Rancho Santa Fe Foundation announces $175,000 in year-end investments supporting military service members, veterans, and their families

As 2025 comes to a close, the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation (RSFF) recently announced $175,000 in grants through its Supporting Our Heroes initiative, strengthening the well-being of active-duty service members, veterans, and military families across San Diego County, according to a news release.

This year’s grants were awarded to eight nonprofit partners, each selected for their proven impact, superb leadership, and commitment to supporting those who serve. For more than 40 years, RSFF has stood alongside the region’s military community, consistently investing in programs and partnerships that honor their service and respond to their evolving needs, the news release stated.

“San Diego is home to one of the largest military communities in the nation, and supporting those who serve is central to the RSF Foundation’s mission,” said Anna Maria Maybury, vice president of programs at RSFF, in the news release. “This year’s grants reflect investments that offer stability, healing, and opportunity at every stage of military life.”

RSFF’s 2025 grants supported a range of programs addressing transition readiness, financial stability, academic success, and emotional and physical well-being. Grants were awarded to:

Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), a leader in research and data-driven insights that strengthen outcomes for service members, veterans, and their families;

zero8hundred, providing personalized transition navigation for service members and spouses;

Foundation for Women Warriors, offering housing stability, childcare support, and workforce preparation for women veterans;

STEP (Support The Enlisted Project), delivering emergency financial assistance and long-term self-sufficiency programming;

MiraCosta College Foundation, supporting its Veterans Resilience Fund, which ensures student veterans can remain enrolled during unexpected financial hardship;

Healing Wave Aquatics, promoting emotional and physical healing through therapeutic aquatic programs;

REINS Therapeutic Horsemanship Program, strengthening veterans’ confidence and well-being through equine-assisted activities;

Freedom Dogs, pairing service dogs and trainers with service members recovering from PTSD and other service-related challenges.

These investments are already making a difference. “RSFF’s support expands our ability to provide therapeutic aquatic programs that help veterans manage complex trauma, reduce pain, and reconnect with themselves and others,” shared Elizabeth Berg, executive director of Healing Wave Aquatics, in the news release. “Grants like the one from RSFF allow us to reach even more service members suffering from suicidal thoughts or debilitating symptoms of trauma through renewed resilience.”

This year also marked the launch of RSFF’s Military Funders Group, a growing network of eight corporate and nonprofit funders that support military-community efforts so that veterans, active-duty service members, and their families can thrive in this region. The group convenes leaders to improve coordination, share data and insights, and align philanthropic investments to meet the most urgent needs of military families, ensuring that resources are leveraged for greater collective impact.

RSFF President and CEO Ben Moraga emphasized the significance of this collaborative approach in the news release: “Our service members and veterans contribute immeasurably to the strength of our region. By investing in organizations that meet their needs with dignity, compassion, and excellence, and by bringing funders together to learn and coordinate, we are helping build a foundation for lasting stability and opportunity.”

The Supporting Our Heroes initiative remains a cornerstone of RSFF’s community leadership work, bringing together philanthropy, partnership, and evidence-based action to uplift the region.For more information about RSFF’s initiatives, contact the team at info@rsffoundation