Black Box Project

Black Box Project Saves Lives

If you’ve lost a service member or veteran loved one to suicide, you could help save a life.

Together, we’re unlocking the warning signs of military suicide.

Black Box Project families temporarily loan us their loved ones' digital devices, such as smartphones and tablets, for our team of forensic experts to examine the data. This insight is harnessed to gain better insight into crisis situations, which Stop Soldier Suicide then implements into suicide-specific care.

The Black Box Project Process

The first step is to submit your information through the form below. Our Black Box Project Manager will reach out to you to learn more about the legacy you carry. If your loved ones’ devices are less than 10 years old, those devices are ideal for our program.

Once you confirm you want to participate in the program, we’ll help you box up the device to get it to our secure lab. Our digital forensic managers will then extract the data. This process varies in length based on device age, security measures, and amount of devices. Our Project Manager will communicate with you along the way. Once we’ve extracted the data, it is then depersonalized before going into machine learning. Post-data extraction, we’ll package your loved ones' devices and return them safely back to you.

Stop Soldier Suicide ensures security at all levels of the process, from the sensitive information you share with our team all the way to the way the devices are treated and data is stored in our forensics lab.

Black Box Project Device Donation

Your Full Name
Name of Loved One
Devices I Could Donate Include:

Meet Kim Burditt, Loss Survivor

Hello, I’m Kim Burditt, Senior Manager for Donor Engagement with Black Box Project. I’ve been working in the field of suicide prevention since 2011, shortly after my brother Jon, a Marine veteran, died by suicide. Jon was my only sibling, and my family had no experience navigating what we found to be our “new normal,” the world of trauma, shock, and grief after suicide loss.

My family was introduced to suicide-specific grief care early on, and we profoundly benefitted from the healing power of connecting with others who had been through this same loss. The more I learned about suicide prevention, intervention and postvention, the more I knew I wanted to dedicate my life and career to this field, caring for all those impacted by suicide, and doing whatever I can to prevent even just one family from experiencing the pain of this loss as my family has.

Stop Soldier Suicide’s Black Box Project is a unique way to do both. I walk alongside our suicide loss survivors, helping them in this meaningful way to honor their loved one’s life in our shared mission to help save more lives.


Myths & Facts

Black Box Project deals with a sensitive topic that is deeply personal and always a painful part of someone’s life. While Black Box Project is innovative and inspiring for future change, it is a unique operation. Sharing your loved one’s digital devices is an enormous contribution, one we do not take for granted. It’s natural to have questions about the lending process.

Myth: These devices are one of the only things I have left. They’ll get harmed.

Fact: Devices are treated with care while in Stop Soldier Suicide’s possession. We know the value of the items you share with us. Our Forensic Team leverages tools from the top digital forensics companies to implement forensically sound practices and uphold industry standards. The data we extract from digital devices is done with safety and security top of mind. When your devices are in our care, we’ll be in communication every step of the way.

Myth: I need answers. Black Box Project will help me discover personal insights about my loved one.

Fact: The power of Black Box Project comes from a combined pool of data we receive from many Black Box Project families. While we do look for stressors, life events, trends, and triggers in digital data, this information is often deeply personal. That’s why it’s depersonalized before going into our data pool. The behavioral trends only emerge when we see trends and patterns. We do not share back with our suicide loss survivors things like suicide notes or other findings from devices.

That information is private, depersonalized as we do not “look through” any one device.

The data is utilized in machine learning which allows us to identify trends and behaviors beyond the scope of what a human can do.


Myth: I don’t know my loved one’s passcode for their device, so I can’t help.

Fact: Our best-in-class forensic analysts utilize professional tools (some of which only a few police departments across the country have access to) to access encrypted data. These tools allow us to bypass traditional security measures and harness digital data for good. You do not need to charge, unlock or extract any of the data. We’ll do the forensic analysis and return each item to you.

Determined to Make the Most of Her Husband’s Death

James was so many things to his family and his country that a distillation of his life into a list of mere accomplishments seems to fall flat. James was husband to Sarah and a doting father to his children, an avid runner, a gifted musician, an exceptional cook, a religious man. James SFC Smith was a decorated war veteran, an Army paratrooper, and a candidate for the Green Berets.

He was also a man who quietly suffered. James died by suicide in 2019.

The Smith family was one of the first to help us with Black Box Project, valiantly lending James’ devices to our cause.

Trusted Third-Party Suicide Loss Resources

We know losing a loved one to suicide is painful and complicated. The grieving process is complicated by an array of mixed feelings: trauma, stigma, blame, guilt, abandonment, anger, conflict, questions.Below, you'll find a list of trusted resources and partners who are well-equipped to help guide you on your grieving journey. Black Box Project is just one step of a journey toward healing after loss. Black Box Project is an opportunity for an actionable legacy, helping to prevent suicide in honor of your loved one.

Trusted Third-Party Resources:

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

Find More Resources

Mission Daybreak

In February 2023, Stop Soldier Suicide was named a first-place winner in the Mission Daybreak grand challenge by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

A $20 million challenge designed to develop and accelerate new Veteran suicide prevention solutions, Mission Daybreak received more than 1,300 submissions. SSS was named one of 10 winners overall for Black Box Project, and one of just two first-place winners from that group. As a first-place winner, Stop Soldier Suicide (SSS) earned a $3 million award.

About Mission Daybreak