Military Family Advisory Network

TO BE THE AUTHENTIC VOICE OF THE MODERN MILITARY FAMILY AND THE BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS MILITARY FAMILIES TO THE RESOURCES, PEOPLE, AND INFORMATION THEY DEPEND ON TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE ALL PHASES OF MILITARY LIFE.

RESEARCH AND PROGRAM EVALUATION: MFAN FIELDS A BIENNIAL QUALITATIVE SURVEY, THE MILITARY FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAMMING SURVEY, TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE SUPPORT NEEDS OF OUR NATION'S MILITARY, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES. THIS RESEARCH PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES, COVERING TOPICS LIKE CHILD CARE, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, FINANCES, FOOD SECURITY, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, HOUSING, AND TRANSITION. THE FINDINGS FROM THIS RESEARCH SHAPE OUR PROGRAMMING, AS THEY ILLUMINATE AREAS WHERE MILITARY FAMILIES SEEK ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, EDUCATION, AND RESOURCES. THIS ALLOWS US TO BRING TOGETHER AND INFORM NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, ARMED FORCES LEADERSHIP, POLICYMAKERS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO ENACT POSITIVE CHANGE FOR THE MILITARY COMMUNITY. MFAN'S CONSTANT GOAL IS TO SHORTEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME BETWEEN THE IDENTIFICATION OF AN ISSUE AND THE DEPLOYMENT OF A SOLUTION. COLLECTING AND SHARING DATA IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO DO THAT. THE MILITARY FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAMMING SURVEY IS THE FOUNDATION OF MFAN'S RESEARCH PORTFOLIO.

CONNECTING MILITARY FAMILIES TO RESOURCES: TO CREATE A LAUNCHPAD FOR FOOD-RELATED SUPPORT FOR MILITARY FAMILIES, IN APRIL 2021, MFAN DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED THE 1 MILLION MEALS CHALLENGE, A NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT THE UPSETTING RISE OF HUNGER IN THE MILITARY COMMUNITY. THE CAMPAIGN PROMISED TO BRING TOGETHER KEY PLAYERS CORPORATE SPONSORS, MILITARY FAMILIES, FOOD BANK PARTNERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, MILITARY LEADERS, AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS TO IDENTIFY BOTH IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO FOOD INSECURITY. MFAN ANNOUNCED A THREE-PRONGED APPROACH; HOSTING LOCAL FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS IN AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WHERE FOOD SUPPORT IS NEEDED MOST, CONNECTING FAMILIES TO ONGOING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES, AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND AND ULTIMATELY ADDRESS UNDERLYING FACTORS THAT LEAD TO FOOD INSECURITY AMONG MILITARY FAMILIES. MFAN OFFICIALLY DISTRIBUTED OVER ONE MILLION MEALS TO OVER 6,700 MILITARY FAMILIES, EACH OF WHOM RECEIVED AN AVERAGE OF 50 POUNDS OF NUTRITIOUS FOOD AT EVERY DISTRIBUTION AT NO COST. AS PART OF THIS WORK, MFAN LAUNCHED THE COMBAT MILITARY HUNGER TASK FORCE TO IDENTIFY LONG-TERM, SCALABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT MILITARY FAMILIES EXPERIENCING FOOD INSECURITY.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS OF MODERN MILITARY FAMILIES: SINCE 2013, MFAN HAS CONVENED A GROUP OF MILITARY AND VETERAN SPOUSES, WHO ARE ALSO LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, IN ORDER TO FORM A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT MILITARY FAMILIES NEED AND VALUE. THE MFAN ADVISORY BOARD IS A DIVERSE GROUP OF MILITARY AND VETERAN SPOUSE LEADERS, CHANGEMAKERS, AND CHAMPIONS FOR MILITARY FAMILIES. THEY BRING TOGETHER YEARS OF MILITARY LIFE EXPERIENCE AND ARE DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY NEAR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS OF ALL BRANCHES OF SERVICE. THESE DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS SERVE AS AMBASSADORS - REPRESENTING THEIR ACTIVE DUTY, GUARD, RESERVE, AND VETERAN COMMUNITIES. IN 2021, MFAN WELCOMED OUR FIFTH COHORT, CONSISTING OF 13 MEMBERS WHO WILL SERVE A TWO-YEAR TERM. THROUGH MONTHLY CONVENINGS, THE ADVISORY BOARD SHARES WHAT THEY ARE HEARING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, GIVING MFAN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHALLENGES FACING MILITARY FAMILIES AND HOW TO BEST SERVE THEM. THIS RELAY OF INFORMATION IS CRUCIAL TO FUELING MFAN'S RESEARCH AND PAVES THE PATH FORWARD FOR DATA-DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND PARTNERSHIPS.

OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE MISSION, INCLUDING RESOURCES AND COLLABORATION DESIGNED TO SERVE MILITARY FAMILIES. ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS MFAN CREATES CHANGE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES IS THROUGH THE CONVENING OF COALITIONS. OUR COALITIONS BRING TOGETHER BEST-IN-CLASS PARTNERS IN BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS TO SHARE PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES, DISCUSS EMERGING TRENDS, AND DEVELOP ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THOSE IN POSITIONS OF LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCE. IN 2021, WE TARGETED THREE AREAS OF FOCUS - FINANCIAL READINESS, FOOD INSECURITY, AND HOUSING. MILITARY FAMILY FINANCIAL READINESS COALITION (MFFRC) MFFRC CONVENES BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTED TO THE FINANCIAL WELLNESS AND STABILITY OF MILITARY FAMILIES. THIS COALITION PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ORGANIZATIONS WITH A VESTED INTEREST IN THE FINANCIAL WELL-BEING OF MILITARY FAMILIES TO SHARE IDEAS, LESSONS LEARNED, BEST PRACTICES, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO MORE EFFECTIVELY SERVE OUR FAMILIES AND RESPOND TO THEIR EVOLVING NEEDS. IN ADDITION TO INFORMING THE WORK OF ITS PARTICIPANTS IN THEIR FINANCIAL EDUCATION EFFORTS AND INITIATIVES, THE MFFRC YIELDS ACTIONABLE INFORMATION THAT EDUCATES AND INFORMS POLICYMAKERS. MILITARY FAMILY FOOD INSECURITY COALITION CREATED IN 2018, THE MILITARY FAMILY FOOD INSECURITY COALITION (MFFIC) SHARES RESEARCH AND RESOURCES, RAISES AWARENESS, AND DEVELOPS SOLUTIONS THAT ALLEVIATE HUNGER AMONG OUR MILITARY AND VETERAN COMMUNITIES. THE COALITION IS COMPRISED OF MILITARY-CONNECTED NONPROFITS, ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS, POLICYMAKERS, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, INDUSTRY LEADERS, FOOD BANKS, AND MORE. MILITARY HOUSING ROUNDTABLE THE MILITARY HOUSING ROUNDTABLE (MHR) IS A NETWORK OF TRUSTED, BEST-IN-CLASS STAKEHOLDERS FROM ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS WORKING TO ENSURE THAT MILITARY AND VETERAN FAMILIES HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHY, SAFE, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING REGARDLESS OF WHERE THE MILITARY SENDS THEM. THE MHR CONVENES HOUSING LEADERS AND ADVOCATES AND BUILDS ON BEST PRACTICES TO DEVELOP AND RECOMMEND POLICY AND PROGRAMMATIC SOLUTIONS.