Many aren't used to hearing it, but 20,000 expertly trained Soldiers and Airman are proud to call Governor Gavin Newsom their commander-in-chief. In fact, when the U.S. wants to send your California Military Department neighbors overseas, the governor of California has to release them first.

Your California Military Department is proud to be different: they serve in the communities where they work and raise their families — not on a distant, walled-off base somewhere; they use the power and resources of the military to tackle the California issues you care about most. And with 100 locations peppered throughout California, they make it look easy.

Investing in our future

Our well-established Youth Programs combine academia with mentorship to prepare California's youth for success in college and in life.

• Youth academies: Some students are homeless when they begin the nearly 6 month resident phase at one of our three youth academies. Donations help buy essential like toiletries and undergarments for our most under-served cadets.

• STARBASE programs: Your donation can help make sure every California 5th grader gets the opportunity to reach for the stars. Last year 3,200 5th graders enjoyed an out-of-this-world STEM-themed field trip complete with robotics, chemistry, 3-D printers, flight simulators and a rocket launch. The curriculum is five days long, and while free to attend, many underprivileged schools can't afford to bus their students back and forth.

Maintaining an environment that breeds and attracts success

The California Military Department is a world-class organization that attracts world-class athletes.  Our Foundation oversees exciting and new competitive programs like biathlon, competitive sport shooting, and more. Because most of our members are part-time, we believe it is important to create opportunities for our strongest-willed to flourish at their peak levels, compete on a world stage, and give the rest of California a home-team to rally behind. Your donation can help create gold-medal Soldiers and give you a reason to watch biathlon at the Winter Olympics!

Investing in our people

Because we offer California strength, it is imperative we get our people back on their feet when they stumble.  Most members of the California Military Department serve in a part-time status, meaning that unlike their active duty counterparts, many were hit hard by the recession just like others in our state. The difference is, our people still carry many of the same burdens as their protected active duty counterparts: like routinely spending large amounts of time away from their families and the accompanying emotional burdens on life at home. Donations help provide counseling, job placement, and even financial assistance in emergency situations.

Community partnerships and service

At The California Military Department Foundation we are thinking long-term. We believe the best way to ensure everlasting strength for California and her military department is to focus on efforts to make our communities and neighborhoods stronger. It's simple: when we're strong, California is strong, and when California is strong we're at our best. Our Foundation is new. Your donations will help us find innovative ways to serve side-by-side with passionate Californians already making a difference their communities.

The California Military Department responds to fires, floods, chaos and deployments faster and better than any military in the world. But we are more than a reactionary force; we are a force whose strength comes from our citizenship in the state we serve, and our places in the communities we make our home. We don't serve strangers; we serve our neighbors who know and trust us.

Improving California's workforce

We provide top-notch employees to California’s workforce by connecting qualified job-seekers with hiring managers through our Work for Warriors job placement program. Your donation can help make sure that the skills gained from military service go back into the workforce serving your community learn more→