Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation

“This 990 was prepared by an independent certified public accountant who worked with professional employees in the accounting department of the VFW National Headquarters. It was reviewed by the principal officers of the organization prior to execution. In addition, a copy was provided to each member of the Board of Directors prior to the time of filing for their review. The Form 990, along with audited financial statements, are reviewed with the Board of Directors at a later, stated meeting.”

“In order to sustain the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation's reputation and continued success, officers, directors and employees in leadership positions are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and adhere to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. All of the above-named individuals are required to execute an appropriate acknowledgement of adherence to a Code of Ethics Policy upon assuming their positions, and officers, directors and key employees are required to make an annual disclaimer or disclosure of conflicts of interest in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service guidelines. For the fiscal year covered by this Form 990, there were no conflicts of interest identified by the individuals covered by this policy.”

“The organization's board members are not compensated by the VFW Foundation. The President, Secretary/Treasurer, and the board position held by the VFW Commander-in-Chief work for and are compensated by an affiliated organization (VFW) for the positions they hold and the work they perform for that organization. Additionally, the VFW provides selected employees to work exclusively for the Foundation and on Foundation business and activities. The salary administration and payroll processing for the employees that work for the VFW Foundation is administered by the VFW. The VFW has in place a Salary Administration policy that applies to all employees. That policy uses comparability data to assign all employee positions into various grades and to establish salary ranges for each grade. Increases in compensation are based on annual evaluations. The VFW's National Council of Administration, as part of its deliberation on the annual budget, approves all salaries, including the officers and key employees. This Salary Administration policy includes the salaries for the various individuals working as employees of the VFW Foundation.”

“The Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation complies with IRC Section 6104 and makes its Form 1023 and Form 990 available for public inspection upon request.”

“These documents are available, upon request, to the public during the year.”

“Hal Roesch, and Richard Freiburghouse are two of the employees referenced above for Part V, Question 2a. Each served in roles for the VFW Foundation for all or a portion of the fiscal year, but their payroll was processed through the Veterans of Foreign War's payroll system and the VFW Foundation reimburses the VFW of the U.S. for these expenses. Since payments are made from the VFW of the U.S., the W-2 for the employee is issued from the VFW of the U.S.”

“As noted in Part V, Line 2a, for ease of administration, the Veterans of Foreign Wars is an affiliated organization that has employees that exclusively work for and on VFW Foundation business. The Foundation reimburses the Veterans of Foreign Wars for the salaries and benefits incurred for these employees. In addition, the VFW Foundation paid $75,000 to the Veterans of Foreign Wars for accounting, human resources, and legal support.”

“Secure and provide support for veterans and their families; assist veterans transitioning to civilian life; support VFW National Veteran Service officers, who provide free assistance to any veteran with their Veterans Affairs (VA) filings. Additionally, the Foundation supports programs that foster patriotism and community improvement.”

“For ease of administration and in order to provide benefits, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States provides selected employees to the Foundation. These employees work exclusively for the Foundation and on Foundation business and activities. The VFW Foundation has no employees of its own. The Foundation reimburses the Veterans of Foreign Wars for the salary and benefit expenses incurred for these employees. Therefore, the W-3 transmittal and W-2 Forms are filed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and not the VFW Foundation. As of 12/31/24, there were six employees included in the W-3 filing made by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States that work exclusively for the VFW Foundation, and the expenses of those six employees are reflected in this return.”

“The VFW Foundation established a finance committee that assumes the responsibility for oversight of the audit and selection of the independent accountant for the VFW Foundation audit.”