The DAR, founded in 1890, and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.
DAR members volunteer millions of service hours annually in their local communities including support of active-duty military personnel and assisting veteran patients, awarding thousands of dollars in scholarships and financial aid each year to students, and supporting schools for underserved children with annual donations.
As one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country, DAR boasts 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters across the United States and internationally. Any woman 18 years or older regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background who can prove lineal descent from a Patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership.
Encompassing an entire city block, the DAR National Headquarters complex includes one of the nation’s premier genealogical libraries, one of the foremost collections of American decorative arts, an extensive collection of early American manuscripts and imprints and the city’s largest concert hall, Memorial Constitution Hall.