2026 Fisher Service Award Recipients Announced

Five nonprofits receive $400,000 to strengthen military and veteran communities

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fisher House Foundation and Military Times Foundation have awarded $400,000 in grants to five nonprofit organizations serving service members, veterans, and their families. The Fisher Service Awards for Military Community Service recognize and support innovative programs that improve quality of life across the military and veteran community. 

Established in 1999 as the Newman’s Own Awards, the program has now awarded more than $4.2 million to 220 nonprofit programs. 

“Congratulations to this year’s Fisher Service Award recipients,” said Ken Fisher, chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation. “These organizations understand the needs of military and veteran families and are responding with innovative programs that create meaningful, lasting change. We are honored to support their work and grateful to Military Times and our judges for helping us recognize those who continue to serve our military community in powerful ways.” 

Following a competitive application process, a panel of judges evaluated each submission based on the program’s creativity, innovation, and impact within the communities it serves. Fisher House Foundation and Military Times Foundation are proud to announce the five 2026 recipients:  

PACT for Animals, Operation Foster; Sleep & Autonomic Recovery Modality within our Health & Wellness Program, Boot Campaign; Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicles for Disabled Veterans and Family Members, Bridge to Mobility; Operation Save A Kidney Warrior (OSKW), Donor Outreach for Veterans, Corp. (DOVE); Hands-On Living Business School (at Rosie’s Home Cookin’), Veteran Business Project. Organization information is listed below.   

"Military Times is proud to support military-connected families and organizations that strive to improve the lives of those in this community. Our support of the Fisher Service Award is just one of the many ways we underscore the Military Times mission of service to the community we serve,” said Kelly Facer, SVP Sightline Media Group/Military Times. “As is the case every year, our honorees exemplify the power of community, cooperation, and innovation in tackling the most important issues for our nation’s heroes and their families.”   

The leading 2026 Fisher Service Award-winning organization received a $100,000 grant, with the remaining top organizations receiving $75,000. All recipients will also receive an advertising package from Military Times valued at $100,000. Ten additional awardees will receive a $50,000 advertising package from the Military Times Foundation to support awareness of their work.  

The 2026 recipients were honored in a ceremony hosted by Fisher House Foundation and Military Times in Arlington, Va., on October 28, 2026. Photos from the ceremony can be viewed at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fisherhousefoundation/sets.   

Operation Foster, from Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, provides free, temporary foster care for the pets of active-duty service members and veterans during deployment, hospitalization, and other times of crisis. By keeping beloved pets safe and loved, Operation Foster helps protect the human-animal bond and ensures military families never have to delay care or face a difficult time alone. For more information, please visit: https://operationfoster.org/ 

“To be recognized with the Fisher Service Award is deeply meaningful because it validates something we have witnessed for years: for our service members and veterans, their pets are not simply animals—they are family, comfort, and a connection to home. That bond can be especially important during periods of deployment, isolation, medical crisis, or mental health challenges,” said Gisele Barreto Fetterman, development director of Operation Foster. “At Operation Foster, we believe that a difficult transition should never force someone to give up the companion who provides unconditional love and a reason to keep going. Every foster placement is a promise that we will care for that beloved companion until the day their person can come home. We are honored to receive this recognition and incredibly grateful for the opportunity it gives us to reach more military families, expand our suicide-prevention efforts, recruit more foster homes, and keep more families together when they need each other most.” 

Applications for the 2027 Fisher Service Awards are currently open. Learn more at https://fisherhouse.org/programs/fisher-service-award/. 

### 

About Military Times 
The Military Times digital platforms and print products are the trusted source for independent news and information for service members and their families. The military community relies on the Army Times, Marine Corps Times, Navy Times, and Air Force Times for reporting on everything important to their lives, including: pay, benefits, finance, education, health care, recreational resources, retirement, promotions, product reviews, and entertainment. Military Times is published by Sightline Media Group. To learn more, visit www.militarytimes.com.    
   

About Fisher House Foundation
Fisher House Foundation is best known for its network of 101 comfort homes where military and veteran families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital they serve. Fisher Houses have up to 20 suites with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room, and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and veteran families an estimated $690 million in out-of-pocket costs for lodging and transportation.  www.fisherhouse.org.   

Winning Entries   

Operation Foster
PACT for Animals – Gladwyne, Pennsylvania

Operation Foster provides free, temporary foster care for the pets of active-duty service members and veterans during deployment, hospitalization, and other times of crisis. By keeping beloved pets safe and loved, Operation Foster helps protect the human-animal bond and ensures military families never have to delay care or face a difficult time alone. For more information, please visit: https://operationfoster.org/ 

Boot Campaign’s Sleep & Autonomic Recovery Modality within our Health & Wellness Program
Boot Campaign – Dallas, Texas

Boot Campaign’s Health & Wellness Program provides individualized care for Veterans living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Its multifaceted Sleep & Autonomic Recovery Modality addresses persistent trauma-related sleep challenges through personalized treatment and progress monitoring, helping improve sleep, resilience, emotional stability, stress management, and overall quality of life. For more information, please visit: https://bootcampaign.org/ 

Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicles for Disabled Veterans and Family Members   
Bridge to Mobility – Westlake, Ohio

With the Fisher Service Award, Bridge to Mobility will provide comprehensive support, industry expertise and last-dollar funding for disabled veterans and their families to secure their own Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle. This will build independence and improve access to medical treatments and therapies, employment and educational opportunities, and family and community engagement. For more information, please visit: https://bridgetomobility.org/  

DOVE: Operation Save A Kidney Warrior (OSKW) 
Donor Outreach for Veterans, Corp. (DOVE) – Verona, New Jersey

Donor Outreach for Veterans (DOVE) seeks to save the lives of Veterans by improving access to living kidney transplantation through facilitation of individual and community donor outreach campaigns and providing education, advocacy, and comprehensive support to Veterans and their prospective donors. For more information, please visit: https://dovetransplant.org/  

VBP’s Hands-On Living Business School (at Rosie’s Home Cookin’)
Veteran Business Project – Park Ridge, Illinois

At zero cost to Veterans, Veteran Business Project (VBP) is dedicated to walking alongside Veterans through every step of their journey to small business ownership. VBP’s innovative vharmony™️ model provides individualized support to veterans, and its groundbreaking Hands-On Living Business School, a real-world, experiential business training program, is a key element to VBP’s success. It restores purpose, reignites confidence, and gives Veterans the opportunity to continue their mission – this time as business owners, job creators, and community leaders. For more information, please visit: https://veteranbusinessproject.org/  

Judges for the 2026 competition were:    

• Ms. Kelly Facer, Senior Vice President, Operations, Sightline Media Group  

• Mrs. Tammy Fisher, Trustee, Fisher House Foundation  

• Ms. Christine Grady, Trustee, Fisher House Foundation, Spouse of Adm. Christopher W. Grady, U.S. Navy (Ret.), 12th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff  

• Mrs. Kelly Hokanson, Trustee, Fisher House Foundation, Spouse of Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, U.S. Army (Ret.), 29th Chief of the National Guard Bureau  

• Mrs. Kim LaNeve, Spouse of Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve, U.S. Army, 40th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army and Acting Chief of Staff of the Army   

• Ms. LyndaLee Lunday, Spouse of Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, 28th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard  

• Mrs. Mary Mahoney, Spouse of Gen. Christopher J. Mahoney, U.S. Marine Corps, 13th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff  

• Mrs. Shannon Nordhaus, Spouse of Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus, U.S. Air Force, 30th Chief of the National Guard Bureau  

• Ms. Jennifer Saltzman, Spouse of Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, U.S. Space Force (Ret.), 2nd Chief of Space Operations  

• Mrs. Suzie Schwartz, Trustee, Fisher House Foundation, Spouse of Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), 19th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force  

• Ms. Trish Smith, Spouse of Gen. Eric M. Smith, U.S. Marine Corps, 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps 

Attachment

• 2026 Fisher Service Award Recipients

Michelle Horn
Fisher House Foundation
240-599-2478
mhorn@fisherhouse.org