THE AMERICAN FALLEN SOLDIERS PROJECT INC
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
As an organization, we work to leave a legacy of comfort, peace and patriotism for the families who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, as well as helping to inspire all Americans to know and remember the price paid for their freedom. As a country, we still have troops deployed around the world, serving and sacrificing for our freedoms. Our mission is to serve the families of our fallen heroes with the presentation of an original portrait of their loved one so that they know that their loved one is remembered and continues to be honored.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Portraits of Fallen
We work to provide comfort and healing to the grieving families of America’s fallen military through the provision of an original portrait of their fallen loved one that fully captures their appearance and personality. Since our inception in 2007, we have honored hundreds of military service members and their families through the gift of an original portrait, as well as reminding countless thousands of Americans around the Nation of the price that has been paid for our freedom.
American Fallen Soldiers National Gallery
In June 2016 the American Fallen Soldiers National Gallery was opened, allowing for many new opportunities to serve Veterans and the public. The Gallery not only serves as the headquarters for the organization, but also is a public art gallery, providing a place of peace and solace for veterans, families, and anyone who wants to come view the portraits of America’s heroes, and learn of those who have served through art and displays.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
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What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The American Fallen Soldiers Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was formed to help provide comfort and healing to the grieving families of America’s fallen military through the provision of an original portrait of their fallen loved one that fully captures their appearance and personality. With the desire to make a profound and lasting impact through our service to Gold Star families, we work diligently to restore a sense of life and presence of the fallen hero on canvas in hopes to give their family a place where they can spend time with their loved one when they need them most. Our goal and the heart of The American Fallen Soldiers Project is to serve, comfort and encourage the Gold Star families unconditionally and impartially to the best of our ability. It is this commitment to excellence that defines our portraits, our staff and our organization.
Each original portrait is personally presented to the family by the artist during a special remembrance event designed to honor the fallen service member and their family, as well as remind those in attendance and the surrounding community of the sacrifice paid for our freedom.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We serve the Gold Star families through the gift of an original hand-painted portrait by artist Phil Taylor of their fallen loved one. Upon completion, each original portrait is personally presented to the family by the artist during a sponsored event designed to honor the fallen service member and their family, as well as remind those in attendance and the surrounding community of the sacrifice that was made for our freedom. Additionally, for other family members who did not receive the original painting, we offer framed canvas reproductions in the size of their choosing. The family also receives a supply of 5x7 and 8x10 photo prints to enable them to share their loved one’s portrait with other family and friends. The original portrait, canvas reproductions and photo prints are supplied to the recipients at no cost.
Through our twelve years of operation, we have provided over 250 families with original portraits of their loved ones through the support of individual and corporate sponsors, as well as through miscellaneous grants. With a waiting list of families who have requested their own portrait, we continue to focus on finding the right event and sponsor for each individual so that we can continue honoring those that have given their lives for our freedoms.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
With over a decade of service, we have a clear and definitive history of serving one Gold Star family after another. Through the commitment of our Artist, and our staff, we have a a wide range of program lengths and structures so that we can honor Gold Star families in as many types of events and venues as available to us. Additionally, our Executive Director has created an extremely effective process to make sure that each family is served in the way that they need, while we are able to appropriately gather materials and information to best present their loved one.
We continue to grow our network of supporters, including sponsors who allow us to annually partner for Portrait Presentations, military service members and organizations that help us during said presentations, and thousands of individual contributors and supporters who have come together with the desire to help us honor and remember the Fallen.
Overall, as an organization we are currently meeting financial needs to continue our mission, but have plans to continue growing and expanding so that we can further support families, provide portraits to more families from more artists and provide comfort and healing to every family in need.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In our eleven years of service to the Gold Star community, we have personally presented over 250 families with an original portrait of their fallen loved one, honoring their family and sharing their stories with countless Americans across the United States. In 2018 alone, we were able to honor 14 fallen heroes, and provided over 41 framed reproductions and 250 photo prints to other family, friends and comrades.
Additionally, in June 2016 the American Fallen Soldiers National Gallery opened in Addison, Texas as part of our desire to continue to share the stories of America’s military heroes, and allowing for many new opportunities to serve Gold Star families, veterans and the public. The Gallery, which also serves as the headquarters for the organization, is a public art gallery, providing a place of peace and solace for veterans, families, and anyone who wants to view the portraits of America’s heroes, while also learning about their life and service through art and displays. The Gallery offers a setting of healing and inspiration for returning veterans, educational institutions, business and civic groups, opening our doors to tours and special gatherings, as well as therapy opportunities such as veteran support groups, classes for art therapy, art appreciation, and others. In the last 3 years, we have seen thousands of people come through our doors allowing us to continue our mission, sharing the stories of America's heroes and giving much needed hope, comfort and peace to our visitors.
In August of 2014, the television series, Brush of Honor, premiered on the INSP Network, featuring artist Phil Taylor and narrated by Gary Sinise. This series documented the individual stories of 10 fallen service members and their families, and consisted of 10 nationally broadcasted episodes, reaching over 80 million households. These episodes continue to run on limited showings on the INSP Network and are now available on Amazon Prime for streaming.
The community that supports the American Fallen Soldiers Project, both financially and in sharing our mission, has grown exponentially and continues to provide us with the opportunity to share our mission. With 15,000+ active followers on Facebook we are able to share the stories of the fallen with a wider audience every day. In 2018, our social media information was viewed over 500,000 times by individuals.
As we continue to grow, our mission remains the same: to honor the Fallen and share their stories. The American Fallen Soldiers Project plans to grow our reach by increasing events at the National Gallery, adding additional artists to serve more families, and continuing to grow our community so that we can serve our families in the best way possible.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
THE AMERICAN FALLEN SOLDIERS PROJECT INC
Board of directorsas of 08/30/2021