NEF issued over $200,000 in grants in 2021
Geoff Lee, of American Legion Post 491 in Illinois, helps unload the trailer he drove to downtown Mayfield, Ky. The post donated roughly $2,000 in checks and gift cards, as well as clothes, water, tools and 1,000 handmade fleece blankets. (Photo by Henry Howard.)

NEF issued over $200,000 in grants in 2021

The American Legion’s National Emergency Fund (NEF) issued 102 grants totaling $203,240.13 in 2021 to help American Legion posts, Legionnaires and Sons of The American Legion affected by natural disasters.

Seven posts and 95 individuals received grants from the NEF, which since 1989 has provided more than $8 million in direct financial assistance to Legionnaires, Sons and American Legion posts.

The number of grants and total financial assistance both increased from 2020, when the NEF issued 93 grants totaling over $160,000.

Last year was the third-most active Atlantic hurricane season in history; NEF grants also went to aid those impacted by tornadoes, wildfires, and flooding.

 

National Emergency Fund

The American Legion’s National Emergency Fund (NEF) is available to help American Legion members and posts, and Sons of The American Legion members, who have been impacted by natural disasters.

The NEF provides up to $3,000 for American Legion and Sons of The American Legion members with an active membership who have been displaced due to damages to their primary residence, and up to $10,000 for posts that have been damaged by a natural disaster and whose programs and activities within the community are impacted.

Apply for an NEF grant by visiting legion.org/emergency/apply.

Since Jan. 1, 2021, the NEF has provided more than $150,444 in grants to 71 American Legion and Sons members, and five American Legion posts. The program began in 1969 as a one-time effort in the wake of Hurricane Camille, which devastated the Gulf Coast – primarily Mississippi, and parts of Louisiana and Alabama. NEF was resurrected in 1989 when Hurricane Hugo pummeled the Carolinas and Puerto Rico, and since then has provided more than $8 million in direct financial assistance to American Legion and Sons members, and American Legion posts.

NEF relies on donations to help Legionnaires, posts and Sons recover from disaster. One hundred percent of donations to the NEF directly help veterans and their families recover from natural disasters.

To donate to the NEF, click here.