The Arkansas National Guard Foundation is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization created in 2014 as the successor to the National Guard Association of Arkansas Insurance Trust. The National Guard Association of Arkansas (NGAA) was created in 1927 to advocate for support of the National Guard in Arkansas. The Association began providing term life insurance to its members in 1967. In 1968 the Trust was created by the NGAA and the Enlisted Association of the Arkansas National Guard (EAANG) to enable veteran-focused charitable giving from the proceeds of the insurance program. Since its creation, the Foundation and its predecessors have provided over $1.1 million in scholarships to Guard members, their dependents, and their survivors. The creation of the Foundation enabled the consolidation of several existing charitable organizations and programs. The Foundation conducts its activities by creating endowments or funds to service specific needs. The Foundation currently has several endowments that honor Arkansas National Guard heritage and veteran communities and sponsor, support, and conduct programs of all types for the purpose of improving the education, training, capabilities, efficiency, and breadth of service and knowledge of persons, businesses, organizations, and institutions engaged in supporting the National Guard.
The Foundation’s board of directors focuses on transparent financial stewardship of the gifts that it receives. The Foundation is audited annually and employs an Investment Policy Advisor who invests the Foundation’s assets in accordance with an Investment Policy Statement. The board creates new endowments or funds to enable charitable giving in accordance with the donor’s preferences.