,200 of care with $2,800 of administrative distance.
This model exists because our network providers — all board-certified specialists — opted to waive their markup. They are donors in a form most foundations never account for, and their declined revenue is what scales our impact.
We publish our network criteria, our committee review process, our audited financials, and our grant-dollar-per-care-hour metrics. For institutional donors, we offer direct briefings on network economics and matched case data.
If you or someone you know has been affected by violence and needs restorative medical care — scar revision, reconstructive surgery, dental restoration, or adjacent care — we want to hear from you.
Our network providers waive their markup so your donation purchases care, not overhead. Every dollar is accounted for in provider direct-cost terms.