Best veterans affairs charities
12 veterans affairs charities, ranked by rating. Every rating, EIN and filing was checked in October 2026.
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Gary Sinise Foundation
Supports veterans, first responders and their families through adapted housing, mental health and community programs.
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Navy SEAL Foundation
Supports Naval Special Warfare service members, veterans and their families.
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Wounded Warrior Project
Honors and empowers wounded veterans through programs focused on mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative support.
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Hope For The Warriors
Supports post-9/11 service members, veterans and military families with health, transition and family programs.
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Semper Fi & America's Fund
Provides urgent financial assistance and lifetime support to combat wounded, critically ill, and catastrophically injured service members and their families.
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Fisher House Foundation
Provides free temporary housing to military and veteran families while a loved one receives medical treatment at major military and VA medical centers.
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Operation Homefront
Provides financial assistance, transitional housing and family support to military families.
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Homes For Our Troops
Builds specially adapted homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans.
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Folds of Honor
Provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members and first responders.
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USO
Runs centers and programs that support service members and their families at home and abroad.
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Tunnel to Towers Foundation
Builds and pays off homes for families of fallen first responders and military members and for severely injured veterans.
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DAV (Disabled American Veterans)
Empowers veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity through advocacy, direct services, and volunteerism.
How to judge veterans affairs charities
Look for outcomes: housing stability, employment retention, mental-health treatment completion rates. Veterans-services scandals have been recurring, so transparency matters — check Charity Navigator scores and Form 990 data carefully. Strong organizations track veterans served for 6+ months post-engagement, not just one-time intakes.
What these charities do
Veterans-services organizations operate across mental health, housing, employment, healthcare access, family support, and benefits navigation. The strongest combine direct services with advocacy for systemic improvements in VA healthcare and disability benefits. Funding supports counselors, case managers, housing-assistance staff, employment specialists, and family-support programs. Many work closely with the VA but provide services the VA cannot or does not deliver well.
- Mental-health and PTSD treatment for combat veterans
- Housing assistance and homelessness prevention for veterans and their families
- Employment training, job placement, and career counseling
- Healthcare-access advocacy and VA-benefits navigation
- Family support and caregiver assistance programs
Ways to help beyond a donation
- Monthly recurring gifts sustain long-term mental-health treatment and case-management relationships
- Hire veterans if you run a business — veterans unemployment is solvable through employer commitment
- Volunteer with peer-support programs (veterans are often the most effective counselors for other veterans)
- Advocate for stronger VA funding and benefits at the federal level
- Donate to research organizations working on PTSD treatment and combat-injury rehabilitation
Frequently asked
What is the highest-rated veterans affairs charity?
Among the 12 veterans affairs charities in our directory, Gary Sinise Foundation and Navy SEAL Foundation share the highest Charity Navigator score, 100%. Ratings checked October 2026.
How many veterans affairs charities have a 4-star rating?
11 of the 12 veterans affairs charities we list hold Charity Navigator's top rating of 4 stars. Each charity's page shows its exact score, its EIN and its recent Form 990 financials.
How do I choose a veterans affairs charity?
Look for outcomes: housing stability, employment retention, mental-health treatment completion rates. Veterans-services scandals have been recurring, so transparency matters — check Charity Navigator scores and Form 990 data carefully. Strong organizations track veterans served for 6+ months post-engagement, not just one-time intakes.
How we rank: GiveWell and Animal Charity Evaluators picks come first, then charities by Charity Navigator's overall score. Financials come from each charity's IRS Form 990, via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. More on our method.