About us
About Pilots for Humanity
Pilots for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) disaster response organization based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Our mission is to provide humanitarian relief to disaster survivors by mobilizing the generosity of the aviation community.
Where we are
Our first year
April 2026
- Incorporated in Wisconsin
July 2026
- Recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity
September 2026
- Matthew Brantner appointed first Executive Director
October 2026
- AcuLog becomes our first Founding Sponsor
- Earned Candid’s Gold Seal of Transparency
- Up next
November 2026 (planned)
- Signing up volunteer pilots
- First training operation
December 2026 (planned)
- Full-scale training operation
January 2027 (planned)
- Fully operational and ready to respond
Our people
Who we are
Pilots for Humanity is made up of an experienced team from across the country, with backgrounds in aviation, disaster response, nonprofit management, fundraising, and planning. Together, they bring the knowledge needed to run safe, well-organized operations that get supplies to survivors in the first days after a disaster.
Matthew Brantner, CFRE
Executive Director
Matthew has spent the past 20 years in the nonprofit sector as a leader, professional fundraiser, and organization builder. He has a lifelong love of airplanes, and for the last 23 years he’s been part of an aviation family, flying into Oshkosh and camping under the wings of all kinds of vintage aircraft. He started his own flight training in a pre-war Piper Cub and has worked the ramp as a line technician, fueling everything from general aviation to military aircraft. A disaster responder since 2011, he’s deployed across the country on numerous operations with multiple national disaster response organizations.
Board of Directors
Tara Winter
Director
Hanxiao Gu
Director
Ruhamah Bauman
Director
Madison Nunez
Director
Marcie Walsh
Director
Jack Zabrowski
Director
Dan Petrovich
Director