Jim Hake founded Spirit of America in response to the attacks of 9/11.

Spirit of America is a privately-funded 501c3 nonprofit. It has pioneered a new model of philanthropic private assistance that supports America’s national security and unites the American people with America’s troops and diplomats in common cause: saving and improving lives, defending freedom, and strengthening the frontlines of democracy. Spirit of America is “not-neutral.” Its unprecedented partnership with the US military is based on an agreement with the US Department of Defense that allows the military to collaborate, identify needs, receive and distribute Spirit of America assistance, and provide logistical support.

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General (Ret.) Joe Dunford says, “Spirit of America represents a new capability — not just another nonprofit” that is “important to our country’s future.”

Prior to Spirit of America Jim was an entrepreneur. He founded and sold Access Media, one of the first internet media companies. In 2000 and 2001, Jim was named a “Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum. Jim has been honored at the Marines Evening Parade, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is an honorary member of the US Army Civil Affairs Regiment. He is a contributing author to Warriors and Citizens: American Views of Our Military, a book edited by General Jim Mattis and Dr. Kori Schake. Jim has been published in The Wall Street Journal and given talks at the TED conference, the Bush School of Government, the Aspen Institute, the Fletcher School, Dartmouth’s Tuck School, SMU, and USC.

Jim received a BA with distinction in economics from Dartmouth College. Throughout college, Jim worked as a member of Local 161 of the International Association of Ironworkers — the riggers union in Philadelphia. After Dartmouth, Jim trained as a hovercraft pilot with the Canadian Coast Guard and was part of a team that tested the viability of commercial hovercraft transportation in southwestern Alaska.

Jim earned an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is the founder and president emeritus of The Friends of Arjay Miller (FOAM), Stanford business school’s longest-lived social institution.

Jim in the news:
Wall Street Journal: How a Venture Capitalist Went to War
TED Talk: The New War and Peace
Uncommon Knowledge: Jim Hake and General Jim Mattis
American Enterprise Institute: Advancing American Interests Through Philanthropy 
National Public Radio: American Charity Helps War-Ravaged Music School In Ukraine
National Public Radio: American Charity Backs Military Radio Station In Ukraine
Philanthropy Magazine: War, Peace, Philanthropy
New York Times: Radio Free Syria