The Gary Sinise Foundation is a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military. It operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Among its programs is the construction of specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans that are provided mortgage-free. From 2011 to 2021 the Gary Sinise Foundation has raised over $300 million for wounded veterans, first responders, and their families.
Founded in 2011 by actor
Gary Sinise
Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, producer, musician and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has ...
, the foundation serves all branches of the military at U.S. installations domestically and abroad.
As of April 2024, the Gary Sinise Foundation has built 94 specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded heroes, served more than 1,000,000 meals to serving servicemen across the country, and organised around 500 support concerts for serving servicemen sponsored by the foundation.
History
Having grown up in a family of veterans, Sinise has been involved with supporting
military veterans going back as early as the 1970s. After the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, Sinise became more actively involved in supporting the military.
In 2004, Sinise started the Gary Sinise & the Lieutenant Dan Band a cover band that has played over 500 shows around the world, visiting active-duty soldiers including Iraq and Afghanistan. The band has also performed for members of the military and their families to entertain troops and raise money for disabled veterans
On April 26, 2022, the foundation announced its headquarters would move from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, to
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...
, in the mid-year.
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/
2011 establishments in the United States
Organizations based in Tennessee
Non-profit organizations based in Tennessee
American veterans' organizations
Military-related organizations
United States military support organizations