Our Foundation | Bob Woodruff Foundation

Our Mission

We ensure that our nation’s veterans, service members,
and their families — those who stood for us — have stable
and successful futures.

Bob and Lee Woodruff’s Story

The Woodruffs seemed to have it all.

In 2006, Bob was reporting on the transfer of power between US and Iraqi security forces for ABC’s “World News Tonight.” Bob’s armored vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, and he sustained a life-threatening traumatic brain injury.

Due to quick actions of brave soldiers, medics, and military medical professionals, Bob’s life was saved. Within days, he was transported to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

There, Bob spent 36 days in a medically-induced coma. Lee got to know the families of service members dealing with the impact of hidden injuries such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression.

As Bob recovered, the Woodruff family resolved to
raise awareness about the tough challenges veterans and military families are facing, and invest in solutions to help support them in the next chapter of their lives.

Today the Bob Woodruff Foundation complements our government’s work, and ensures that our veterans are thriving long after they return home.

Our 2023 Focus Areas

  • Community Building
  • Emergency Financial Assistance
  • Employment
  • Food Insecurity
  • Housing
  • Legal Support
  • Mental Health & Wellbeing

Our 2023 Focus Areas

  • Community Building
  • Emergency Financial Assistance
  • Employment
  • Food Insecurity
  • Housing
  • Legal Support
  • Mental Health & Wellbeing

Impact Stories

How does our work
ensure that our veterans and service members are supported and successful?

Jun 2
KC Footprints: Empowering Veterans Through Community Building and Personal Responsibility 
KC Footprints, a well-respected organization in Kansas City, cherishes veterans’ stories and experiences of veterans and actively engages with them through community service initiatives. By providing meaningful opportunities for veterans… Read More
May 26
Family Finds Support in wear blue: run to remember 
If you or someone you know is experiencing feelings of isolation or contemplating suicide, reach out to someone at the Veterans Crisis Line. Dial 988, then press 1, or text… Read More
May 23
Fighting Food Insecurity: Three Years of craigstable
Craig Newmark Philanthropies’ Craigstable initiative is combating food insecurity through community empowerment and sustainable solutions, making a significant impact in the fight against hunger.
May 19
United Way Long Island’s Holistic Response to Need
Just east of the big city of Manhattan, Long Island, New York, is home to more than 7.5 million people, including 109,000 veterans and the United Way Long Island. With… Read More
May 9
What is HUD-VASH?
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, known as HUD-VASH, is a program that provides affordable housing and supportive services to homeless veterans and their families. The… Read More
May 9
How Does the Housing Crisis Impact Veterans?
We often forget that our veterans have a hard time re-acclimating to civilian life after their service, and the veteran housing issue is no exception. On a given night in… Read More
May 8
Understanding the PACT Act and What It Means For Veterans
Hailed as the most significant expansion of care in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ history, the PACT Act made it law that veterans must no longer prove that their illnesses… Read More
May 5
Bob Woodruff Foundation, NFL, and Little Caesars Love Kitchen Team Up for Veterans
The NFL, Little Caesars Love Kitchen, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) hosted a Salute to Service event during the 2023 NFL Draft week to raise awareness… Read More

The Got Your 6 Network

National Reach. Local Impact.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation’s Got Your 6 Network includes our best-in-class grantees and our national network of locally-based community veterans’ organizations. With partners across the country, our growing network reaches millions of veterans and their families where they live and work.

Our Ongoing Initiatives

With our continuing efforts in veteran fertility assistance, scientific research partnerships, and community collaboration, we identify, pursue and champion areas of need that are most critical to the population we serve.

Our Ongoing Initiatives

With our continuing efforts in veteran fertility assistance, scientific research partnerships, and community collaboration, we identify, pursue and champion areas of need that are most critical to the population we serve.

Our Team

Bob Woodruff Foundation’s leadership team brings experience from defense, media, healthcare, philanthropy, business, and government.

Anne Marie Dougherty

Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Anne Marie Dougherty oversees and funds the nation’s largest nongovernmental network of veteran service providers, which, according to Forbes, helps veterans not only navigate the 40,000+ organizations that provide services to them, but also helps veterans heal from the physical and psychological wounds of war. With A-list celebrities and philanthropic institutions at our side – Bruce Springsteen, the NFL, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, MacKenzie Scott, Jon Stewart, Lee Ann Womack, Mickey Guyton – and our country’s highest-ranked military and national security leaders, we have invested more than $100 million in best-in-class veterans programming across the country. Our product is peace of mind – for veterans, for veteran-serving organizations, and for philanthropists looking to invest efficiently and effectively in veteran services.

As a military spouse, Anne Marie’s connection to the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s mission is personal. She has lived experience as a Marine spouse during war time combat deployments and through multiple duty station moves. When she tells veterans, their families, and their caregivers that the Bob Woodruff Foundation has “Got Your 6,” she means it. She regularly speaks to media outlets ranging from ESPN, to NPR, TIME, CBS, and Fox to raise awareness for veteran needs.

Anne Marie is active with her two young boys in their local community, including through their sports teams and schools. She serves on the Board of Directors of the UN Women for Peace Association, as an Advisory Board Member for Game Changers Institute, and as a NationSwell Council Member. Anne Marie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communications from Drexel University.

Our Team

Bob Woodruff Foundation’s leadership team brings experience from defense, media, healthcare, philanthropy, business, and government.

Anne Marie Dougherty

Chief Executive Officer

Anne Marie Dougherty is the Chief Executive Officer of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. She is an award-winning marketer, industry thought-leader, and passionate champion for our nation’s veterans and their families. Under her dynamic approach to leadership and management, the Foundation has grown from a small regional organization to a top-tier, nationally recognized brand and market leader. Dougherty has disrupted the traditional fundraising approach, leveraging metrics, relationships, and results to maximize the foundation’s $80 million investment impact. She utilizes an entrepreneurial approach in moving the foundation forward. She has established a standard of excellence that permeates the entire organization.

Since she took on the role in 2011, Dougherty transformed the Foundation’s annual Stand Up for Heroes event. Today, the event is a sustainable business model and growth engine that has raised over $66 million. Dougherty has broken new ground in programming and partnerships, establishing the Foundation as an innovative hub for collaboration among partners. These include the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Football League, the Embassy of the State of Qatar to The Royal Foundation in the United Kingdom.

Dougherty was named The Nonprofit Times and American Marketing Association “Nonprofit Marketer of the Year” in 2012. She has received multiple awards on behalf of the Foundation’s industry-leading impact. She is a Leadership Council member of Nationswell, and a member of the Board of Directors for the UN Women for Peace Association. Dougherty has appeared on broadcast outlets including ESPN, Cheddar TV, Fox News, MSNBC to discuss the Foundation’s work. She has been featured in articles in USA Today, CBS News, Forbes, TIME Magazine, the Military Times. Dougherty has been a keynote speaker at industry events on topics including veterans, military families, high impact grantmaking, philanthropy, and women in leadership.

Our Transparency and Accountability

Transparency is where confidence begins, the foundation of trust, where problem-solving starts.
– General Martin Dempsey, U.S. Army, Retired; Bob Woodruff Foundation Board Member

As a 501(c)(3) public charity, the Bob Woodruff Foundation relies upon the support of generous donors to fulfill our mission and we hold ourselves to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.

Bob Woodruff Foundation 501(c)(3) Letter
Top-Rated Charity
  • We will pursue opportunities to ensure that veterans and service members have access to the same quality of recovery support that Bob Woodruff and his family received.
  • We will meet veteran needs no matter how intractable a problem seems. If a solution doesn’t exist, we will create one.
  • We will remain steadfast in our commitment to meet veterans’ evolving needs through the impactful and effective programs.
  • We will devote as much diligence to raising funds as we do to allocating them. We will maintain the highest commitment to transparency and highest standards for stewarding the funds entrusted to us.
  • We will maintain industry-leading subject matter expertise on veterans’ needs and the programs that support them. In doing so, we will rely on local and national data and input.
  • We will share our expertise to do more good for more veterans.
  • We will emulate the generosity of spirit that our founders and military families demonstrate each day.

Press Room

Get the latest on how we’re investing to ensure our service members and veterans thrive.

Jun 5
Got Your 6 VetFest Salutes Military Community in Middle Tennessee with Free Star-Studded Event
Gretchen Wilson, Brian Kelley, The War and Treaty, Briston Maroney and Ashley Cooke to perform For the second consecutive year, the Bob Woodruff Foundation chose Nashville to host its Got… Read More
May 16
2022 Annual Report Highlights National Impact
In our 2022 Annual Report, you’ll find highlights of our work to ensure those who stood for us have stable and successful futures. More.
Apr 25
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Highlights Issues, Challenges Related to Military Children’s Mental Health
Recognizing the seriousness of military children’s mental health issues and the importance of addressing them, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has published a related issue brief: “Stand SMART for Heroes: Spotlight… Read More
Mar 29
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Elects Michael Hoffman and Michael Keyes to the Board of Directors
The Bob Woodruff Foundation is pleased to announce the election of Michael (Mike) Hoffman and Michael (Mike) Keyes to its Board of Directors.
Mar 28
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Announces Second Annual Veterans Classic to Support Food Insecurity Initiatives
Register for the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s second annual Veterans Classic at the Westhampton Country Club on Monday, May 22.
Mar 28
Craig Newmark Philanthropies Announces $3 Million Grant to Bob Woodruff Foundation to Support Veterans and Military Families
NEW YORK, March 28, 2023 — Craig Newmark Philanthropies today announced a $3 million grant to the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF), once again demonstrating its unwavering commitment to the military/veteran… Read More
Feb 2
2023 Got Your 6 Summit
Bob Woodruff Foundation and United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County Host Summit Feb. 14 (San Antonio, Feb. 2) In partnership with the United Way of San Antonio and… Read More
Jan 26
Celebrating Bob Woodruff’s Seventeeth Alive Day 
In 2023, Bob Woodruff celebrates his 17th Alive Day, the anniversary of when he survived a roadside bomb attack in Iraq.

Press Room

Get the latest on how we’re investing to ensure our service members and veterans thrive.

Jun 5
Got Your 6 VetFest Salutes Military Community in Middle Tennessee with Free Star-Studded Event
Gretchen Wilson, Brian Kelley, The War and Treaty, Briston Maroney and Ashley Cooke to perform For the second consecutive year, the Bob Woodruff Foundation chose Nashville to host its Got… Read More
May 16
2022 Annual Report Highlights National Impact
In our 2022 Annual Report, you’ll find highlights of our work to ensure those who stood for us have stable and successful futures. More.
Apr 25
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Highlights Issues, Challenges Related to Military Children’s Mental Health
Recognizing the seriousness of military children’s mental health issues and the importance of addressing them, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has published a related issue brief: “Stand SMART for Heroes: Spotlight… Read More
Mar 29
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Elects Michael Hoffman and Michael Keyes to the Board of Directors
The Bob Woodruff Foundation is pleased to announce the election of Michael (Mike) Hoffman and Michael (Mike) Keyes to its Board of Directors.
Mar 28
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Announces Second Annual Veterans Classic to Support Food Insecurity Initiatives
Register for the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s second annual Veterans Classic at the Westhampton Country Club on Monday, May 22.
Mar 28
Craig Newmark Philanthropies Announces $3 Million Grant to Bob Woodruff Foundation to Support Veterans and Military Families
NEW YORK, March 28, 2023 — Craig Newmark Philanthropies today announced a $3 million grant to the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF), once again demonstrating its unwavering commitment to the military/veteran… Read More
Feb 2
2023 Got Your 6 Summit
Bob Woodruff Foundation and United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County Host Summit Feb. 14 (San Antonio, Feb. 2) In partnership with the United Way of San Antonio and… Read More
Jan 26
Celebrating Bob Woodruff’s Seventeeth Alive Day 
In 2023, Bob Woodruff celebrates his 17th Alive Day, the anniversary of when he survived a roadside bomb attack in Iraq.

Get Support

Are you a veteran or family member looking for initiatives and assistance? Or are you an organization in need? We’ve got your 6.

Get Support

Give Support

Interested in supporting our work to ensure veterans and service members have access to the service and resources they deserve? Donate.

Give Support

Get Support

Are you a veteran or family member looking for initiatives and assistance? Or are you an organization in need? We’ve got your 6.

Get Support

Give Support

Interested in supporting our work to ensure veterans and service members have access to the service and resources they deserve? Donate.

Give Support