As we come to the close of what has been a uniquely challenging year, we want to express our gratitude for the outpouring of support received since Secretary Rumsfeld’s passing.  It goes without saying that we would not be where we are today without the vision, energy and generosity of our late founder, and of course his co-founder and beloved wife, Joyce. 

Washington, D.C. — The Rumsfeld Foundation is pleased to announce its annual grants to military and veterans organizations.  This year the Foundation, in partnership with the Rumsfeld Family Fund, contributed over a quarter of a million dollars to non-profits supporting service members, veterans and their families. 

In this latest Service Series post, we asked our friends at Warriors & Quiet Waters Foundation (WQW) to walk readers through one of their flagship programs for wounded veterans. Their Fishing Experience ─ called “FX” for short ─ brings together a small group of former service members from across the country for a unique and powerful week-long experience in Bozeman, Montana. 

After Secretary Rumsfeld’s passing, the Foundation was heartened to receive an outpouring of condolences and thoughtful reflections from our founder’s many friends and colleagues around the world. Among them were touching messages of gratitude from our Fellowship alumni and the military charity partners we have worked with over the years. This blog post includes a sample of such testimonials which speak to the significant and enduring impact that Rumsfeld had on the lives of so many. 

We asked Ken Falke, Founder and Chairman of the Boulder Crest Foundation, to share some insights on his organization’s work in developing and delivering transformative programs that ensure our nation’s veterans have the tools they need to thrive in the aftermath of service-related trauma. The Rumsfeld Foundation has been proud to support the unique and important efforts of the Boulder Crest Foundation since 2015 and we are delighted to release this “Service Series” interview offering Ken’s perspective on Boulder Crest’s mission, operations, the field of Posttraumatic Growth and more.

Upon the initial publication of our founder’s memoir, Known and Unknown, and the launch of the app, Churchill Solitaire, Don Rumsfeld announced that all of his profits from the sales of these two projects would be donated to the Foundation in support of its grantmaking to military and veterans organizations.  Today we are pleased to report that the Foundation has received more than $1 million from these two initiatives to date.   

This month marks a decade since the initial release of our founder’s memoir, Known and Unknown, originally published in February of 2011. Deemed “the first political memoir of the Information Age,” Rumsfeld’s personal account as a witness to over one-third of the history of the United States includes stories beginning from early childhood and spanning through his decades-long career.

To commemorate the book’s 10-year anniversary, we have compiled notable excerpts from Known and Unknown that highlight some of the experiences that have shaped our founder’s values and beliefs, eventually serving as inspiration for the mission and work of the Rumsfeld Foundation – to encourage leadership, public service and free political and economic systems at home and abroad.

In this latest piece in our Service Series, we asked our friends at Luke’s Wings to discuss their mission and the meaningful and targeted work they do to keep ill and injured service members connected with their loved ones throughout their recovery. 

Washington, D.C. — Joining millions around the world in celebrating the global generosity movement this Giving Tuesday, the Foundation is pleased to report on its annual military and veterans grants. We are delighted to announce that in 2020 the Rumsfeld Foundation and Rumsfeld Family Fund granted over a quarter of a million dollars to military charities assisting active duty troops, veterans, the wounded, their families and the families of the fallen.   

In this blog post we are delighted to share the unique story behind one of our Founder’s favorite projects, the Churchill Solitaire app, and how it ties in with our military charity focus here at the Foundation.  Read on to hear how the game’s history traces back to Sir Winston himself and to learn why you should download it today for both a fun challenge and the opportunity to support a great cause!