About Gary Sinise Foundation
We serve our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need by creating and supporting programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities.
Focus Areas
VeteransFirst respondersFamilies of the fallenMental healthHousing & home modificationsMobility devicesEducationArts & entertainment
Who They Fund
veterans (including women veterans)first responders (firefighters, EMS, rescue teams)children of service members and children of fallen service membersGold Star families and families of fallen service members
About Gary Sinise Foundation
A defining feature of the Gary Sinise Foundation’s recent grantmaking is its repeated investment in mental wellness for veterans and first responders. The largest grant in the recent list went to Boulder Crest Foundation in Bluemont, Virginia, for mental wellness initiatives support, and Avalon Action Alliance received two separate $2 million awards in consecutive years for veterans and first responders support and mental wellness initiatives support. That pattern fits the foundation’s stated mission of serving defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and others through programs that entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities. The recent grants also show support for children of fallen service members, women veterans, sober living, education, and arts-based programming. Some awards are large, multi-hundred-thousand-dollar commitments, while others land in the mid-five-figure range, suggesting a mix of major program support and targeted assistance. The foundation’s giving is national in scope and reaches a wide range of organizations, from mental health providers and rescue-supply vendors to universities, family-support nonprofits, and veterans’ arts programs. Several grants are directed to organizations serving multiple beneficiary groups at once, especially veterans and first responders, with a recurring emphasis on wellness, equipment, and family support.
What Gary Sinise Foundation Funds
Mental wellness is a clear thread in the foundation’s recent portfolio. Boulder Crest Foundation received $6.5 million for mental wellness initiatives support, while Friends of Firefighters Inc. in Brooklyn received $400,000 for the same purpose. Avalon Action Alliance also received $2 million in 2025 for veterans and first responders support after a $2 million grant in 2024 for mental wellness initiatives support. Equipment and readiness are another major lane: Municipal Emergency Services in Sandy Hook received $499,256 for first responder equipment, and Safe Industries in Easley received $158,007 for the same purpose. The foundation also backs family-centered work, including $450,000 to Angels of America’s Fallen in Colorado Springs for support children’s of fallen service members and $150,000 to Never Alone Widows Inc. in Alpharetta for national conference support. Education appears as a separate strand through grants to the Cu Anschutz Advancement Office and The Gratitude Initiative.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$17M
Total Assets
$89M
Total Revenue
$85.5M
Total Expenses
$82.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $13K and $54K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$54K
Geographic Reach
National48 states funded
About 6% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Gary Sinise Foundation Funds
Top 3 recipient countries by grant volume for Gary Sinise Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 426 | $41.5M | 99.5% |
| 2 | Canada | 1 |
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