SDMAC

What SDMAC does

San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit business league founded in 2004 and headquartered in San Diego, California. The organization operates as a regional membership-based advocacy body that convenes the San Diego military community, elected and appointed officials at federal, state, and local levels, and the regional business community around a common agenda: protecting San Diego's defense installations, supporting military families and veterans, and quantifying the military's economic contribution to the region. SDMAC's core deliverables are a monthly breakfast speaker series featuring Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard leadership; an annual Achievement Awards dinner; an annual Military Economic Impact Report produced in partnership with the UC San Diego Rady School of Management; legislative advocacy including cosponsorship of state bills such as SB 1407 on military retiree taxation; the Emergency Action Group coordinating crisis support with partner nonprofits; and the affiliated SDMAC Foundation running scholarships and a Job Accelerator for transitioning service members and military spouses.

SDMAC is governed by a 26-member Board of Directors chaired in 2026 by retired Navy Captain Steve Kappes, with President & CEO David Boone, a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, leading a small three-person professional staff. The membership program is tiered into Platinum (Bank of America, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics NASSCO, ASP, Epsilon, IT Mentor, USD, National University, Western Alliance Bank, SDSU) and Gold (BAE Systems, Booz Allen, Northrop Grumman, SAIC, UCSD, Kaiser Permanente, SDGE, Corient, General Atomics EMS, California Bank and Trust, LevitZacks, CSUSM, San Diego Football Club, Harpoon Ventures, North San Diego Business Chamber, Warrior Foundation Freedom Station) levels, with membership dues and event sponsorships constituting the primary revenue streams. Distribution is regional, focused on San Diego County and California, and the organization publishes the 'Mission: San Diego Military' podcast in addition to email, social media, and in-person events. SDMAC is a private nonprofit with no parent company, no venture or equity backing, and no technology product; its economic model is fundamentally a member-supported advocacy and convening platform rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

SDMAC

Legal name

San Diego Military Advisory Council

Website

https://sdmac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SDMAC is a San Diego-based 501(c)(6) nonprofit business league, founded in 2004, that convenes the local military, elected officials, and business community to advocate for San Diego's defense installations, produce the annual Military Economic Impact Report with UC San Diego Rady, and support military families and veterans through events, legislative advocacy, and the affiliated SDMAC Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SDMAC operates as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit business league. Annual membership dues are its primary revenue stream, with tiered Platinum and Gold membership levels. Dues are not publicly disclosed on the website.
2. Event Sponsorships: Corporate members sponsor SDMAC's monthly breakfast speaker series, Achievement Awards dinner, and other events, providing revenue and co-marketing opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SDMAC is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit business league that advocates for the San Diego region's military and defense community. It provides policy advocacy, networking events, and economic impact research to support defense-related businesses, military installations, and veterans. Its core function is convening defense industry stakeholders, civic leaders, and government officials around military community issues.

Product overview

The San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization, not a technology company. It does not offer a software product or platform. SDMAC provides a portfolio of programs and services centered on three core tenets: Advocate, Inform, and Connect. Its primary offerings include: (1) Monthly Breakfast Speaker Series events featuring military leadership; (2) Annual Achievement Awards Dinner; (3) Annual Military Economic Impact Report (MEIR) produced with UC San Diego Rady School of Management; (4) NAVWAR Economic Impact Reports; (5) Legislative advocacy tracking California state legislation; (6) Emergency Action Group (EAG) crisis support coordination; (7) Membership program with Platinum and Gold tiers; (8) SDMAC Foundation scholarships and Job Accelerator program; and (9) Mission: San Diego Military podcast series. These programs serve the San Diego military community, veterans, and business members through advocacy, economic research, networking events, and workforce development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Defense Community Advocacy
• Member Networking Events Forums, roundtables, and receptions that convene defense contractors, military leaders, government officials, and civic stakeholders to exchange information and build relationships.
• Economic Impact Research and Reporting Studies and reports quantifying the economic contribution of military installations and defense spending to the San Diego region, used by members for advocacy and planning.
• Membership Program Tiered membership offerings for companies, organizations, and individuals supporting the San Diego military and defense community, with benefits including event access, advocacy participation, and research distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• $61.3B annual economic impact of the military in San Diego County, as quantified in SDMAC's 2025 MEIR
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Feeding San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeeding San Diego is part of SDMAC's Emergency Action Group (EAG), a community partnership of local nonprofit organizations that support San Diego's military and veteran families during times of crisis. Feeding San Diego ensures no military family goes hungry by providing reliable access to nutritious food through distribution events and community partnerships.
• Support The Enlisted Project (STEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEP is part of the Emergency Action Group (EAG). It offers financial counseling and emergency assistance to help service members and recently transitioned veterans build financial stability. STEP also provides essential needs distributions including food, produce, diapers, and more.
• Zero8HundredcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZero8Hundred is part of the Emergency Action Group (EAG). It guides service members and their families through the transition to civilian life by connecting them with resources for employment, education, and well-being. It also provides financial services, legal services, and wellness support.
• Armed Services YMCA San Diego (ASYMCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASYMCA is part of the Emergency Action Group (EAG). It strengthens military families through childcare, youth programs, and mental health services that build resilience and community. ASYMCA operates 13 locations across the U.S., including San Diego and Camp Pendleton. Local services include low-cost childcare, Lyft ride-share assistance for medical appointments, and monthly food distributions.
• UC San Diego Rady School of ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDMAC partners with the UC San Diego Rady School of Management to produce its annual Military Economic Impact Report (MEIR). MBA students and faculty at Rady apply research tools to calculate the impact of military dollars on the San Diego region. This partnership, which began in 2020, has produced the MEIR reports from 2020 through 2025.
• Bank of AmericaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBank of America is SDMAC's Platinum-level member and the title sponsor of the 2025 Military Economic Impact Report. As the highest membership tier, Bank of America receives prominent logo placement across SDMAC materials, reports, and events, along with VIP access to military leadership and government officials.
• California Defense Community Alliance (CDCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDMAC is a proud founding member of the California Defense Community Alliance. CDCA created the 2021 Military Spouse Employment Report for California, highlighting the issues that military spouses face in the state. SDMAC's advocacy work on spouse employment licensing (AB 1775) is aligned with this partnership.
• Naval InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSDMAC partners with the Naval Institute to host a breakfast as part of the WEST symposium at the San Diego Convention Center. This annual event provides SDMAC members with access to Navy leadership and defense community stakeholders attending the symposium.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (SDREDC): San Diego's regional economic development corporation, currently collaborating with SDMAC on a defense supply chain survey. Covers broader commercial sectors but overlaps on defense industry retention, NAVWAR redevelopment economics, and base-preservation advocacy.
• National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA): The largest U.S. defense industry trade association, providing advocacy, networking, and policy engagement for defense contractors. NDIA's San Diego chapter and divisions serve the same contractor and government-relations constituency that SDMAC's Platinum/Gold members represent.
• San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce: Broader San Diego regional business league that historically housed a Military Affairs Committee — the predecessor from which SDMAC's founders emerged in 2004. Operates an overlapping membership base and convenes overlapping elected-official and business-leader audiences.
• Navy League of the United States: National nonprofit 501(c)(3) that supports the sea services (Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard) through advocacy, education, and networking. Closest national analog to SDMAC's regional mission; SDMAC effectively operates as a denser, locally focused version of this model for San Diego.
• Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber for the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area — home to the world's largest naval base (Naval Station Norfolk). Operates a Military Affairs Committee that, like SDMAC, convenes defense contractors, military leadership, and elected officials around base preservation, BRAC, and military economic impact.
• Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber for Jacksonville, FL, home to major Navy installations (NAS Jacksonville, NS Mayport) and a defense cluster analogous to San Diego's. Operates a Military Affairs Committee and Veterans Council that perform an SDMAC-equivalent convening and advocacy function.
• California Defense Community Alliance (CDCA): Statewide defense community alliance of which SDMAC is a founding member. Operates at the California state level on defense spending, BRAC, and military family issues — the same advocacy agenda SDMAC pursues at the San Diego regional level, including the joint 2021 Military Spouse Employment Report.

Broad incumbents

• Association of the United States Army (AUSA): National nonprofit professional association for the U.S. Army and the broader defense community. Lighter touch in San Diego and Navy/Marine-heavy markets than SDMAC, but addresses overlapping advocacy and networking needs for the defense industrial base.
• Military Officers Association of America (MOAA): National nonprofit advocating for active-duty, retired, and former officers and their families on benefits, pay, and retiree issues including tax treatment of military retirement pay — directly overlapping SB 1407, SDMAC's flagship legislative effort.

Emerging players

• San Diego Workforce Partnership: Regional workforce development organization that, like SDMAC's Foundation Job Accelerator and veteran hiring resources, connects transitioning service members and military spouses to San Diego employers. Overlaps on the workforce-development portion of SDMAC's agenda but lacks the military-community advocacy mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SDMAC