Relief

When crisis strikes, Coast Guard families need help they can count on right away. The Coast Guard Foundation provides emergency relief and tragedy assistance to support members and loved ones facing natural disasters, serious illness, loss, or unexpected hardship. This immediate aid helps families navigate difficult moments with greater stability, care, and support.

Help when it’s needed most

Coast Guard members are often called to serve in the midst of emergencies, even when their own families are facing the same challenges at home. In those moments, timely support can make all the difference. The Coast Guard Foundation provides direct assistance so families can address urgent needs, reduce financial stress, and focus on safety, recovery, and one another.

Emergency and disaster relief

Floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters can upend a family’s life in an instant. The Foundation offers emergency disaster relief grants to help Coast Guard members and their families recover from damage, displacement, and other unexpected losses. This support helps families meet immediate needs during uncertain times and ensures members have the resources they need while continuing to serve.

In recent years, relief funding has helped Coast Guard families impacted by major flooding in Juneau, Alaska, devastating flooding in the Pacific Northwest, and wildfires in California. These grants provide fast, practical assistance when families need it most.

Tragedy assistance for Coast Guard families

Serious injury, illness, or the death of a loved one brings emotional hardship as well as unexpected financial strain. The Coast Guard Foundation’s tragedy assistance helps families and shipmates remain close and supported during some of life’s most difficult moments. Funding can help cover immediate travel needs and other urgent expenses, and grants are also available for active-duty members facing the death of a spouse or child.

This support allows loved ones to be present for one another, honors the importance of family connection, and eases burdens during periods of grief and uncertainty.

Honoring service, supporting families

Relief support also extends beyond the immediate moment of crisis. For families of fallen heroes, the Foundation provides ongoing assistance, including scholarships for children of Coast Guard members who died in operational, line-of-duty service. These scholarships can cover 100% of higher education expenses, helping children pursue college or trade school without the burden of debt while honoring their parent’s sacrifice.

Impact

The Foundation’s relief efforts provide meaningful support when Coast Guard families are facing their hardest days. In 2025 alone, the Foundation distributed emergency disaster relief to families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by floods and wildfires and provided tragedy assistance to families coping with the death of a Coast Guard member or immediate family member. Additional support also helped members managing critical injuries or chronic illness.

When the unexpected happens, Coast Guard families should not have to face it alone. Through emergency relief, tragedy assistance, and long-term family support, the Coast Guard Foundation helps ensure members and their loved ones receive compassionate, practical help when they need it most.