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?
2024 Summit in Review: Collaboration, Community, and Solutions for Florida’s Military Community
Small and Mighty: East Carolina Veterans Coalition’s Work with Rural Veterans
Transforming Lives and Building Community for Veterans in Georgia
What Exactly Is the Bob Woodruff Foundation Got Your 6 Network?
Dallas Cowboys Are USA Wheelchair Football League Champions
Transforming Lives and Building a Supportive Veteran Community
STRONG STAR-Strong Families: Helping Military Families Heal from PTSD
Returning Veterans Project: Serving Those Who Served with Free Health Care
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
We identify and champion areas of need that are most critical to the population we serve.
Our Ongoing Initiatives
We identify and champion areas of need that are most critical to the population we serve.
Our Team
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, and 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 is on the Board of Directors of 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.
The Bob Woodruff Foundation consistently earns top marks from charity watchdogs. Our long-standing 4-star rating fromAmerica’s premier independent charity evaluator, Charity Navigator, places us in the top 1% of all charities in the US, and we are an Accredited Charity Seal Holder with the Better Business Bureau and a GuideStar Platinum Seal Recipient.
We’re also on CharityWatch’s top-rated charities list with an “A” rating, and earned the top spot on DonorBox’s list of Top 10 Best Veteran Charities That Serves Military Service Members and Families.
- We will pursue opportunities to ensure that veterans and service members receive the same quality of 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.
Bob Woodruff Foundation and United Way of Broward County Host Veteran Support Summit March 5
Bob Woodruff Foundation Releases New Data That Shows Many Veterans Across the Country Aren’t Receiving the Services They Need
Bob Woodruff Foundation Offers Guidance on Complementary and Integrative Health Practices for Veterans with PTSD
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Activates Natural Disaster Fund to Aid Military Families Displaced by Tennessee Tornadoes
Molly Jahn, Ph.D. Joins the Bob Woodruff Foundation Leadership Council
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Invests $2.8 Million In Programs Addressing Housing Insecurity, Mental Health, Other Urgent Needs
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Calls for Collaborative Solutions to Veteran Homelessness
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Establishes a Natural Disaster Fund with Help From Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Press Room
Get the latest on how we’re investing to ensure our service members and veterans thrive.
Bob Woodruff Foundation and United Way of Broward County Host Veteran Support Summit March 5
Bob Woodruff Foundation Releases New Data That Shows Many Veterans Across the Country Aren’t Receiving the Services They Need
Bob Woodruff Foundation Offers Guidance on Complementary and Integrative Health Practices for Veterans with PTSD
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Activates Natural Disaster Fund to Aid Military Families Displaced by Tennessee Tornadoes
Molly Jahn, Ph.D. Joins the Bob Woodruff Foundation Leadership Council
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Invests $2.8 Million In Programs Addressing Housing Insecurity, Mental Health, Other Urgent Needs
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Calls for Collaborative Solutions to Veteran Homelessness
The Bob Woodruff Foundation Establishes a Natural Disaster Fund with Help From Craig Newmark Philanthropies
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 SupportGive Support
Interested in supporting our work to ensure veterans and service members have access to the service and resources they deserve? Donate.
Give SupportGet 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 SupportGive Support
Interested in supporting our work to ensure veterans and service members have access to the service and resources they deserve? Donate.
Give Support