The Navy SEAL Foundation emulates the community it serves: it’s quiet, stealthy, and nimble, able to quickly react to the needs of the NSW force and their families, whenever and wherever the needs arise. “Because we’re a small organization, we can act without having to go through many layers of decision makers,” says Robin King, the foundation’s CEO. “When a member of the NSW community needs something, we figure out what the solution requires. Then we ask if it falls within our mission and if we have the expertise to carry it out. If the answers are yes, we do it.”
The organization offers a range of services, including tuition assistance and scholarships for service members and their dependents. Families also turn to the organization in times of tragedy: when a service member is injured or killed, the Navy SEAL Foundation coordinates travel arrangements or memorial services, provides counseling, and even helps cover mortgage payments or home maintenance expenses. Additionally, the foundation offers camps and other programs to build resiliency for children and spouses of active-duty service members, as well as bereavement camps for children who have lost a parent. Families can also participate in gatherings or retreats before and after a service member’s deployment, to prepare for the journey ahead and to reconnect when he or she returns.
The Navy SEAL Foundation takes care to avoid duplicating programs offered by other organizations. And, because its staff and board are mostly composed of former SEALs or individuals with other connections to the NSW community, its programs are closely tied to real needs. “We’re out there listening, and we revise our programs to make sure they’re always relevant,” King says. “We’re not going to waste the resources hat have been invested in us.”