Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions

Reserving a room

Q. What are the requirements to stay at a Fisher House? How do I reserve a room?

A. Fisher Houses are given to the military services and Department of Veterans Affairs as a gift, and the commander or director of each medical center where the houses are located are responsible for establishing the eligibility, priorities, and selection criteria.

Please communicate directly with a Fisher House manager for the requirements at a specific house from the "locations" section of our web site.

Q. Is there a charge to stay at a Fisher House?

A. No. Fisher Houses at VA medical centers do not charge a room fee; and effective October 1, 2006, all room fees for guest families at all Army, Navy, and Air Force Fisher Houses are paid by Fisher House Foundation.

Financial considerations:

Q. I have seen statements that no government funds are used for the program. Is this true?

A. There is unique legislation for the Fisher House program. For building new houses, the Foundation has received some Congressionally appropriated funds. Once an individual house is given to the military, it is supported by three sources of funds: (1) from the income generated by a Congressionally approved trust fund maintained by each military service. (These funds are referred to as "nonappropriated funds.") (2) from the daily fee each family is asked to pay (now being reimbursed to each Fisher House by Fisher House Foundation) and (3) voluntary donations, from individuals and organizations. Included in this category is the annual Combined Federal Campaign. Houses located at VA medical centers do receive support from tax dollars.

Q. Why are we asked to donate if the government pays?

A. The government pays only a portion of the costs. Ours is a "unique private - public partnership," and in many instances, because the funds benefit a specific individual or family, laws or regulations prohibit the expenditure of government funds, but do permit the expenditure of privately donated funds.

Q. What percent of the money spent is for administration?

A. When nonprofit organizations that are tax exempt file their annual federal tax return (IRS Form 990), they are required to categorize each expenditure in three categories: program expense, administration, and fundraising. In 2007, our administration and fundraising expenses were 2.5% of our total revenue.

Donating:

Where to send donation

Q. Where do I mail a donation?

A. Please use the following address: President, Fisher House Foundation, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, Maryland 20850.

Online giving

Q. Is it safe to provide my credit card information on your web site?

A. We contract with another nonprofit, Local Independent Charities of America (LICA), to provide us with a secure means for credit card donations. It is absolutely safe. By joining in with other nonprofit organizations, we enjoy very low processing fees for credit card transactions. When you receive your monthly statement from your credit card carrier, you will see the entry for your donation to Fisher House Foundation will show as "LIC."

LICA forwards all donations to us as an electronic funds transfer on a monthly basis. If you are not comfortable donating online, you can provide the same information to us by telephone (toll-free number is 888-294-8560), or you can send a check through the postal system.

Q. What credit cards do you accept?

A. Local Independent Charities of America (LICA) accepts American Express, MasterCard, and Visa.

They do not accept Discover.

Designating a donation

Q. Can I designate a donation "in honor of" or "in memory of" an individual or organization online? Can I designate a donation to a specific Fisher House or program.

A. Yes. The online giving screen is on three separate pages, and the portion for designating a donation is on the second page. There is a "pull down" menu on the first page for designating a donation to a specific Fisher House or for a specific program. 100% of designated donations are used for the purpose designated (no administrative or processing fees are applied). If you mail a donation or provide a credit card over the phone, you can also designate.

Q. Will you notify the person being honored or a relative of an "in honor of" donation?

A. Yes. If we are provided the name and address of the individual to receive an acknowledgement, we will send a card telling that individual of the donation, but not specifying the amount. We will also send an acknowledgement to the donor so the donor will have a record for tax purposes.

Tax Deductibility:

Q. Are donations tax deductible?

A. Yes, for those who itemize deductions when filing their tax returns. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires a receipt only if a donation is $250 or more. For further information, please contact the IRS.

Q. Are donations to individual Fisher Houses also tax deductible?

A. Generally, yes, but to be positive, please check with the individual Fisher House or the IRS. ÊAll donations to nongovernment support groups which are incorporated as 501 (c)(3) nonprofits qualify, as do all donations to Army Fisher Houses and VA Fisher Houses (although they come under a different provision of law than nonprofit corporations). ÊAs donations to Fisher House Foundation do qualify, you may wish to consider a donation to the Foundation, but designating the contribution to a specific Fisher House, in which case, the Foundation would pass the donated amount on to the designated house.

Securities:

Q. Can I donate stock or other negotiable securities?

A. Fisher House Foundation accepts stock and other securities as charitable donations. The Foundation policy, as approved by our Board of Trustees, is to convert all donations of stock to cash upon receipt. Fisher House Foundation has selected the brokerage firm of Morgan Stanley as its agent to accept stock transfers.

To facilitate the donation of any marketable securities, please call Morgan Stanley for delivery instructions. In addition, please be sure to send an email to Fisher House Foundation Director of Administration Mary B. Considine so we will know the name and address of the donor in order to acknowledge the donation.

For further information on stock transfers, please send an email to Fisher House Foundation Director of Administration Mary B. Considine or call (888) 294-8560, or send an email to Megan Stickell at Morgan Stanley or call (888) 308-9826.

In Kind Donations:

Q. What are in kind donations? Do you accept them?

A. In-kind donations are those donations done in goods and services rather than money. ÊWe do not routinely accept them. We never accept used furniture, toys, clothing, etc. for health reasons. If new items are being offered, we recommend you communicate directly with a specific Fisher House manager to determine local policies.

Mailing Lists:

Q. Is my personal information (name, address, amount of donation) kept private?

A. Yes. We do retain your information in our data base, but only so it is available for review by our auditors who ensure we are in compliance in all laws affecting nonprofit organizations; and so we can mail you a copy of Fisher House Magazine, approximately twice a year. We do not sell or trade names of donors, nor do we do direct mail or telephone solicitations. If you prefer not to receive a copy of Fisher House Magazine, please let us know, and we will not send it to you.

Airline programs

Q. Explain "Hero Miles."

A. In late 2003, Congressman "Dutch" Ruppersberger of Maryland became aware of a problem related to the military's R & R (rest and recuperation) program. The military would fly service men and women to the U. S. from Iraq and Afghanistan for a two-week leave, but the free flight terminated at one of three U. S. airports - Baltimore, Atlanta, or Dallas. From there service members were expected to pay for the continuation of their travel to their home. Congressman Ruppersberger appealed to the airlines and to the public and began a program called "Operation Hero Miles," so donated frequent flyer miles could be used in lieu of individual ticket purchases (which were very expensive because most tickets were purchased at the last minute). Shortly after the start of "Operation Hero Miles," the military began to pay for service members' airline tickets, so there was no longer a need for the hundreds of millions of air miles that the public had donated to the Army for R & R travel. Fisher House Foundation met with Congressman Ruppersberger asking if it could share the donated miles for two distinct groups: for service members hospitalized due to their service in Iraq or Afghanistan (to go home on leave and return to the hospital); and for their families and close friends to be by their bedside. Congressman Ruppersberger enthusiastically agreed, and today Fisher House Foundation operates one of the most successful frequent flyer mile programs in the history of the airlines. Fisher House Foundation has a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Defense to solicit donations of frequent flyer miles and to administer the program for the Department in accordance with provisions contained in the Fiscal Year 2005 Defense Authorizations Act. To comply with the law, the program is restricted to service men and women whose hospitalization is the result of their service in an area of contingency operations, such as Iraq or Afghanistan. Any exceptions to the strict guidelines for the program must be coordinated and approved with the individual airlines.

Q. Which airlines participate? Why don't all the airlines permit frequent flyers to donate miles?

A. The list of participating airlines changes, so please refer to the "Hero Miles" section of the Fisher House Foundation web site for the most current list. For several airlines, the Foundation has a very large balance of frequent flyer miles, so the airlines do not want their passengers to donate miles that may not be used. If our balance drops below a certain level, the airline will reopen the program to donations from its passengers.

Volunteering

Q. Do Fisher Houses need volunteers? What skills or background are needed?

A. Volunteering is done at the local level, and not through the Foundation. We suggest you contact the manager of a Fisher House directly - either by telephone or email. The manager is in a better position to know what is needed at his or her house. The names, phone numbers, and email addresses for the managers is at the "Locations" section of our web site. Visiting a Fisher House

Q. Can I stop by to visit a Fisher House?

A. In almost all cases, yes, but please have the courtesy to arrange your visit through the manager of the house you wish to visit in advance. Individuals or groups wishing to visit a Fisher House should do so during the week, and not over the weekend.

New Houses

Q. Are there going to be more Fisher Houses? Where will they be built?

A. We highlight new Fisher Houses - those under construction, or in planning or design - on our web site. The decision where to build is based on need, and approved by the Foundation's Board of Trustees, which meets twice a year. Normally, a need is identified and justification is submitted from the medical center to either the service Surgeon General (Army, Navy, or Air Force) or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Fisher Houses at VA medical centers. The requesting medical center commander or director must demonstrate that the mission of his or her medical center is one that brings to it patients from beyond the normal daily commuting distance (at least 50 miles) for long periods of time. While the number of beds at a medical center is a consideration, the center must normally be a "center of excellence" or referral center for other smaller medical centers or hospitals.

Q. Who pays for a Fisher House?

A. Fisher House Foundation pays the costs of construction and furnishing for each Fisher House, and the Foundation will have the money on hand before construction begins. So we may conserve our funds to build more houses, we normally ask if half the money for a new house can be raised in the local area, and we do a one-for-one match.

Partnerships

Q. Do you partner with other organizations or support other organizations?

A. Since this is done on a case by case basis, we suggest you communicate directly with the Foundation's President.

Scholarships

Q. How do I apply for a scholarship?

A. There is a separate "Frequently Asked Questions" section for the Scholarships for Military Children Program. This question and others are included. Please go to www.militaryscholar.org and click on the FAQ section.

Q. I am a military spouse. Is there a scholarship program for me?

A. Fisher House Foundation sponsors a separate scholarship program for military spouses. The program is called the NMFA JOANNE HOLBROOK PATTON MILITARY SPOUSE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM and is administered by the National Military Family Association, in partnership with Fisher House Foundation. Applicants can review eligibility criteria and download an application. Recipients of these scholarship grants will be designated "Fisher House Scholars."

Monetary assistance

Q. Does the Fisher House Foundation provide monetary assistance to individual service members or their families?

A. Ordinarily, the Foundation does not, but can on a case-by-case basis if the need is directly related to the hospitalization of a service member or his or her family.

Grants

Q. Does the Foundation offer or provide grants?

A. The Foundation's grants program is done in conjunction with Newman's Own and the Military Times Media Group. Called the "Newman's Own Awards," the three organizations will award $75,000 annually to organizations comprised primarily of volunteers that are working to improve military quality of life. More information is available from the Newman's Own section under "Programs," on the Fisher House home page at www.fisherhouse.org



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