California · Nonprofit
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA (California) receives grants from 3 organizations whose IRS filings report $5,874,556 to it, the largest being Veterans of Foreign Wars of The United States ($5,831,556). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $2.0M
- Funders on record
- 3
- Grants received
- $5.9M
- Net assets
- $14M
What Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of California does
Mission
To provide for the social well being of veterans of the various branches of the armed forces of the united states of america who have served in a foreign war.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Vfw service department - the vfw service department exists to assist veterans and their dependents in dealing with the va claims process. Vfw service officers are trained experts, helping veterans develop their case with ease by reviewing and applying current law, pertinent legislation, regulations, and medical histories. As skilled professionals, they assist in filing for disability compensation, rehabilitation and education programs, pension and death benefits, and employment and training programs.
$553,256 spentof which $197,054 as grants$520,660 earned by the program51% of program spendingMember and legislative advocacy - vfw is one of the most respected voices in washington, d.c., and within local governments across america. Vfw advocates for justice for our nation's veterans, service members and military families on an array of issues and continue to be the voice for veterans everywhere. Vfw consistently monitor veterans' experiences with the va health care system and deliver veterans' feedback directly to va officials in order to implement new programs and methods to ensure america's veterans receive the top-quality care they deserve. Vfw ensures women veterans receive benefits and services that honor their brave military service. With the steady increase of women wearing our nation's uniform, it has never been more important to ensure women veterans have a va that is ready and able to care for them, so this has been a top priority. Vfw's action corps is the vfw's grassroots lobbying effort. Located in communities across the globe, this group works to inform and educate veterans and service members on the initiatives and policies that affect them and take the voice of veterans to local, state and national lawmakers. It regularly testifies before congress, meets…
$329,261 spent30% of program spendingCommunity activities/recognition - the purpose of the vfw community activity and recognition programs is two-fold. First and foremost, as an organization of wartime veterans and their spouses, the vfw and its auxiliary understand the need to recognize and honor those individuals who have performed above and beyond their peers and offers several special projects awards. These include americanism, pow/mia, volunteer recognition, community service, awards and recognition. Vfw's oldest and perhaps most historically significant program is the vfw "buddy poppy" program. Vfw in the classroom programs regularly provide students with rare insight into the great sacrifices our service members make to maintain freedom. Teacher of the year programs recognize exceptional teachers, one each from the elementary, junior high and high school levels for their outstanding commitment to teach americanism and instill patriotism in their students. Each year, the vfw selects emergency medical technicians (services), law enforcement, and firefighter personnel to receive vfw public servant awards.
$158,339 spent15% of program spendingVeterans and military support - vfw department of california provides numerous services to military service members and their families and supports programs that offer disaster assistance, support student veterans, women veterans and provide resources to va wheelchair and golden age games.- our map program connects the vfw with the military community. Vfw posts, districts and departments receive grants from the program to promote involvement. One of the most popular ways this is done is by adopting a unit, where the post, district or department raises funds for troops overseas and supports them with care packages, cards, etc.- our adopt-a-unit program is a military assistance program that helps vfw posts to create relationships with military units and their families while providing funding for troop farewell and welcome home gatherings. Adopt-a-unit's goal is to develop supportive relationships with units before, during and after deployments to help deliver the vast network of resources the vfw has available to the military.- operation uplink is a program that provides troops overseas with free call days that allow them to call home to the u.s. For free for as long as they can…
$47,015 spentof which $167,898 as grants4% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $1,087,871.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2018 to 2019, from $2.8M to $7.4M (+168%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2025 15%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 2 funders, grant income rose $636k → $653k.
1 of 3 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 0% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
Left out of every figure on this page: $47k from one payer (the payer shares this organization's board, largest VFW Department of California Foundation). These are real filings, and they are not money VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA raised.
From the IRS filings of VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA leans on a few funders — its largest provides 99% of grant income and the top three 100%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
99% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 100% · 2019 100% · 2020 99% · 2021 98% · 2022 98% · 2023 98% — broadly stable.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA draws 99% of its grant income from funders outside California, across 2 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $10k arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Organizations like VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
64% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- VFW Department of California Foundation · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA?
- VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA (California) receives grants from 3 organizations whose IRS filings report $5,874,556 to it, the largest being Veterans of Foreign Wars of The United States ($5,831,556). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA have?
- IRS filings report 3 organizations giving $5,874,556 in grants to VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA, 2 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA?
- Veterans of Foreign Wars of The United States is the largest funder on record, with $5,831,556 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 3 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing