2025

ANNUAL REPORT

A Message From
Kim Frank

President, The Folded Flag Foundation

 

Thank you to everyone who helped make 2025 a great year for The Folded Flag Foundation. With the support from generous donors like you, we raised almost $5 million for our nation’s Gold Star families and awarded 1108 scholarships for the 2025/2026 school year.

Over the years, we’ve been privileged to assist numerous spouses and children of fallen service members in achieving their educational aspirations. Through scholarships and grants, we’ve made a positive impact on their lives. To sustain this vital support for deserving recipients, we depend on the generosity of the public. And thanks to our underwriting sponsors – Cannae Holdings, Dun and Bradstreet, Fidelity National Financial, FIS, and ServiceLink – 100 percent of all donations go directly to the spouses and children.

On behalf of The Folded Flag Foundation’s Board of Trustees and Operating Staff, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support for our organization and our nation’s military. It is because of your continuous support that we are able to deliver impactful assistance to Gold Star spouses and children.

Thank you,
Kim Frank

THE FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR 2025
IS AS FOLLOWS:

2025 RECAP

Since opening our doors in 2014, Folded Flag has provided nearly $28 million in educational scholarships to more than 1100 individuals from across the nation. You can read more about last year’s results below.

SCHOLARSHIPS

YEAR NUMBER OF RECIPIENTS SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT
2025 1108 $4,998,529
2024 1073 $4,793,667
2023 887 $4,263,252
2022 754 $3,319,353
2021 678 $3,050,000
2020 359 $1,557,007
2019 350 $2,537,420
2018 205 $1,888,359
2017 160 $1,054,927
2016 50 $387,171
2015 12 $137,300
  2025 2024 2023
New Students 221 261 220
Returning Students 887 809 667
  2024 2023 2022
Surviving Children 969 807 694
Surviving Spouses 101 80 60

 

  2025 2024 2023
K-12 613 377 518
College/Trade School 403 281 278
Graduate School 92 59 91
Breakdown of Applicants by Fallen Branch 2025 2024 2023
Army 637 662 529
Navy 171 145 115
Air Force 139 140 102
Marines 147 113 131
Coast Guard 10 6 3
Government 4 4 10

TOP 5 STATES BY NUMBER OF GRANT RECIPIENTS

  2025 2024
Texas 141 136
North Carolina 111 89
California 81 78
Virginia 87 74
Florida 82 71

THANKS TO OUR UNDERWRITING SPONSORS

100 percent of all public donations are able to go directly to providing these scholarships.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2026 AND BEYOND

As recently as 2003, the benefits paid to eligible survivors of military personnel killed in the line of duty was a one-time payment of $6,000. Since then, the death benefit has increased but still does not provide the necessary support for Gold Star family members.

Our goal is to not only help supplement the current death benefits, but to also provide a strong community for the spouses and children of fallen service members to connect with others who are going through the same hardships.

The Folded Flag Foundation has identified more than 5,000 spouses and children who will need educational funding over the next 20 years. It is our mission to help every single one of them.

If you would like to contribute to our mission and help our nation’s Gold Star spouses, please consider making a donation.