2020: The Year of the Resilient Military Family

As a nation, we faced incredible challenges in 2020. Despite the unrest in our country and the ways the pandemic has separated us physically, we stood united to support the men and women in uniform, and the 2.6 million family members who put our nation first — no matter what.

Here are a few things NMFA did in 2020 to ensure America’s military families can live the dream they protect for all of us.

First Virtual Operation Purple Program Season

• With our partners at Wounded Warrior Project, we brought Operation Purple at Home into the homes of thousands of military families through our first ever virtual summer camp experience.
• Operation Purple Healing Adventures went virtual for the first time, giving families of America’s wounded, ill, and injured service members the chance to connect during a weekend-long retreat from the comfort of their own homes.

A Spotlight on Military Spouses

• Through generous partners, including Fisher House Foundation and Prudential, we awarded 860 military spouses $957,380 in funding to help them complete their degrees, keep their businesses afloat, and maintain their occupational licenses.
• Together with Boeing, we created a license and certification hub, empowering military spouses pursuing, transferring, or renewing professional credentials to be their best advocate through the many obstacles that arise.
• We continued to push Congress to expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to include military spouses — who experience a pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 22%.

Putting Military Families First During the Pandemic

• Our COVID-19 FAQ hub became the go-to resource for military families looking for answers to their most concerning questions during the height of the pandemic.
• With generous support from USAA, Army Emergency Relief (AER) and Humana Military, we provided more than $600,000 in child care fee relief to military families financially impacted by the pandemic.
• Business leaders and military family supporters, including PenFed, joined NMFA for Real Talk: Military Families, COVID-19, & the Road Ahead, a virtual discussion about ways companies can partner with nonprofits to support America’s families.

Driving Change for 50 Years

• Our State of the Military Family: 2020 Virtual Summit gave military leaders and military family members a platform to discuss critical issues facing today’s military family force and create a path forward with actionable solutions that will address those issues and better support families in the future.
• NMFA went to work on behalf of the military families stuck paying for homes at two duty stations, raising the issue with Congress and rallying partner organizations in support of a solution.
• We spoke up for military families who rely on au pairs for their child care needs, making sure the Administration understood the impact immigration policies were having on military family child care, leading to a critical update to the policy for frontline workers and special needs care.
• Our efforts to expand and improve TRICARE’s Extended Care Health Option ensure families with special needs and medically fragile kids have the resources and respite they really need.

NMFA believes serving and supporting military families makes our country stronger. With a new year comes NMFA’s renewed commitment to continue serving our nation’s military and their loved ones with more fervor than ever.

For a complete list of our generous military family supporters, check out our annual report.

Together we’re stronger.