Celebrate Freedom Foundation
Veterans Inspiring the Next Generation
Mission
In 1999, Celebrate Freedom Foundation (CFF) was created by a group of retired military leaders. CFF was created to further education efforts as well as to honor past aviation pioneers and inspire future space and aviation pioneers. CFF has always focused on education, with a STEM Education Outreach Program primarily directed to K-12 students. Reaching students in their early years is critical to inspire them to become anything they want to be. It is our job to put all of the potential opportunities in front of them. Now, twenty five years later CFF continues to work with STEM education, and there is more opportunity to help now than ever before. There is a growing need for a STEM literate workforce (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics), and CFF is taking the lead in this area.
Ruling year
2000
President
Jack Lovelady
Business Manager
Melissa Robbins
Main address
2533 B Aviation Way
West Columbia, SC 29170 USA
EIN
57-1086445
NTEE code
(Commemorative Events) (A84)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
STEM Education Outreach Program
Schools dont always have to plan field trips. In fact, 574 Title 1 schools in South Carolina are eligible to receive federally-funded educational visits! Thanks to Title 1 federal funding, Celebrate Freedom Foundations STEM Education Outreach Program has already visited schools in many counties across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. CFFs STEM Education Program emphasizes the importance of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in middle schools and high schools. And nothing generates interest in STEM subjects like a CFF STEM Education Program visit.
The programs mission is to help build a workforce that can compete globally for jobs of the future, and to ensure Americas technological advantage in a global environment. STEM subjects provide skills and competencies greatly needed here in South Carolina, across the nation and globally.
OPERATION FALL-IN (VETERANS)
Operation Fall-In Veteran Care and Suicide Prevention is a Celebrate Freedom Foundation non-clinical innovative program that addresses the major national and South Carolina tragedy of veteran suicides.
According to the 2020 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report, published by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 27.8% of all suicides in South Carolina are committed by veterans. It has been proven that social interaction with other veterans in similar situations, such as from PTSD and TBI, and facing many of the same challenges is important to recovery.
The Foundation provides this important support base and a renewed purpose in life for the veterans. We have veterans from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and South Carolina Air/Army National Guard.
The sense of belonging, comradery, sights, and smells and giving back to the community are what helps to drive our veterans. Our program provides community connections, and helps connect employers to veterans.
JROTC Award for Excellence in Academics
On September 1st, the Celebrate Freedom Foundation (CFF) has officially announced its national 2023-2024 JROTC Award for Excellence in Academics Program. The awards program recognizes ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students (including home-schooled students) enrolled in U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard JROTC programs across the United States and overseas. More than 300 cadets, nominated last year, received awards. The mission of the CFF, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is to educate children, promote lasting patriotism and honor the military past, present and future. To fulfill this the Foundation needs support. CFFs national JROTC Award for Excellence in Academics Program recognizes cadets each school year for excellence in academics, and requires a modest nomination fee to administer the Foundations awards program and to fulfill its mission. JROTC program instructors may nominate more than one cadet for the JROTC Award for Excellence in Academics.
Where we work
Awards
Angel Award 2002
South Carolina Secretary of State
Affiliations & memberships
Doolittle Raiders 2002
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Celebrate Freedom Foundation
Board of directorsas of 04/09/2024
Paul Wertz
Celebrate Freedom Foundation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/26/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
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