Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. (PHWFF) has been designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The first program was started at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. in 2005. The official name was established in the fall of 2006, and the organization was incorporated in the State of Maryland in 2007. PHWFF currently has 167 programs in 49 states. Each program
is managed at the local level by volunteers and based at a Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) facility (128), Department of Defense (DoD) military installation (10), Warrior Transition Unit (18) or other location (4). PHWFF has 15 geographic regions throughout the United States. PHWFF also has affiliate programs in Canada and Australia. PHWFF is a volunteer-run organization governed by a Board of Trustees (BOT) and elected officers who create policy, provide operational and budget oversight, and are responsible for the strategic plan. The administrative and program functions are supported by five full time employees and one part-time employee at the national level. The volunteers at the regional and local levels work with the national staff to coordinate plans and operations, administer programs, assist with fundraising and manage special projects. PHWFF is not a membership organization with subordinates. We refer to the local affiliates as programs, not chapters or clubs. PHWFF relies on the generosity of both private and corporate donors. PHWFF also solicits foundation grants but does not receive government funding. After a thorough vetting process, PHWFF is part of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC #82526). For 2013, PHWFF overhead expenses for salaries, administration and fundraising are 20% of total revenue as determined by CFC calculations outlined in Memorandum 2009-8. PHWFF programs are associated with and draw volunteers from Federation of Fly Fishers clubs (54 clubs), Trout Unlimited chapters (67 chapters), and independent clubs (41 independent groups). Some of our programs are run jointly by both Federation of Fly Fishers and Trout Unlimited clubs. Program Leads from PHWFF coordinate with DVA and DoD employees to plan and administer the fly fishing program in accordance with the provisions set forth by PHWFF and the DoD and VA facilities’ requirements. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is signed by PHWFF and the fly fishing club to formalize the relationship. Each PHWFF program is managed by a Program Lead (PL) who recruits and manages the local volunteers and coordinates the programs activities. A Regional Coordinator (RC) oversees all the programs within the geographic region. Program activities may include, but are not limited to, fly fishing instruction, fly tying classes, fly casting workshops, rod building and fly fishing outings. In 2013, more than 130,000 hours were donated by more than 2400 PHWFF volunteers. This enabled more than 5400 recovering warriors and disabled veterans to participate in PHWFF program activities. Fishing outings and other PHWFF program activities have been featured on ESPN, CNN, FOX, and Fly Rod Chronicles, as well as local network television and cable stations, the web and major newspapers, magazines and other publications. More information is available on our website: www.projecthealingwaters.org. Media coverage of PHWFF outings and activities can be found on our YouTube page at www.youtube.com/phwff.
