Special Operations Warrior Foundation
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The Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) is an American tax-exempt
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
founded in 1980 to provide college
scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...
s and educational counseling to the surviving children of American Special Operations personnel killed in the
line of duty ''Line of Duty'' is a British police procedural television series created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions. On 26 June 2012, BBC Two began to broadcast the first series; it was its best-performing drama series in ten years wit ...
. These services are provided throughout the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, or overseas, depending upon where the surviving children reside.


Operation

The foundation is not recommended for donating / giving by the Charities For Vets group as based on its 2019 tax return, the net assets of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation equal 9.8 times its $10.1 million annual budget. This may be an indication that the group is spending too little of its donations on programs. The organization was also flagged for insider transactions as an employee of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation since 2011 is a family relation of an individual who was a board member of the group from 2012 to 2019. The
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
is located in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
. SOWF supports America's
Special Operations Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
and
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipients by providing education opportunities to the surviving children of fallen Special Operations personnel and Medal of Honor recipients despite education support for surviving spouses and children being provided as an earned benefit through the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. As of 1 January 2022, the foundation has over 950 children eligible for its programs, but only 161 students enrolled full-time in colleges and universities across the country. The organizations most recent 990 form from 2019 states that $1,910,888 was paid out for staff salaries, other compensation, and employee benefits whereas only $3,225,909 had been disbursed in programmatic grants, and $424,290 (gross receipts) for a Tampa Fundraising dinner, $378,833 (gross receipts) for Isla Del Sol Golf and sixteen other events totaling $1,084,247.


Mission

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation’s enduring promise to America’s
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
,
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
,
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
, and
Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
Special Operations personnel is to: ensure full financial assistance for
post-secondary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...
from an accredited two or four-year
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
,
university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
,
technical Technical may refer to: * Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle * Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data * Technical drawing, showing how something is co ...
or
trade school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...
, as well as educational counseling,
preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...
grants, private tutoring, college planning and career transition programs to the surviving children of Special Operations personnel who lose their lives in the line-of-duty and the children of all Medal of Honor recipients.


History

Special Operations Warrior Foundation began in 1980 as the Col. Arthur D. "Bull" Simons Scholarship Fund. The Bull Simons Fund was created after the Iranian hostage rescue attempt to provide college educations for the 17 children surviving the nine men killed or incapacitated at Desert One. It was named in honor of the legendary
Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
soldier Arthur D. "Bull" Simons who repeatedly risked his life on rescue missions. Following creation of the
United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Arm ...
, and as casualties mounted from actions such as Operations "Urgent Fury" (Grenada), "Just Cause" (Panama), "Desert Storm" (Kuwait and Iraq), and "Restore Hope" (Somalia), the Bull Simons Fund gradually expanded its outreach program to encompass all Special Operations Forces. Thus, in 1995 the Family Liaison Action Group (established to support the families of the 53 Iranian hostages) and the Spectre Association Scholarship Fund (named after the Air Force gunship) merged to form the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF). In 1998 the Foundation extended the scholarship and financial aid counseling to also include training fatalities since the inception of the Foundation in 1980. This action immediately added 241 children who were now eligible for college funding. 1998 also marked a change in leadership, with Lt Gen Leroy Manor passing the SOWF Chairmanship to GEN
Carl Stiner Carl Wade Stiner (September 7, 1936 – June 2, 2022) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Special Operations Command (USCINCSOC) from 1990 to 1993. Military career Stiner was born in LaFol ...
, as well as Col John Carney becoming SOWF’s first full time President and CEO. John Carney slowly built and professionalized the staff, adding Sonny Gonzalez as Admin Director in 1999, Steve McLeary as the Executive Director in 2000, Edie Rosenthal as the Director of Public Relations in 2002, and Carolyn Becker as the Director of Scholarships in 2003. 2013 marked another major year for leadership changes, with GEN Carl Stiner handing over the Chairmanship to GEN Doug Brown, and Col John Carney handing off President/ CEO responsibilities to VADM Joe Maguire. 2018 marked the next major leadership changes, with GEN Brown transitioning the Chairmanship to ADM Eric Olson, and VADM Joe Maguire transitioning the President/CEO duties to MG Clay Hutmacher. In 2019, Steve McLeary retired as the SOWF Executive Director, and COL Sean Corrigan began as the foundation’s Executive Vice President. As SOWF matured, grew, and became better resourced, the programs and services it provided its constituents evolved as well. From its inception as the COL “Bull” Simons Memorial Scholarship fund, SOWF included the children of Special Operations Warriors fallen in combat. In 1996, after merging with the Families Action Liaison Group (FLAG) and the Spectre Association in 1995, SOWF expanded program eligibility to include the children of SOF Warriors fallen in training. Eligibility expanded again in 2013 with the children of all SOF Line of Duty deaths included. Most recently, program eligibility expanded in 2020 to include the children of all Medal of Honor recipients. With college tuition and associated expenses at the core of SOWF’s programs from 1980 onward, programs evolved over time, as well. 2006 marked the beginning of SOWF’s support of SOF Warriors wounded in combat, with a $2000 stipend of immediate financial assistance. That stipend increased to up to $3000 per incident in 2012, and again increased to up to $5000 in 2016. In 2018, the immediate financial assistance program expanded to include those severely injured in training, and again expanded to include severely ill SOF personnel in 2020. Under the guidance of the Board of Directors, education programs also evolved over time to more holistically support what became SOWF’s top priority in its Strategic Plan, developed in 2018: Student Success. In 2014, SOWF began funding unlimited tutoring for students in grades K-12. Preschool grants of up to $5000 for students 3-5 years old began in 2017. These preschool grants expanded from students aged 3-5 to students aged 2-5 in 2019, and the grants increased to up to $8000 per student, per year in 2020. The SOWF staff developed and implemented its inaugural Educational Planning and Information Conference in 2015, to help high school students plan for and apply for attending the college of their choice. In 2019, SOWF formalized its support of students with learning disabilities, and designated a certified counselor to work with those families on their unique needs. Mentoring and Internship programs began in 2017, with SOWF hiring an additional counselor to develop those programs in 2019. In 2021, the foundation held its inaugural Strong Finish Optimization conference to assist college students and recent college graduates in the transition from college to career. Most recently, in 2021, the board of directors approved private school tuition assistance grants of up to $5000 per K-12 student, per year. In its commitment to its number one priority, Student Success, SOWF continues to enhance educational opportunities, from cradle to career.


Financial requirements

As of 1 January 2022, over 950 children are eligible for Special Operations Warrior Foundation's educational programs. In 2018, an actuarial, produced by a third party, determined that the estimated financial need to meet the foundation's obligations to the families it serves was approximately $300 million. In 2020, the foundation provided in scholarship grants, financial aid, tutoring, and counseling to families of fallen special operations personnel.


References


External links


Special Operations Warrior Foundation website
{{Authority control 501(c)(3) organizations