Beacon Foundation was formed in 2000 by then Northwest Airlines flight attendants who wanted to create a foundation that would allow Northwest Airlines flight attendants to help each other during a time of need.
Similar programs at American and United Airlines, also designed to assist their flight attendants, provided the model. Beacon Foundation is separate from the company and governed by a board of directors made up of volunteer flight attendants.
With the Delta/NWA merger, Beacon Foundation expanded its reach to include all U.S. based flight attendants at Delta Air Lines. The foundation continues to be administered by volunteer flight attendants.
Our mission is to provide temporary financial assistance to U.S. based Delta Air Lines flight attendants who are unable to work and financially support themselves and their immediate family members because he/she is suffering from, or providing primary care for an immediate family member who is suffering from, a serious/terminal illness, injury or disability.
Since it was created, Beacon Foundation has helped restore the dignity for flight attendants who have lost their income and are struggling to pay their bills. A grant from Beacon Foundation is intended to be a short-term bridge to help pay for necessary living expenses (such as: housing, heat, electricity and food) when other compensation or insurance coverage is inadequate.
The majority of our funding is received through automatic payroll deduction donations. A program that Delta agreed to grandfatherly honor. Small and large-scale fundraising also supports the foundation.
Beacon Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization and does not discriminate on any basis whatsoever.