INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS FOUNDATION
Helping those who help others
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The International Association of Fire Fighters Foundation has been established for the purpose of providing charitable support to the victims of fire and other disasters and tragedies in the U.S. and Canada, as well as to educate fire fighters and interested members of the general public about how to avoid, and cope with, such disasters.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Burn Operations
Established in 1982, the IAFF Burn Fund upholds the long-standing tradition of supporting members, their families, and their communities affected by burn trauma. From tragedy to recovery, we dedicate resources to help organize, facilitate, and support IAFF members' efforts and participation in burn prevention, awareness, fire safety, research and survivor support activities while improving the quality of life for burn survivors across North America.
Disaster Relief
Founded in 1994 after the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Andrew, the Disaster Relief Fund provides financial and other assistance to fire fighters and paramedics in the United States and Canada who suffer a loss of their residence as a result of natural or man-made disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes or fires.
Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial
Provides support to the families of fire fighters and emergency medical personnel killed in the line of duty. These fallen brothers and sisters are never forgotten as their names are added to the FFFM in Colorado Springs, CO each September.
W.H. "Howie" McClennan Scholarship
Provides funding for post secondary education for the children of our fire fighters and emergency medical personnel killed in the line of duty.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
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 IAFF Foundation's mission is to support members and their families in their time of need, promote fire and burn prevention, advocate for fire fighter health and safety and provide public education on how to prevent and recover from traumatic events. The IAFF Foundation is made up of separate funds under one unified foundation.\r\n\r\nBurn Fund - to broaden the funding of burn research in order to significantly improve the treatment of burn injuries, developing new pain management techniques, and improving the quality of life for burn survivors so they can return to a normal existence. Also, this program services the International Children's Burn Camp, an outreach program designed to assist children to overcome physical and psychological afflictions caused from burn injuries.\r\n\r\nDisaster Relief fund - the Foundation provides assistance to firefighters and paramedics who are displaced from their homes as the result of any disaster - including manmade disasters, floods, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, and other events. The Foundation has assisted with both large and small-scale disasters, including the numerous events in 2017.\r\n\r\nFallen Fire Fighter Memorial Fund - The Foundation supports the IAFF Fallen fire fighter memorial which serves as a tribute to fallen members killed in the line of duty. An annual ceremony is held to uplift families, friends, and loved ones of those fallen to celebrate the lives, heroism, and accomplishments of these individuals. Also, the Foundation helps maintain the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial statue and wall of honor and the land surrounding it in accordance with its mission.\r\n\r\nW.H. “Howie" McClennan Scholarship Fund- the Scholarship Fund has provided funding for post-secondary education for the children of our fallen fire fighters and emergency medical personnel for almost 30 years. Since its inception in 1984, more than $1.5 million in scholarships has been awarded. We currently are able to provide approximately 60 students per year a scholarship.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
In pursuit of those charitable purposes, the IAFF Foundation plans to:\r\n\r\nProvide financial support and assistance to the surviving spouses and children of fire fighters killed in the line of duty.\r\n\r\nProvide scholarships and financial assistance for the education of the children of fire fighters killed in the line of duty.\r\n\r\nConduct memorial and honorary activities to recognize deceased fire fighters, including the operation of the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial and Wall of Honor in Colorado Springs, CO. That Memorial recognizes and honors the ultimate sacrifice made by the fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who gave their lives in the line of duty, in protection of the general public.\r\n\r\nProvide financial assistance and support to fire fighters and their families in the U.S. and Canada who suffer financial hardships as a result of natural or man-made disasters (such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fire or civil disturbances), or in cases of federally declared disasters for other causes.\r\n\r\nAssist firefighters and their families who suffer catastrophic loss to their homes and possessions, including total displacement from members' homes and the resulting financial hardship, by supplying incident command staffing, and providing food, water, shelter, clothing, medicine, medical supplies/services, behavioral health and counseling, building materials, crews for house repairs, transportation, evacuation, and housing support.\r\n\r\nSponsor and operate the International Children's Burn Camp for children who are survivors of fire and other disasters.\r\n\r\nOffering educational workshops and educational materials about burn prevention, scald prevention, and the prevention and care of other fire-related injuries for burn camp directors, counselors, fire fighters, and the general public.\r\n\r\nPursuit of the Scald Project to educate fire fighters and the general public on scald prevention and care.\r\n\r\nDevelop and support additional charitable activities to help prevent, treat, and care for injuries suffered by children and adults related to fires and other catastrophes.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Burn Fund\r\n\r\nThe Foundation will continue to operate the International Burn C to support our members, their families and their communities affected by burn trauma; and to prevent burn injuries with public awareness campaigns and burn prevention materials.\r\n\r\n• International Burn Camp - Held annually in Washington, DC, the camp is a life-changing opportunity for burn survivors ages 13-15 and the fire fighters/camp counselors who work to make a difference in the lives of these young people. The all-expenses paid, week-long camp helps burn survivors understand that they are not alone and that there is a larger support system for them. \r\n\r\n• Assistance to Fire Fighters & Families - When an IAFF member or their immediate family suffers a burn injury, the Burn Fund provides financial assistance for temporary emergency expenses. Burn-injured fire fighters and their families can also receive one-on-one support from a burn survivor peer support network. \r\n\r\nDisaster Relief Fund\r\n\r\nThe Foundation will provide direct disaster relief and support to fire fighters and their families in the U.S. and Canada who suffer financial hardships, including total displacement from members' homes, as a result of natural or man-made disasters (such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fire, etc.).\r\n\r\nThe Foundation's responsibility will continue to be to raise funding to enable direct financial assistance, food, water, shelter, clothing, medicine, medical and other emergency supplies/services, behavioral health and counseling, building materials, transportation, evacuation and housing support to members affected by disasters.\r\n\r\nMcClennan Scholarship Fund\r\n\r\nThe Foundation will continue to fund scholarships and financial assistance for the post-secondary education of the children of fire fighters who make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The 22nd Annual IAFF International Burn Camp was held from September 23-30, 2017. There were 82 campers and counselors that attended from across the US and Canada.\r\n\r\n2017 was an unprecedented year for the Disaster Relief Fund. IAFF members all over the U.S. were affected by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, as well as the numerous wildfires in Northern and Southern California and the mass shooting on the Las Vegas strip in Clark County, NV. \r\n\r\nAid included operations centers that provided food, water, clothing, fuel, generators, tarps, chainsaws etc. There were 649 disaster relief applications, 345 emergency home repairs, 4,775 members visited by peer support teams. Also, $380,000 worth of Hepatitis A and Tetanus vaccines were purchased for our members who were exposed to toxic waters from the storms. After the mass shooting in Nevada, there were 16 peer support teams who provided peer counseling for the more than 200 IAFF members affected.\r\n\r\nThe IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial service held on September 16th, 2017 honored 190 fallen members, and was attended by over 2,500 people.\r\n\r\nFor the 2017-2018 school year, 64 recipients received awards from the McClennan Scholarship Fund. There were 33 new applicants and 31 renewals. The total awarded was $160,000.
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
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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, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome
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
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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.
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS FOUNDATION
Board of directorsas of 03/22/2023
Edward Kelly
International Association of Fire Fighters Foundation
Term: 2021 -
Frank Lima
IAFF
Term: 2021 -
James Slevin
Dave Porter
Steve Derks
Nish Vartanian
Michael Frainier
Mike Carter
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: 03/22/2023GuideStar 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.