Sarah Rothleder

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

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 Scholarship Application Now Available

It’s time to apply for the 2022 DSF Scholarship!

These 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.

FEEA Scholarship Opportunity

Did you know that the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) awards scholarships? The FEEA's 2022-23 scholarship application is open until 3pm EDT on March 24, 2022, Since 1986, FEEA has given almost 11,000 merit-based scholarships to federal public servants, their spouses, children, and grandchildren. Collectively, the scholarship program to date totals over $14 million. FEEA champions the pursuit of higher education and each year supports over 200 students with merit-based scholarships.

INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS ($1,000 TO $5,000):

Children, step-children, and legal dependents of full- or part-time permanent federal civilian or postal workers employed with the federal government for more than three years, as well as the employees themselves and their spouses. Some associations and unions partner with FEEA to provide specific scholarship programs for their employees, employees’ children, grandchildren, or spouses, or retirees’ children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. FEEA uses a common application for all FEEA and co-sponsored scholarships.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

  • Complete high school or college transcripts (unofficial transcripts accepted)

  • An essay

  • A list of community service, awards, and extracurricular activities

  • A copy of federal employee sponsor’s current SF-50 (not required for retired NARFE members)

For more info, visit the FEEA website today.

DSF Recipient of $40K Grant from ISF

The Diplomatic Security Foundation (DSF) is honored to announce that it has been awarded an unrestricted grant of $40,000 from the International Security Foundation (ISF). DSF was one of two organizations to receive a grant as part of the 2021 ISF Grant Program. (Hostage US, a nonprofit supporting the families of the estimated 200 Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad each year, was the other organization to receive an ISF grant.)

“We are proud to support these organizations that mean so much to the global security community in such meaningful ways, especially as we close out what continues to be a challenging year for families,” Peggy O’Neill, ISF Executive Director, says. “We established the ISF Grants program in early 2020 to expand our support beyond the ongoing, important funding for the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).” (OSAC is a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and private-sector security community, supporting the safe operations of U.S. interests overseas.)

The ISF Grants program focuses specifically on U.S. nonprofits serving the security community that have annual budgets under $1 million. Each year, the ISF budgets 10% of its grant funding to non-OSAC nonprofits. The remaining 90% of the ISF grant funds support OSAC programs.

Founded in 2011 as a nonprofit, the ISF’s mission is to fund information-sharing programs and networking to enhance the support of the global security community working to keep Americans and American interests abroad safer and more secure. By funding critical, logistical support for the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the ISF helps to create a safer environment for the U.S. companies, organizations and citizens operating abroad.

“This grant by the ISF is incredibly generous and will help us meet requests from around the world,” adds Greg Starr, DSF Board President. “I have always been proud of ISF since its inception, supporting Diplomatic Security through its support to OSAC, which in turn exists to support U.S. companies, educational institutions and others operating abroad. ISF now contributing to DSF to help those in need in the Diplomatic Security family makes me prouder still of ISF.”

This grant will allow DSF to continue it’s mission of providing for those in the DS community, especially during times of hardship or crisis. (Visit the DSF Grants page for a full list of DSF’s grant activity.)

“A gift of this size is a first for us and will be immensely helpful,” says Sarah Rothleder, DSF Executive Director, “It has been a challenging year for us, now almost two years since the pandemic started. This gift will give us a little breathing room and allow us to focus even more on helping those in our DS family.”

Holiday Appeal Letter from DSF President Greg Starr

December 2021

Dear Friends,

Happy holiday greetings to all in the DS Family from DSF!  With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s time to look forward to a wonderful holiday season.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, greet the New Year, or get together for a family winter gathering, we all can find reasons to be thankful this year.  This time last year we were in the midst of a terrible pandemic that took many loved ones and nearly ruined our economy, with only the hope of an answer in new vaccine development.  Today many millions have been successfully vaccinated and we as a country are safer and the economy is again growing.  Perhaps that is what we can consider our holiday miracle for this year!

However, many in the DS extended family serving abroad may not have the same reasons to be thankful.  The pandemic and other events continued to make this a challenging year for many. Those providing essential security, protecting our officers, families, and facilities, continue to go to work every day at our embassies and consulates abroad. Many travel by bus or other crowded transportation methods, and are the first to deal with the public every day.  Tragically, quite a few became very ill or perished, leaving behind families to deal with anguish, loss, and financial insecurity.

The Diplomatic Security Foundation, thanks to your generous donations, stepped in and made a difference for many. In 2020, we made $94K in grants, and this year, we’re at $85K as of Nov 30.  With the Fall 2021 restart of our major fundraising event, the DSF Mike Considine Golf Charity Outing, we are able to start next year in a relatively good financial position.  The golf tournament was a wonderful event and we had 292 golfers who corporately and individually contributed to this end, but the golf-club fees and costs are higher this year and do take a good portion of what we raise.  So, you’re not off the hook!

As this year comes to an end, please take a moment to think about expanding your giving beyond the immediate family.  Take a moment to consider those who may not have been so fortunate, those in our DS family who lost loved ones or suffered other tragedies. If you have the ability, we hope you will consider making a year-end donation to DSF - large or small - so we can continue our mission of providing for those who have lost so much.

You can donate and help in several ways, including the following:

·         Visit the DSF website and donate directly – dsfoundation.org

·         Send us a check – DSF, 14383 Newbrook Dr Ste 300-408, Chantilly, VA 20151

·         Donate through the Combined Federal Campaign – pick DSF #96262

·         Shop at Amazon Smile and pick DSF as your charity of choice – www.smile.amazon.com

·         Visit our website for other ways to donate: dsfoundation.org/donate-options

·         DSF is a 501(c)3 charity, making your donation 100% tax deductible

On behalf of the entire board of the DS Foundation, I hope I can count on your support.  Best regards for a happy, enjoyable, and safe Holiday Season.

- Greg Starr

DSF Board President   

CFC & DSF: we need your support

The 2020 CFC Campaign is well underway and we haven’t received a single pledge yet. Yikes! Last year we received $17K in gifts via the CFC, down from $34,000 the year before. We sure could use that support this year. Federal Retirees don’t forget you can participate as well!

Visit our website for more info: https://www.dsfoundation.org/cfc

DSF’s CFC number is: #96262

Visit the CFC giving page to make your pledge!

CFCNCA https://cfcnca.org/how-make-pledge

CFC https://cfcgiving.opm.gov/welcome

#ShowSomeLoveCFC

Grant Map 2010 to 2020_just map.jpg

2020 Golf Outing CANCELLED

We are sad to report that the 2020 DSF Charity Golf Outing has been cancelled. Darn you Covid-19! We are encouraging everyone to participate in our UnGolf Outing by ‘Stepping Up’ and becoming a sponsor of our UnGolf event. Visit our golf page for more info. And mark your calendar for next year’s event, slated for Monday, June 7, 2021 - we will celebrate our 30th Anniversary of this great event.

Until next year…

Until next year…