Founded in 2000, the Navy SEAL Foundation has one mission: to provide “immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Navy Special Warfare community and its families.” It provides Navy SEALs and their families, Navy Special Warfare combatant craft crewmen, support personnel, and their families with wide-ranging programs that support every aspect of their own mission.
These programs strive to:
- Support better health and welfare
- Build and intensify resilience — the ability to bounce back from tragedy and trauma
- Empower families and other support systems
- Provide assistance during injury, illness, and loss
- Provide support during a veteran's transition to civilian life
A tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the foundation serves as an unofficial adjunct to the US military’s programs to maintain morale in both its Special Operations personnel and their families with added support. As such, it has become the rock which the Navy Special Forces and their families lean on during tough times.
Its work has earned the trust of Charity Navigator, a charity watchdog organization, earning a 100 out of 100 rating on its overall work, its financial dealings, and in accountability and transparency.
Not only does the The Navy SEAL Foundation help during challenging circumstances, it also celebrates the many triumphs these heroes accomplish, whether in uniform or in civilian life afterward. Retired SEALs that show themselves to be as innovative in the business world as they were on the battlefield often earn the Foundation’s recognition.
Who Does the Navy SEAL Foundation Serve?
That kind of support and recognition doesn’t only reach those who currently serve and retirees. It stands as a reminder to those young people who want a career in the SEALs that the organization will have their six for a lifetime.
The Navy SEAL Foundations valued support programs include:
Warrior and Family Support: With a wealth of programs for SEALs and their families, the foundation provides pre- and post-deployment celebration dinners, respite child care, summer camps for SEALs’ children, graduation and holiday celebrations, morale-building and resilience events, and many more. They also work with other organizations, including educational institutions, to provide programs to help SEALs successfully transition to civilian life.
Educational Support: The foundation awards scholarships to active-duty personnel and their families, as well as veterans so that they can pursue coursework in higher education. It also funds college or graduate school entrance exams for SEALs in transition to a civilian career. It also assists post-9/11 SWCC and SEAL veterans in their educational pursuits.
Tragedy Assistance and Survivor Support: The Navy SEAL Foundation provides a wealth of services and programs to those service members who have sustained serious injuries or illnesses, as well as support for service members who have lost a sibling or parent. Furthermore, the foundation provides critical financial assistance to the family when a SEAL loses their life. Its support continues through a variety of services to the fallen service member’s family, including grief support and counseling, rent and mortgage assistance, and much more.
Warrior Transition: The foundation’s transition program, the SEAL/SWCC Egress Training (SET) Pipeline Program, supports service members returning to civilian life through family support, career transition, and what it calls “human performance,” meaning health, fitness, and wellness initiatives.
Legacy Preservation: Maintaining the nation’s collective memory of what the SEAL and SWCC warriors have done for its freedom is a never-ending challenge. The Navy SEAL Foundation provides support for activities that mark the history of the SEALs and its heroes, as well as funding for monuments and memorials honoring what SEALs have done to maintain our freedom.
With all these sources of assistance for current service members and veterans, the Navy SEAL Foundation is a key component of the nation’s unflagging support for these heroes. Current and former SEALS — and their families — should keep in touch with this organization to take advantage of its many avenues of support.
