Army Emergency Relief (AER), often referred to by the longer title ''Army Emergency Relief Fund'', is a
non-profit,
charitable organization independent of, but closely associated with the
United States Army, founded in 1942. The organization is headquartered in
Arlington, VA.
Mission
The mission of the AER is to help US Army soldiers and their dependents, by providing emergency aid, in the form of either a direct grant (a cash gift, not to be repaid) or an interest-free loan, and by giving college scholarships to children of soldiers. Under Army regulations, officers must recommend whether their soldiers deserve aid.
Loans up to $1000 do not require command recommendation, and there is no limit to the amount of funds Army Emergency Relief may authorize. Officers are responsible for ensuring that their soldiers repay AER loans.
Assets, aid, and expenses
In February 2009, the
Associated Press reported that the AER had, between 2003 and 2007, distributed a total of $64 million in aid, an average of $13 million per year, while adding $117 million to its reserves, and reaching total assets of $345 million. AER ended 2007 with a $296 million in its investment portfolio of stocks and bonds. During that five-year period of 2003-2007, AER's emergency assistance consisted of 91 percent repayable loans and 9 percent direct grants. In 2008, AER gave out $5.5 million in emergency grants, $65 million in loans, and $12 million in scholarships,
to a total of 72,000 people. For 2009, AER plans to reduce its total scholarships to $8 million.
As of early 2009, AER was paying for a staff of 21 people, all at its headquarters at the
Army Human Resources Command
The United States Army Human Resources Command (Army HRC or simply HRC) is a command of the United States Army.
HRC is a direct reporting unit (DRU) supervised by the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (DCS), G-1, focused on impr ...
in
Alexandria, Virginia, with the Army paying 300 or so other civilians, located at ninety Army sites worldwide, who worked full-time for the AER. The Army also provides AER its office space at no charge.
Armed Forces Relief Trust
In 2003, a new nonprofit organization, the Armed Forces Relief Trust, was formed with assistance from the
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association and lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States. The NAB represents more than ...
.
The mission of the trust is to assist the four military aid societies - AER, the
Air Force Aid Society, the
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) is an American non-profit organization that was founded in 1904. The society was created "to provide, in partnership with the Navy and Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a m ...
, and the
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance
The Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA) is an independent non-profit charitable organization of the United States Coast Guard. As the official relief society of the United States Coast Guard, the organization assists those within the Coast Guar ...
, by providing a single place to receive donations for the entire U.S. Armed Services.
[{{cite news , title=Civilians slow to rally to military relief fund , date= November 24, 2003 , url=http://washingtontimes.com/news/2003/nov/24/20031124-120301-2327r/ , work=Washington Times]
References
External links
Official AER siteArmed Forces Relief Trust
Charities based in Virginia
United States Army associations
United States military support organizations