Our Work
Four pillars.
One mission.
Veterans don’t stop leading, serving, growing, or belonging when the uniform comes off. The Foundation builds experiences across four pillars so what came after can feel like what came before.
The framework
How the work holds together.
Esprit de Corps Foundation creates opportunities for veterans, service members, military families, and communities to experience more, serve together, move forward, and stay connected.
The four pillars guide everything we build. Underneath each one are programs that evolve through partnerships, community needs, and the ideas of the people we serve.
The four pillars
One mission, four lanes.
Each pillar carries its own Operation. Explore the lane that fits what you’re here for; most of our strongest work touches more than one.
Recreation & Adventure · Experience together.
Operation Adventure™
Camaraderie, wellness, and friendship built through recreation, fitness, sports, and shared adventure.
ExploreCommunity & Service · Serve together.
Operation Serve™
Continue the tradition of service by helping veterans lead meaningful projects in the communities they call home.
Explore
Growth & Opportunity · Move forward together.
Operation Next Mission™
Open doors to education, careers, entrepreneurship, leadership, and opportunities veterans may not otherwise encounter.
Explore
Family & Belonging · Belong together.
Operation Anchor™
Experiences where veterans, service members, military families, and supporters build genuine relationships and community.
Explore
How we work
We don’t have to build it alone.
Some of the best opportunities already exist.
A climbing gym has the experience. A technology company has the expertise. A veteran knows their neighborhood. A university has students ready for their next chapter. A nonprofit specializes in a resource our community needs. A business wants to give back.
EDC brings those pieces together.
We build partnerships that turn existing resources, expertise, spaces, ideas, and people into meaningful experiences for the military and veteran community.
Cross-pillar impact
Real life doesn’t fit into one box.
The pillars guide the work, but the strongest experiences often touch more than one. The pillars are how we think about impact, not walls between programs.
Back to School Community Day
Veterans served families together and strengthened community relationships in Back of the Yards.
Community & Service+Family & Belonging
Next Mission
Participants form long-term mentorship networks and peer relationships that outlast the workshop.
Growth & Opportunity+Family & Belonging
Veteran Kayaking
People build friendships through shared experience on the water.
Recreation & Adventure+Family & Belonging
The EDC Remembrance Muster
Physical challenge and tribute honor service and build unit-level connection.
Recreation & Adventure+Community & Service
Partnership philosophy
Don’t just sponsor us. Build with us.
The strongest partnerships happen when organizations contribute more than a logo and a check. A company can open its headquarters. A recreation provider can offer an experience. A university can connect students. A nonprofit can bring expertise. A veteran can bring an idea.