Grants Given in Aug & Sept

When you donate to DSF, we use those funds to support our grants program. It is an honor to be able to help those in our world-wide DS “family” during times of hardship or crisis.

A full list of our grants can be found on our GRANTS page.

Help us continue our mission of providing for those in our DS “family” by making a gift today: DONATE

Flooding in Laos from Typhoon Yagi

$2,000 for four guards at US Embassy Vientiane (Laos) who suffered major damage to their homes from the effects of Typhoon Yagi.

$5,000 for a local guard at U.S. Embassy Caracas (Venezuela) to assist with medical costs. He suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident while off duty.  He has worked at the embassy for 14 years, but because of the severity of his injuries will most likely not be able to return to work.

$4,000 to the family of a local guard at US Embassy Harare (Zimbabwe) who passed away after health complications.  He had worked at the embassy for 23 years, and leaves behind a wife and a 14 year old daughter. 

RSVP Today! Next DSF Luncheon is Oct 31st

We hope you can join us October 31st for next DSF Luncheon. Come meet up with DS friends and hear the latest updates from DS, DSF, DSSAA and more. Open to current, former and retired DS employees, or anyone with an interest in DS.

Locations: Arlington Knights of Columbus

Time: 11:30-2pm

Early Bird registration is $35. After October 21, the price goes up to $40. So register now! 

2024 Golf Outing Raises $210K for DSF

Another great DSF Golf Outing is in the books! This year’s event was a huge success. We had so many people on the waitlist that we had to open a third course at Lansdowne! It was a great day with beautiful weather, happy golfers, and good cheer all around. We can’t thank everyone enough for their support of this event, our 33rd golf outing! Check out our Golf Page for more info about the event, check out all the pictures and peruse the digital golf program. And mark your calendar now for next year’s event - Monday, June 2, 2025. See you then!

DSF Grants Given In July

Donations to DSF are used to fund our grants program. Here are some of our more recent grants. A full list of our grants can be found on our GRANTS page. Help us continue our mission of providing for those in our DS “family” by making a gift today: DONATE

$5,000 to a local guard at US Embassy Guayaquil (Ecuador) to assist with medical costs surpassing insurance coverage associated with his treatments for brain cancer.

$4,000 to the wife of a local guard at US Embassy Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) who survived a house fire that took the life of her husband, 16 year old daughter and nephew.

$5,000 to a local guard at US Embassy Beirut (Lebanon) to assist with medical costs for injuries sustained while he was attacked while standing guard at the embassy front gate. He was shot in the face, chest and arm by a lone gunman.

Latest Grants

Over $13K given out in grants so far this year

Here are some of our most recent grants:

$3,000 to a local guard at US Embassy Belgrade (Serbia) to help cover uninsured medical costs for her 10 year old son who has is seeking treatment for a debilitating autoimmune disease.

$1,200 for the family local guard at US Embassy Banjul (The Gambia). The guard was killed while riding his bike to his post.  He had worked for the embassy for a total of 22 years.  He leaves behind a wife and 8 children, all of whom he supported.

$2,000 to the family of a local guard at US Embassy Islamabad (Pakistan) who died of a heart attack. He worked at the embassy for over 24 years, and leaves behind a wife and 4 children, ranging in age from 4 to 17.

Visit our Grants page for a full listing of all our grant activity.

Inaugural DSF Luncheon 3/21/24

Join us for a return of the beloved DS Luncheon. Now being hosted by DSF. We’ll be meeting at the Arlington Knights of Columbus on March 21 for a buffet lunch. Assistant Secretary of State Gentry Smith will be our guest speaker. This event is open to any and all with an interest in DS. Register now!

The Arlington Knights of Columbus is a beautiful, convenient location. The Reception Hall is to the left of the original manor, close to the parking lot and easily accessible to all. 

DSF Scholarship Application Now Available

It’s time to apply for the 2024 DSF Scholarship!

The DSF scholarships go to graduating high school seniors who are children / grandchildren / stepchildren (or a dependent of a guardian) of a DS employee / contractor (not just Special Agents), who are planning to attend any institution of higher learning at the university, community or vocational level.  Visit our Scholarship page for specifics and a list of past winners.

Last year we gave out 13 awards totaling $25,000 in scholarships! Deadline to apply is May 15 and Awards will be announced in July!

Click here for more information and to apply.

Helping Our DS Community

Recent Grants

It has been quite a year for DSF Grants. We have already given out over $210K in grants, far above our normal budget (which averages around $100K). But thanks to our generous donors, we have been able to help so many of the people who keep American diplomacy safe. From local guards, to MSGs, to DS employees, we’re here to help everyone in our DS worldwide “family” during times of hardship or crisis. Here are just a few of the 25+ grants we’ve made this year. You can view a complete list on our Grants Page.

  • $5,000 to the family of a local guard at US Consulate Jeddah who died of gunshot wounds when an assailant opened fire at the consulate perimeter drop bar. The guard had been with the consulate for 16 years and leaves behind a wife and three sons.

  • $5,000 to a DS employee at FASTC to help with uninsured medical and funeral costs for his wife who passed away from cancer.

  • $42,600 to 142 members of US Mission Turkey who were affected by the February 6, 2023 earthquakes.

Help Us Continue Our Work

It has been challenging on our funds giving out so much in grant support, but it’s what we were built for. That being said, we do need your help: If you haven’t yet made a gift to DSF this year, now would be a great time. Your gift will allow us to continue to provide for those in our world-wide DS "family" during times of need. Click on the Donate button on our Donate Page, or visit Other Ways To Donate Page for more options.

2023 DSF Scholarship Winners

DSF Scholarship Winners

We are excited to announce that there were 13 winners of this year’s DSF Scholarship award; eight students received $2,500 awards, and five received $1,000. These funds are awarded to high school seniors planning on attending any institute of "higher" learning (at the university, community or vocational level). The scholarship program is open to students related to a Diplomatic Security employee or contractor. All the students who applied this year were incredibly impressive – it’s an almost impossible task to narrow the list! For a complete list of this year’s winners, and more info about next year’s program, please visit our Scholarship Page. 



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2023 Golf Outing Update

This year’s Charity Golf Outing nets $210K for DSF

We’re happy to announce that the 32nd Annual DSF Mike Considine Golf Outing, held on Monday June 5, 2023, was a smashing success! One of our best fundraising events ever. We had beautiful weather and a tremendous turnout (288 golfers). We are so fortunate to have so much support for this event - we had a record number of sponsors this year: 61 sponsors of $500+up; and 49 sponsors at the Hole level ($150). This event sold out a few weeks after we opened registration, so if you plan on joining us in 2024 (June 3rd), be sure to sign up early next spring! For a recap, list of sponsors, and lots of photos, check out our Golf Page on our website.

A/S Gentry Smith with the SOC Team: Ben Lilly President of Mason & Hanger, Doug Magee President of SOC, Dan Cronin VP SOC and also a DSF Board member

Join Our Golf Mailing List

And if you're interested in our golf event, get your name on that list so you're the first to know!

Grants Given Out

We have given out over $160K in grants this year - blowing past our normal budget, and we’re barely halfway through the year. And while normally our grants help an individual or a family, this year we’ve had numerous requests to help groups of people.

  • Turkey: the earthquake in Turkey which affected 140+ Mission employees, many of whom lost family members, their homes and possession. We sent a grant of $42K which barely made a dent.

  • Nigeria: the deaths of seven LGF (Local Guard Force) assigned to US Embassy Abuja who we killed in a attack on their convoy. We sent a grant of $12K plus an additional $4K that was donated by many.

  • Sudan: Civil war broke out in Sudan in April, 2023. The US Embassy Khartoum was evacuated but 11 LGF have remained and have continued to protect the embassy, risking their own lives on a daily basis. A grant of $16K was sent to assist them during this difficult time.

These are just a few of the grants we’ve made in the past few months. There are many more that can be viewed on our Grants page. It has been challenging, but it’s what we were built for. That being said, we do need your help: If you haven’t yet made a gift to DSF this year, now would be a good time. Visit our Donate page so that we can continue to provide for those in our world-wide DS family.

DSF Scholarship Application Now Available

It’s time to apply for the 2023 DSF Scholarship!

The DSF scholarships go to graduating high school seniors who are children / grandchildren / stepchildren (or a dependent of a guardian) of a DS employee / contractor (not just Special Agents), who are planning to attend any institution of higher learning at the university, community or vocational level.  Visit our Scholarship page for specifics and a list of past winners.

Last year we gave out 12 awards totaling $25,000 in scholarships! Deadline to apply is May 15 and Awards will be announced in July!

Click here for more information and to apply.

Recent grants given out by DSF

Busy couple of weeks at DSF as we’ve been providing multiple grants to those in need in our world-wide DS family. In 2022, we gave out more than $116,000 in grants.

RSO O’Connor and ARSO Lightfine handed out funds provided by DSF

In December, we gave out a number of grants including a grant of $6500 to US Embassy N’Djamena (Chad) to help out a large group of local guards whose homes were damaged or destroyed by recent record flooding.


Just this week, we’ve given out an additional $14,250 in grants:

  • A guard at US Embassy Kuala Lumpur for medical costs for his wife who suffered a stroke

  • Three guards from US Embassy Eritrea to help with the cost of relocating

  • A guard at US Embassy Cairo to help with costs of a new prosthetic

  • To the family of a guard from US Embassy Mesaru (Lesotho) who was murdered

DSF Provides Assistance With 6 New Grants

DSF was able to give out 6 new grants recently, upping the total for 2022 to almost $62,000.

Here are the latest grants provided, thanks to the generosity of donors & sponsors:

$3,000 to a local guard at US Embassy Georgetown (Guyana) whose three children perished when their home caught on fire.

$5,000 to the families of two guards at US Embassy Lusaka (Zambia) who were killed by a motor vehicle while walking to work together. They had been with the embassy for 6 and 7 years respectively. They each leave behind a wife and child.

$2,500 to the family of a guard at US Embassy – Cotonou (Benin) who died unexpectedly. He had been with the embassy for 17 years. He leaves behind a wife and three children ranging in age from 2 to 10.

$2,000 to the family of a guard at US Embassy Nairobi (Kenya) who died unexpectedly from an illness. He leaves behind a wife and 14 year old son.

$5,500 ($4500+$1000) to the families of two guards at US Embassy Port-au-Prince (Haiti). One guard was killed and one gravely injured in a vehicular accident on their way home from work. The guard who was killed leaves behind a wife and 3 children (10, 7 and 2 mo).

We share these details to underline the importance of your donations & the impact they make. For more information on our program and to make a donation, visit our GRANTS page.

DSSAA Annual Picnic is Back!

Our friends at DSSAA are hosting their annual picnic this year on August 27, 11am-3pm.

New venue: Dulles Golf Center & Sports Park right off of Rt 28 in Sterling near IAD.

DSSAA Picnic Event is open to all current and retired DS employees (Foreign Service, Civil Service, PSCs, and TPCs), not just members of DSSAA or special agents. It is a time to come together, relax, laugh, network, see friends and colleagues outside of work.

Ticket Price: $30 adults, $25 Children (Members may use their 20% discount at checkout) which includes:

Food and Drink (Mission BBQ) and unlimited activities:

  • Putt Putt

  • Batting Cages

  • Driving Range

  • Corn hole and Beach volleyball

  • Live Music: Band- Redacted

  • Limited Bar: ID required

This is a rain or shine event, no refunds will be given. You WILL not receive a physical ticket for the event.

Limited ticket sales while supplies last.

Hope to see you there,

- DSSAA Board of Directors

Get your tickets here: https://dssaa.org/online-store

DSSAA: Hosting a Police Week Team

The following message is from our partner organization, DSSAA. They are hosting Team DSS, and providing special T-shirts for those who participate:

Please join the Diplomatic Security Special Agents Association (DSSAA) in Arlington for the 2022 National Police Week 5K (NPW 5K) Walk/Run on Saturday, May 14.

Team DSS: We invite all employees, contractors, family members, and friends to come walk/run as part of Team DSS. The NPW 5K is a family event and we want you there! The overall team time is an average of the top three finishers from each team, not the entire team. So, feel free to walk, stroll, or jog. Everyone is welcome!

Previously, Team DSS won five awards: 1st Place Team Overall, Largest Running Team, 3rd Place Overall Individual Runner, Men Over 60 Top-3 Finisher, and 1st Place Men Under 20.

How to Participate: If you wish to join Team DSS at the NPW 5K in Arlington on Saturday, May 14, visit the below link to register. When you sign up, use Team Name "Diplomatic Security Service." Register Here

In addition to the NPW 5K running shirt received after registering, DSSAA will provide Team DSS running shirts to local participants while supplies last (available onsite at the race on a first come-first serve basis; not available for purchase). Look for the DSSAA tent near the race staging area in Rosslyn (nearby SA-15): 1621 North Kent St. Arlington, VA 22209

NPW 5K at Post: The NPW 5K allows overseas teams to register and participate. Traditionally, overseas posts form their own teams and host a 5K that day without formal registration. Just notify DSSAA and send us some photos of the event.

Additional information: Packet pickup will be at the Arlington Potomac River Running Store (in Ballston Quarter) on Friday, May 13 from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm and then again on Race Day, Saturday, May 14 at the race site starting at 7:00 am. Due to organizer rules, DSSAA cannot pick up race packets ahead of time.

This year’s race was moved to Arlington, Virginia and the course passes directly in front of Arlington National Cemetery while reversing direction on the Pentagon grounds, paying homage to the countless veterans who have continued their public service as law enforcement officers.

Attendees will be required to follow all Arlington County and Commonwealth of Virginia COVID regulations on the day of the event.

DSF Gives Out FIVE Recent Grants

Our work continues! While the circumstances are difficult, we’re fortunate to have been able to provide the following five recent grants:

$6,000 total ($2,000/ea) to the families of three local guards at US Embassy Bamako (Mali), two of whom were killed, and 1 wounded, in a terrorist attack on a Malian military base they had been temporarily deployed to from the embassy. 

$4,000 to a DS Special Agent and his wife to help with uninsured medical costs associated with the treatment of their 18-month-old daughter who has a rare form of cancer.

$5,000 to a DS Special Agent (now retired) to help with uninsured medical and funeral costs for his wife who recently passed away from cancer.

$4,000 to a senior NCO of the US Embassy Baghdad (Iraq) SECFOR (security force) company (a US Army unit on the embassy compound and Embassy Airport compound providing additional protection and assets), to assist with funeral costs for his father-in-law, and for his daughter who was killed a few days later by a drunk driver.  His daughter was 22 years old, married with two children.

$2,500 to the family of a local guard at US Embassy Accra (Ghana), who was killed in a motor vehicle accident on his way to work. He leaves behind 3 children.

As always, we are extremely thankful for our donors and supporters, who allow us to help those in the DS family during their times of need.

If you are interested in supporting DSF, please visit our DONORS page.