This game-changing program awards a Defender 130 and a financial donation to six nonprofits. Will your favorite charity win? Vote now!
(Photo: Defender)
Published July 29, 2026 11:11AM
If you want to find the true heroes out there, look no further than the submissions for the 2026 Defender Service Awards presented by CHASE. Now in its sixth year, the program honors the hardworking nonprofits that support communities in the most meaningful ways. These are the organizations out on the front lines doing mission-driven work like search and rescue, emergency food delivery, wildlife rehab, and more.
Nonprofits from all over the United States and Canada are eligible to apply, and hundreds do, providing a powerful snapshot of humanity at its best. That’s why Outside Interactive, the parent company of Outside, is a longtime partner of the program, sponsoring the Outdoor Accessibility & Education Award, one of six categories that ensure the most critical community services are honored.
Winners in each of the six categories receive a customized Defender 130 SUV and $30,000 in prize money. That can be a game changer for a local nonprofit, and it’s just the latest incarnation of the Defender brand’s legacy of supporting charitable organizations.
For decades, Defender has created legendary vehicles to take service workers on missions to help others. That support—that commitment to embrace the impossible—has reached people in some of the world’s most remote areas, and putting the Defender 130 to work for nonprofits across the United States and Canada is a natural extension of this spirit. Since 2021, the program has awarded 30 customized Defender SUVs and more than $1.5 million (all 30 finalists receive $5,000 each, courtesy of Presenting Partner CHASE). In total, 120-plus nonprofits have benefited, enabling them to improve and expand their services.
How does it work? Go to Defender Service Awards and watch videos from the finalists in six categories. Vote for your favorites from July 29 to August 14, 2026. Winners will be announced at Destination Defender, held during the weekend of September 11 in Temecula, California. And yes, go ahead and get out the vote—there’s never been a more deserving reason.
Here are the 2026 Defender Service Awards finalists:
Animal, Wildlife & Marine Mammal Welfare Award
Presented by Disney
By providing community shelters, wildlife rescue programs, and marine conservation, these nonprofits protect those without a voice.
| 2026 FINALISTS | |
| Nonprofit | Location |
| Pacific Wildlife Care | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| West Suburban Humane Society | Downers Grove, IL |
| Atlantic Marine Conservation Society | Westhampton Beach, NY |
| Helen Woodward Animal Center | Rancho Santa Fe, CA |
| Picolini’s Animal Rescue | Miami, FL |
Community Services Award
Presented by ei3
This category recognizes nonprofits that help communities through food, shelter, and environmental programs.
| 2026 FINALISTS | |
| Nonprofit | Location |
| First Baptist Gatlinburg Food Pantry | Gatlinburg, TN |
| Fetter Health Care Network | Charleston, SC |
| Whistler Community Services Society | Whistler, BC |
| Covenant House New Jersey | Newark, NJ |
| Living Lakes Canada | Nelson, BC |
Search, Rescue & Emergency Support Services Award
Presented by Pelican
These organizations come to the rescue when accidents and natural disasters strike.
| 2026 FINALISTS | |
| Nonprofit | Location |
| Big Horn County Search and Rescue | Basin, WY |
| Friends of Custer County Search and Rescue | Custer, SD |
| Grey Bull Rescue | Tampa, FL |
| West Valley Search & Rescue | Alta Loma, CA |
| Kansas Search & Rescue Dog Association | McLouth, KS |
Veteran & Civil Servant Outreach Award
Presented by WPP
From veterans to firefighters to police officers and more, the heroes who protect others receive much-needed support from these organizations.
| 2026 FINALISTS | |
| Nonprofit | Location |
| Got Your Six Support Dogs | Maryville, IL |
| Operation Patriots FOB | Bluffton, SC |
| Fox Bravo Overland | Cedar Park, TX |
| Oklahoma Veterans United | Tulsa, OK |
| Veterans Outreach Center, Inc. | Rochester, NY |
Outdoor Accessibility & Education Award
Presented by Outside Interactive
This category recognizes nonprofits on a mission to get everyone outside, because everyone deserves to benefit from the power of the outdoors.
| 2026 FINALISTS | |
| Nonprofit | Location |
| National Ability Center | Park City, UT |
| RuckusRoots | Los Angeles, CA |
| Spirit North | Canmore, AB |
| SOS Outreach | Edwards, CO |
| Special Olympics Missouri | Jefferson City, MO |
Defender Service Honorees Award
Presented by S&P Global Mobility
A sixth category, Defender Service Honorees, recognizes past finalists from 2021 to 2025 and gives them another opportunity to win a custom Defender 130 vehicle and award funding. Because there are so many heroes, there should be more chances to win.
| 2026 FINALISTS | |
| Nonprofit | Location |
| Adaptive Adventures | Westminster, CO |
| Bionic Project, Inc. | Cambridge, MA |
| Catalyst Sports Inc. | Atlanta, GA |
| Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana | New Orleans, LA |
| Combat Recovery Foundation | Loveland, CA |
| HIT Living Foundation | Los Angeles, CA |
| Inyo County Search and Rescue | Bishop, CA |
| Marine Mammal Care Center of Los Angeles | San Pedro, CA |
| Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula | Pacific Grove, CA |
| North Carolina Adapted Sports | Cary, NC |
| Pemberton Search & Rescue | Pemberton, BC |
| Red Feather Development Group | Flagstaff, AZ |
| Shelter to Soldier | San Diego, CA |
| SICSA Pet Adoption and Wellness Center | Washington Township, OH |
| Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue | Sechelt, BC |
| The Food Brigade, Inc. | Paramus, NJ |
Each winner will receive a customized Defender 130, along with a $30,000 award. This game-changing prize package is made possible by Presenting Partner CHASE, Premier Partner Artemis, Gold Level Sponsor BBC Studios, and all six category sponsors: Disney, ei3, Outside Interactive, Pelican, S&P Global Mobility, and WPP.
The Defender Brand embraces the impossible. Each member of the Defender family is purposefully designed, highly desirable, and seriously durable. A modern‑day hero that respects the past but at the same time anticipates the future. Available in 90, 110, and 130 body styles, with up to eight seats, each has a charisma of its own. The tough luxury Defender OCTA is the master of performance—taking performance and capability to another level on and off‑road. A beacon of liberty that can trace its heritage back to the first Land Rover in 1948, Defender is a brand that supports humanitarian and conservation work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Tusk Trust. The Defender brand is underpinned by Land Rover—a mark of trust built on more than 75 years of expertise in technology and world‑leading off‑road capability. Defender vehicles are designed and engineered in the UK and sold in 121 countries. It belongs to the JLR house of brands alongside Range Rover, Discovery, and Jaguar.
