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Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation

EIN 43-1758998 · Kansas City, MO

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood79 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE VFW FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO SERVE AND ENHANCE THE LIVES OF MILITARY VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS, AND THEIR FAMILIES BY SECURING RESOURCES TO PROMOTE POSITIVE OUTCOMES.

Income
$6.2 million
Spending
$7.0 million
Spent on programs
86%
Reserves
33.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 89%
Employees
0
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$138,229, manager

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 79 out of 100. Higher than 55% of charities in its peer group (employment, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 33.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 13% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 15% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    86% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (employment, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 9 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (2)
  1. $5.0 million spent. Veterans Service Activities - The mission is to secure, manage and distribute resources to support veterans, active-duty personnel, the National Guard and reserve, their families, and communities. The VFW Foundation, in support of this mission, assisted over 12 military families in need of financial assistance with disbursements of $27,245 through the Un-Met Needs program to help families experiencing financial hardships with mortgage, car loans, utilities and other payments. The VFW Foundation provided grants of $200,000 that were used for recognition events for military members and their families and other programs to assist veterans. The VFW Foundation provided grants of $583,000 to the VFW that were or will be used to help veteran families impacted by natural disasters. The VFW Foundation expended $1,375,000 to provide scholarships for the VFW's Help-A-Hero Scholarship program. This program provides up to $5,000 in scholarships to veterans or current military personnel with a rank of E-5 or below. Additionally, the VFW Foundation expended $2,150,000 to support VFW Service Officers. These officers play a key role in assisting veterans in dealing with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies. These officers are formally trained and accredited to represent veterans and their dependents or survivors. This structure ensures that no veteran, dependent or survivor needs to deal with the agencies administering veteran's programs without expert representation. For the 2025 federal fiscal year, the Department of Veterans Affairs reported over 608,000 veterans and eligible dependents represented by VFW Service Officers received more than $16.2 billion in earned benefits.
  2. $1.0 million spent. Community Service & Public Awareness - The mission supports programs that foster patriotism, citizenship education and volunteerism, community improvement and youth development programs. The VFW Foundation made grants of $650,000 to assist VFW Posts and Auxiliaries with outreach projects in their respective communities, so that VFW Posts could continue to be a resource for their local communities. Additionally, the VFW Foundation provided a grant of $145,000 to help support a trip that recognizes high school students that were awarded scholarships based on essays they wrote on a patriotic theme.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending August 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since October 1996.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.