About Us
Helping Our Own Since 1924
CGMA is the official relief society of the U.S. Coast Guard, providing direct financial assistance and resources to eligible Coast Guard members, civilian employees, retirees and their families.
CGMA works closely with the Coast Guard but remains an independent nonprofit organization and receives no government funding. Established and operated by Coast Guard people for Coast Guard people, CGMA pairs a worldwide network of representatives with personalized support to help individuals and families regain stability and move forward with confidence. For more than a century, this is what Helping Our Own looks like.
Mission
CGMA amplifies the voices of our Coast Guard community to harness strengths and address needs. We leverage our network to foster a culture of financial security, ensuring no one walks alone. Through proactive collaboration and tailored support, we are the go-to resource that turns today’s financial challenges into tomorrow’s stability.
CGMA puts this mission into action through grants, interest-free loans, financial counseling, referrals and programs shaped around the evolving needs of the Coast Guard community. The 2025–2030 Strategic Plan also calls for stronger financial education, easier access to assistance and programs that remain relevant, responsive and cost-effective.
Vision
A Coast Guard community empowered by a trusted network and shared resources to eliminate financial worry.
Reaching this vision means doing more than responding when a financial challenge arises. CGMA is working to strengthen financial knowledge, improve access to trusted resources and make it easier for members and families to find support. Through collaboration, technology and insight from across the Coast Guard community, CGMA aims to help people build greater stability and face the future with confidence.
Guiding Principles
CGMA’s guiding principles shape every interaction, every program and every assistance decision made by our CGMA Board of Directors, representatives and staff members:
- To help members of the Coast Guard family achieve autonomous financial well-being.
- To foster self-respect and self-worth.
- To assure applications for financial assistance are treated confidentially.
- To treat all members of the Coast Guard community in an honorable and respectful manner.
- To provide assistance in a timely manner.
- To consistently apply our guidelines and principles fairly and equitably to all.
- To make decisions based on the merits of individual cases.
Diversity
CGMA believes in and strives to practice absolute adherence to a policy of fair treatment. At all times, we will provide an environment that promotes dignity, respect, fairness, equity, and inclusion. These are essential ingredients to the sustainment of operational excellence, a positive office climate and a healthy work environment.
All CGMA personnel and representatives will comport themselves in accordance with all Coast Guard civil rights and equal opportunity policies at all times.
Latest CGMA News
09.23.2026
Final Weeks of the 2026 CGMA Annual Campaign: The Power of Us
By Erica Chapman, CGMA The 2026 Coast Guard Mutual Assistance Annual Fundraising Campaign is entering its final stretch. With the campaign concluding Sept. 30, these remaining days are an opportunity for Coast Guard members, civilian employees, families, commands and communities to come together around the theme: The Power of Us. This year’s campaign focuses on […]
09.23.2026
We Are Coast Guard: What Happens When One of Our Own Needs Help
By MCPOCG (Ret.) Charles “Skip” Bowen, Vice President of CGMA’s Board of Directors and 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard I’ve spent a lot of years around the Coast Guard, and one thing I’ve learned is that even when people are doing everything right, life can still get hard. We wear a […]
08.27.2026
CGMA OPENS NEW CHAPTER IN 102-YEAR HISTORY WITH FIRST INDEPENDENTLY ELECTED BOARD PRESIDENT
Rear Adm. Christopher Hulser selected under new governance structure designed to provide long-term leadership continuity ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 27, 2026 — Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA), the official relief society of the U.S. Coast Guard, has marked a major milestone in its 102-year history with the selection of Rear Adm. Christopher Hulser as the organization’s […]
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