Navy SEAL Foundation
A Nation of Support for Our Most Elite Team.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, there has been an unprecedented demand for our Special Operations Forces. Never before has so much been asked of so few, from so many, for so long. Established in 2000 to serve U.S. Navy SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen, Naval Special Warfare support personnel and their families, the Navy SEAL Foundation's programs are focused on the preservation of the Naval Special Warfare force and their families. We provide a comprehensive set of programs specifically designed to improve health and welfare, build and enhance resiliency, empower and educate families and provide critical support during times of illness, injury, loss and transition.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Strength - Building Capabilities and Reducing Stressors
The members of the SEAL community and their families are incredibly strong. But even our most elite team benefits from a support structure that reduces the various stressors in their lives and builds their capabilities. Programs under our Strength Pillar provide assistance to active duty service members in the form of respite care, morale-building events, command all-calls, and much more.
NSF has also partnered with world-class institutes and other non-profits, as well as experts in networking, resume building, and mentorship opportunities to assist NSW members and their families when they transition out of the military. We additionally provide emergency funding for veterans in support of any financial hardship. The Navy SEAL Foundation is committed to keeping our warriors, families, and veterans strong.
Resilience - Addressing Tragedy and Aiding Recovery
The members of the SEAL community and their families are incredibly strong. But even our most elite team benefits from a support structure that reduces the various stressors in their lives, and builds their capabilities. Programs under our Strength Pillar provide assistance to active duty service members in the form of respite care, morale-building events, command all-calls, and much more.
NSF has also partnered with world-class institutes and other non-profits, as well as experts in networking, resume building, and mentorship opportunities to assist NSW members and their families when they transition out of the military. We additionally provide emergency funding for veterans in support of any financial hardship. The Navy SEAL Foundation is committed to keeping our warriors, families, and veterans strong.
Health - Enhancing Physical and Mental Wellness
Life in NSW can take its toll on our warriors and their families, both physically and mentally. When an active-duty SEAL or SWCC is injured or becomes critically ill, programs under our Health Pillar provide financial and logistical support so their focus can be on healing. We also provide assistance when family members become critically ill. In addition, many of our service members and veterans deal with the chronic effects of sustained combat.
NSF provides a specialized program aimed at addressing their unique physical and mental concerns while optimizing their quality of life. We also maintain connections to clinical psychologists skilled in addressing their specific mental health issues and access to cutting-edge treatment modalities. The Navy SEAL Foundation is committed to keeping our warriors, families, and veterans healthy.
Education - Providing Scholarships and Development Opportunities
Inside the Navy SEAL community, school and development opportunities can be a challenge. This is true for both warriors and families. Programs under our Education Pillar empower active-duty NSW personnel, their spouses and children, as well as our SEAL and SWCC post-9/11 veterans and their children, by awarding scholarships for higher education. We also support quality education options for dependent children in geographically separated duty locations where choices matter to the overall success of the student.
Additionally, NSF provides funding for standardized college entrance exams for qualified transitioning NSW service members. All this support augments funding accessible through Navy programs and provides additional financial resources not otherwise available. The Navy SEAL Foundation is committed to the education of our warriors, families, and veterans.
Community - Empowering Connections and Preserving Legacy
The SEAL community is built on a proud tradition that goes back to the UDTs of WWII. Our history and heritage are defined by extraordinary achievements and exceptional courage. The deeds of NSW warriors deserve to be remembered and recognized. And for the community itself, we must do all we can to keep them connected through our unique support.
Programs under our Community Pillar empower the continuation of this brotherhood and their families through things like summer camps, veteran events, and legacy preservation. We also provide financial support for national memorials and monuments and other tradition-enriching activities. NSF is committed to preserving the rich history and community of these extraordinary warriors, families, and veterans.
The warriors of the NSW community deserve to be remembered and recognized for their contributions in defense of America’s freedom. We are proud to take an active role in preserving the rich history of these extraordinary men.
Where we work
Awards
4-star rating 2011
Charity Navigator
4-star rating 2012
Charity Navigator
4-star rating 2013
Charity Navigator
4-star rating 2014
Charity Navigator
4-star rating 2015
Charity Navigator
4-star rating 2016
Charity Navigator
Perfect 100 Rating 2016
Charity Naviigator
Perfect 100 Rating 2017
Charity Navigator
Affiliations & memberships
Combined Federal Campaign
External reviews

Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Military personnel, Veterans, Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Education - Providing Scholarships and Development Opportunities
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
553 individual scholarships were awarded in 20202 (does not include grants for remote duty stations or homeschooling)
Average number of days taken to respond to customers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Caregivers, Families, Widows and widowers, Military personnel
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We are committed to being the 'go-to' organization for Naval Special Warfare and most responses occur in less than 24 hours.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Caregivers, Military personnel, Veterans, Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Education - Providing Scholarships and Development Opportunities
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The Navy SEAL Foundation has awarded grants to other certified nonprofit organizations which serve the NSW community with evidence-based non-duplicative programs.
Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Caregivers, Military personnel, Veterans, Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Education - Providing Scholarships and Development Opportunities
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Navy SEAL Foundation provides a comprehensive set of programs specifically designed to reduce the stressors associated with the tremendous amount of uncertainty and pressure that comes with life in NSW. Since the inception of the SEAL Teams in 1962, these warriors have answered this country's call to defeat the enemy wherever they might be. Today the SEALs are deployed in over 30 countries around the globe and can spend up to 270 days away from home each year in the most unforgiving environments. They train at an unrelenting pace to maintain their ability to execute our nation's most demanding military missions. Their commitment to our country and the mission is only possible because of the significant personal sacrifices made by their families. The Navy SEAL Foundation works to honor this commitment by this unique community by supporting them and their families via our five programmatic pillars of support: Strength, Resilience, Health, Education, and Community.
Additionally, NSF supports SEAL and SWCC veterans with programs including crisis support and conditions related to their time in service.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
At the Navy SEAL Foundation, we strive to make each year better than the last and meet new challenges head-on. In 2023, we will continue to analyze and refine our existing programs to provide the most efficient and impactful assistance and support for our warriors and their families.
Additionally, in 2023, NSF will open a second location of the Warrior Fitness Program on the West Coast for NSW members residing in that geographical region.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Since its inception, the Navy SEAL Foundation has invested more than $135 million in program support activities. We are proud to share that we rank among the top 1% of national benevolent organizations due to our sound fiscal management. Since 2009, the Foundation has sustained a four-out-of-four star rating from Charity Navigator, a leading watchdog organization accountable for rating nonprofit organizations. We have also earned a perfect score of 100 from Charity Navigator each year since 2014.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Foundation's program usage grows yearly, and we expand our programs as needed. In 2016, we began offering services to post-9/11 SEAL and SWCC veterans in tragedy assistance and transition. In 2020, we also opened our scholarships to SEAL and SWCC veterans and their dependents. We listen to the community we serve and will continue to evaluate and update our programs to best meet the needs of the Naval Special Warfare community. We also engage with key stakeholders to accomplish our goals, as evidenced by our Impact Forum and the community surveys we send out to community members.
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 collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, 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 demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), 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 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?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for 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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- 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.
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.
Navy SEAL Foundation
Board of directorsas of 06/07/2023
Robert Harward
U.S. Navy
Term: 2022 -
Robert Smith
Henry Cornell
Cornell Capital, LLC
Sean Freitag
The Blackstone Group
Sean Pybus
The Pybus Group
Matt Hickey
William Hodge
Raymond James
Gene Mak
Ravn
Joel S. Marcus
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
Michael C. Martin
Walleye Capital, LLC
Dino Mavrookas
8VC
Ted Muhlner
Redpoint Resolutions, LLC
Stephanie Osler
Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters
Tom Prescott
Align Technology, Inc.
William H. Strong
Anzu Partners, LLC
Timothy B. Phillips
American Cancer Society
Jack Daly
TRX
Jelani Hale
National Resilience, Inc.
Muneer Satter
Satter Investment Management, LLC
Eric Adamski
Christopher Cassidy
Anton LeRoy
BTIG
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 ? Yes -
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? Yes
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:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/27/2022GuideStar 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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- 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.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.