FEEA Celebrates 20 Years of Helping Federal Employees

Washington, DC - This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), a non-profit organization providing aid to civilian federal and postal employees.  Former NFFE National President Jim Pierce was one of the organization’s founders, and current National President Richard N. Brown serves as vice president of FEEA’s Board of Directors, giving FEEA and NFFE a close and longstanding relationship.

G. Jerry Shaw, counsel at the time for the Senior Executives Association, came up with the idea for FEEA in 1986, envisioning an organization that would enable federal employees to provide assistance to one another.  Robert Tobias, then president of the National Treasury Employees Union, Stephen Bauer, president of the National Council of Social Security Management Associations at the time, and former NFFE president Jim Pierce all joined Shaw in founding the organization.  

FEEA conducts a college scholarship competition each year, providing merit-based awards to civilian federal and postal employees and their dependent family members.  More than $6.5 million in scholarship dollars have been given out by the organization since its inception.

In addition to scholarships, FEEA provides grants and no-interest loans to federal employees who encounter unforeseen emergency situations.  Over $5.5 million in emergency assistance has been distributed to federal employees since 1986, including $1.8 million last year alone to victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. 

FEEA has also established special programs to provide additional assistance in some instances.  FEEA is providing full scholarships to any school in the country for every child who lost a federally employed parent in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City in 1995 and the attack on the Pentagon in 2001.  It is estimated that this aid will benefit more than 200 children from the Oklahoma City tragedy and 65 families from the Pentagon.

FEEA receives generous donations from Geico, the Blue Cross Blue Shield federal program, and the Wright & Co. insurance firm.  The majority of its budget, however, comes from funds donated by federal employees during the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). 

If you are interested in making a donation to FEEA, please designate charity #1234 on your CFC pledge card.  Open Season for CFC donations began on September 1st and runs through December 15th.

“NFFE is proud to be part of an organization that has done so much good for federal workers,” said Brown.  “FEEA has accomplished a great deal over the last twenty years, and I have no doubt it will continue to touch the lives of federal employees for many years to come.  I encourage every NFFE member to give generously to such a worthy cause.”