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The National Military Family Association (NMFA), headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a private non-profit association on a mission to stand up for, support, and enhance the quality of life for every military family through bold advocacy, innovative programming, and dynamic and responsive solutions.
Founded in 1969 as the Military Wives Association by a group of military spouses who were seeking financial security for their friends who were widowed after their service member's death. From their efforts, the Survivor Benefit Plan came into being. Over the last 50 years, NMFA has been the voice of America's military families, championing for improvements to their quality of life and earned benefits. NMFA is the "go to" source for Administration officials, Members of Congress, and key decision makers when they want to understand the issues facing America's military families. The name of the organization was changed to the National Military Family Association in 1984 to reflect the broad scope of its involvement. NMFA is a non-profit 501(c)(3).
NMFA has members from all ranks of the seven uniformed services worldwide, along with their family members, civilian supporters, and more. Its Board of Governors, which includes active duty service members, reserve component, retirees, and spouses, provides oversight of governance, finances, and strategic vision of the Association. Governors receive no financial compensation, contributes financially, participates on standing committees, and connects the organization with individuals, charities, and companies that can help NMFA forward its mission, The Association's Volunteer Corps consists of hundreds of individuals who assist in NMFA's advocacy work and improve NMFA's programs. NMFA is also supported by distinguished Board of Advisors, and receives significant support at the top levels of the Services. The Association works on common concerns with The Military Coalition, an umbrella organization of 36 military-related associations, and regularly testifies before House and Senate Armed Service Committees to provide a boots-on-the-ground perspective and recommendations to our nation's lawmakers on Capitol Hill. NMFA works closely with the Department of Defense and companies contracted to provide services, such as healthcare, to military families.
NMFA provides military spouse scholarships, camps for military kids, retreats for families reconnecting after deployment and for the families of the wounded, ill, or injured. NMFA aims to strengthen the families of the currently serving, veterans, retired, wounded or fallen members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
Its Operation Purple Program is designed to address the physical and psychological wellbeing of children and families from all military statuses and branches, including wounded, ill, injured, and medically retired service members. The program brings together children and families dealing with injury, deployment, or other stressors of military life in outdoor environments that help foster communication and connection through the holistic healing properties only nature can provide.
At Operation Purple Camp, over 1,600 military kids per year will connect with peers who have dealt with many of the same things, like frequent moves, a deployed parent, and sometimes a parent’s injury. At camp, kids enjoy kayaking, zip lining, horseback riding, and service activities where they give back to the community.
Operation Purple Family Retreats help families reunite and reintegrate after deployments. Families can unplug and relax and also attend organized activities to help strengthen and renew their relationships. With an average of 300 family applicants each year, and the ability to serve only a quarter of these families, Family Retreats remain paramount to NMFA and to the nation’s military families.
NMFA's Operation Purple Healing Adventures are family retreats designed specifically to help families of wounded, ill, or injured service members. These long-weekend experiences help families adjust to their "new normal," and rediscover family-fun and togetherness. With an average of 150 applications and the ability to serve only a fourth of these families, Healing Adventures continue to be vital to our mission and the nation’s wounded, ill, or injured families.
The Military Spouse Scholarship Program gives funding to spouses of service members pursuing career and education goals. Because of common setbacks caused by frequent military moves and underemployment, these scholarships help spouses achieve their goals and provide their family with financial stability, especially helpful if a service member is injured.
NMFA's Child Care Fee Relief Program, which launched in 2020 in response to the long-standing issue military families face accessing quality child care, provides reimbursements to military families who use child care to attend school or work full time.
Members of the Association's Government Relations department study issues, testify before Congressional committees, work with Congressional staff, and represent NMFA on advisory groups for many Department of Defense agencies, to include the Defense Commissary Agency Patron Council and the TRICARE Beneficiary Panel.
Since its inception in 1969, the effectiveness of NMFA is reflected in accomplishments in most of the issue areas in which the Association works. These include medical and dental benefits, dependent education, retiree and survivor benefits, relocation, and spouse employment. NMFA staff speaks regularly to all types of groups, including family service organizations, commanders conferences, and officer and enlisted spouse clubs.
In 2004, it published an analysis of military family support, entitled Serving the Homefront: An Analysis of Military Family Support Since September 11, 2001.
In 2008, NMFA and the US Family Health Plan were awarded an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for a public service announcement series, "Now is Our Time to Serve."
Its website provides extensive information for military families and those who honor and support them. Its membership remains open to the public and operates solely on donations from individuals and sponsorships and partnerships from companies, businesses, and beyond. It does not accept funding from government or lobbying agencies.
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is the retailer in U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and its director/chief executive officer is Tom Shull. The largest of the Department of Defense's exchange services, it is No. 54 on the National Retail Federation's Top 100 Retailers list.
The under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, or USD (P&R) is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) within the United States Department of Defense responsible for advising the secretary and deputy secretary of defense on recruitment, career development, pay and benefits, and oversight of the state of military readiness. The under secretary is appointed from civilian life by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the President.
The Paralyzed Veterans of America is a veterans' service organization in the United States of America, founded in 1946. The organization holds 33 chapters and 70 National Service Offices in the United States and Puerto Rico. It is based in Washington, D.C. The organization was founded in 1946 by a band of service members who came home from World War II with spinal cord injuries. These service members wanted to live with independence and dignity and as contributors to society, so they created the organization to be governed by its members, veterans of the armed forces living with spinal cord injury or disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal charter by Congress in 1932. It currently has over 1 million members. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, it is outside the purview of – and therefore not rated by – Charity Navigator. DAV's Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 31–0263158.
The Military Officers Association of America is a professional association of United States military officers. It is a nonprofit organization that advocates for a strong national defense, but is politically nonpartisan. The association supports government policies that benefit military members and their families. Its membership is made up of active duty, retired, and former commissioned officers and warrant officers from the uniformed services of the United States.
The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is a private, non-profit organization that serves as the professional association of the United States Army. Founded in 1950, it has 121 chapters worldwide. Membership is open to everyone, not just Army personnel, nor is membership mandatory for soldiers. The organization publishes ARMY Magazine and the Green Book. The current president is retired Army General Robert Brooks Brown.
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) is an American tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1980 to provide college scholarships and educational counseling to the surviving children of American Special Operations personnel killed in the line of duty. These services are provided throughout the United States, or overseas, depending upon where the surviving children reside.
Fisher House Foundation is a charity and foundation that builds comfort homes where military & veterans families can stay free of charge, while a loved one is in the hospital. Fisher Houses are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and, in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee.
Operation Homefront is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, and Arlington, Virginia. Its stated mission is to "build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive in the communities they have worked so hard to protect." The current CEO and President is John I. Pray, Jr., Brig Gen, USAF (Ret).
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001. It operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
The Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) is a congressionally chartered (Title 36 USC Chapter 1405) United States war veterans organization. Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., it has a membership of approximately 45,300 veterans. It is unique in that its members are exclusively men and women who have received the Purple Heart award while serving as a member of the U.S. Military.
Music For a Cause is a record label, founded in 2003, and operating in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and Micanopy, FL. It is a subsidiary of Prime Ventures, Inc. Using the power of song, they help to raise awareness and funds for worthy charities. By combining philanthropy with entertainment, they provide a benefit to both those in need and those who contribute. Music for a Cause is an example of the new and successful trend called social entrepreneurship, in which for-profit companies partner with non-profits to harness the power of the marketplace to help accomplish charitable goals.
The Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR) is the official command charged by the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps to provide leadership and facilitate the integration of non-medical and medical care to combat and non-combat wounded, ill, and injured (WII) Marines, sailors attached to Marine units, and their family members in order to maximize their recovery as they return to duty or transition to civilian life.
FOCUS is a family-level resiliency training program designed to assist families experiencing high levels of stress and to prevent greater problems from occurring in the face of further stressors.
The American Military Partner Association (AMPA) was a non-profit organization for the partners, spouses, and families of America's LGBT service members and veterans.
Segs4Vets, a continuing program which began in 2005, is a grass-roots effort sustained and administered by volunteers in the United States that provide Segway PT vehicles to disabled United States military personnel. The program which made its first presentation in September 2005 to three recipients who had sustained injuries in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), was conceived and implemented with the assistance of Gen. Ralph "Ed" Eberhart, USAF (Ret), President of the Armed Forces Benefits Association.
Semper Fi Fund is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides a variety of programs to assist wounded veterans in all branches of the United States Armed Forces. The organization describes its mission as "providing urgently needed resources and support for post-9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families." As of November 2019, the Semper Fi Fund has issued 209,000 grants totaling $210 million in assistance to 24,000 service members and their families.
UMPS CARE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2006 by Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires to provide comfort, encouragement, and support to seriously ill children in hospitals and their families. Umpire crews visit hospitals and distribute gifts to children during the baseball season as well as the off-season, The charity's motto is "Helping People is an Easy Call". As of 2017, the umpires have visited 131 hospitals for UMPS CARE events. The effort originated with umpires Marvin Hudson and Mike DiMuro, who began the "Blue For Kids" hospital visitation program in 2004.
The Purple Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Annandale, Virginia. Its declared purpose is "to enhance the quality of life of Purple Heart recipients and other honorably discharged veterans and their families."