More than 18 million veterans live in the United States, and the organizations serving them range from sprawling national operations to intensely personal efforts built from genuine passion. Knowing where your donation will have the greatest impact requires looking beyond familiar names to understand what each charity actually does.
This list includes large-scale operations providing housing and medical care alongside grassroots initiatives delivering something harder to quantify: human connection. Some charities write checks. Others build homes. And a few bring something money cannot purchase directly.
#1: Fisher House Foundation
Fisher House operates 100 comfort homes near military and VA medical centers worldwide. The math is straightforward: when a service member requires extended treatment far from home, their family stays at a Fisher House at no cost.
Since the program began, more than 534,000 families have been served, saving them an estimated $650 million in lodging and transportation expenses. The Hero Miles program converts donated frequent flyer miles into airline tickets for family members visiting wounded warriors. That’s 12.5 million nights of lodging provided to families who needed to be close during the hardest moments of their lives.
Each house functions like a home, not a hotel. Families share kitchens, living rooms, and dining spaces with others going through similar experiences. The design is intentional: a spouse sitting alone in a hospital waiting room carries one kind of weight, but that same spouse cooking dinner alongside someone who understands carries less. The proximity to the medical center matters. The proximity to other families matters more.
#2: Semper Fi & America’s Fund
Founded in 2004 by military spouses responding to the first wave of wounded Marines returning from Iraq, Semper Fi has grown into a nationwide operation while maintaining its personalized, one-on-one approach.
Each family receives a dedicated case manager who coordinates financial assistance, transition support, and integrative wellness programs. The Welcome Home Fund specifically addresses the needs of Vietnam veterans, a population often overlooked by newer organizations. To date: 38,000 service members, veterans, and military families served across all branches.
The organization’s three-program structure covers distinct phases of recovery. The Service Member & Family Support Program handles immediate financial needs during hospitalization. The Transition Program kicks in when veterans move toward civilian life, offering career coaching and education support. The Integrative Wellness Program addresses longer-term physical and mental health through adaptive sports, therapeutic retreats, and clinical care. One case manager follows each family through all three.
#3: Gary Sinise Foundation
Actor Gary Sinise transformed his advocacy work into a foundation addressing multiple veteran needs simultaneously. The R.I.S.E. program (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) has completed 100 specially adapted custom homes for severely wounded veterans, each designed around the recipient’s specific injuries.
The Lt. Dan Band, named for his Forrest Gump character, has performed 607 free concerts for military audiences since 2003. Mental wellness retreats now serve hundreds of veterans annually. The foundation has also served 1.3 million appreciation meals and modified 210 additional homes for wounded heroes who needed accessibility improvements rather than full rebuilds.
Sinise’s commitment predates the foundation by decades. He began visiting troops and performing at military bases in the early 2000s, and his advocacy intensified after playing double-amputee Lt. Dan Taylor brought him into direct contact with real veterans living with similar injuries. The role changed him. What started as USO tours evolved into a structured organization that now employs programs across housing, entertainment, emergency financial assistance, and education for first responders.
#4: Harmony & Healing
Founder David Victor spent 2012-2014 as co-lead vocalist and guitarist for the multiplatinum rock band BOSTON. His pivot to nonprofit work began during a charity performance at a children’s hospital, where he watched patients respond to live music in ways that surprised him. Victor founded Harmony & Healing in 2019 to replicate that experience for patients who rarely encounter live professional musicians.
The San Ramon, California-based nonprofit conducts monthly visits to the Martinez VA Hospital, where music becomes part of the VA’s recreational therapy program. Air Force veteran Mancy Gant, who lives with PTSD, described the effect: “I had a mindset where I was able to calm down and listen to the lyrics of the song, and it really felt good.” Army veteran Norman Kimball added: “This is something that I really need to keep going forward and not falling back.”
Victor has witnessed music’s particular power with memory care patients throughout the Bay Area. “They’ll go back to when they were 18-and-a-half years old, driving a Camaro or something, having the time of their life.” CBS News Bay Area honored Victor with its 2025 Icon Award for this work. Two dozen professional artists now perform through the organization, reaching facilities across the Bay Area and nationwide via live video.
#5: Homes For Our Troops
Homes For Our Troops has completed 428 mortgage-free homes for veterans with severe injuries including amputations, traumatic brain injury, and burns. Each home is designed specifically for the recipient’s disabilities, with features like roll-under sinks, widened doorways, and smart home technology.
The veteran pays nothing. Nearly 90 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to program services, with 64 additional projects currently underway across 46 states. That last detail matters: they’ve now built in their 46th state, making this a truly national operation.
#6: Folds of Honor
Founded in 2007 by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot and PGA Professional, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships totaling approximately $290 million to spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members.
Scholarships cover K-12 private school tuition, tutoring, and post-secondary education up to $5,000 annually. The organization expanded its mission in 2022 to include families of first responders. Forty-five percent of scholarships go to minority recipients, and 91 cents of every dollar goes directly to the scholarship program.
#7: Bob Woodruff Foundation
ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff founded this organization in 2006 after suffering a traumatic brain injury from a roadside bomb in Iraq. Rather than providing direct services, the foundation operates as a grant-maker, distributing over $10 million annually to vetted organizations through its Got Your 6 Network.
This network spans hundreds of partners across all 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico, creating coordinated infrastructure for veteran support. In 2024 alone, they distributed $3.3+ million specifically for disaster relief to veterans affected by hurricanes and flooding.
#8: Hope For The Warriors
Co-founded in 2006 by Robin Kelleher after her husband Tim suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq, Hope For The Warriors has served over 187,000 individuals through health, wellness, and transition programs.
Programs include the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic providing mental health services, career transition assistance, and the A Warrior’s Wish program fulfilling life-changing wishes for severely injured service members. More than 70% of staff are veterans or military spouses themselves. The need for their services increased 23% in 2024 alone.
#9: Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
Since 2000, IFHF has provided over $200 million to construct specialized treatment facilities for military personnel suffering from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress.
The flagship National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) at Walter Reed provides diagnostics, treatment plans, and ongoing telehealth follow-up. Ten additional Intrepid Spirit Centers at military bases nationwide extend this care closer to where service members live. More than 90% of patients treated at these centers return to active duty or transition successfully to civilian life.
#10: Wounded Warrior Project
The largest veteran service organization on this list, WWP has served hundreds of thousands of post-9/11 veterans since 2003. Programs include Warriors to Work (employment assistance), Project Odyssey (mental health retreats), and WWP Talk (weekly emotional support calls).
The organization weathered a 2016 spending controversy that led to leadership changes; subsequent operations reflect improved financial stewardship. All programs remain free to participants, covering mental health support, career counseling, physical wellness, and long-term rehabilitative care.
Finding Your Fit
Large organizations like Fisher House and Wounded Warrior Project offer scale and infrastructure. Smaller operations like Harmony & Healing provide something different: the ability to trace your donation directly to a specific patient interaction. Neither approach is inherently better. The right choice depends on what matters most to you.
Consider whether the organization’s mission aligns with the specific veteran population you want to support. And remember that sometimes the most meaningful impact comes not from the largest check, but from the most personal connection.