Defender Hands Six Nonprofits Custom 130s and $30,000 Each — Here's Who Won
Six nonprofits from California to British Columbia each take home a wrapped, mission-equipped Defender 130 and $30,000 — bringing the program's total to 36 vehicles since 2021.
Land Rover's Defender brand has named the six winners of the 2026 Defender Service Awards, with each nonprofit taking home a customized Defender 130 and $30,000. The results were revealed during the Destination Defender weekend at Galway Downs in Temecula, California.
A public vote decided the winners from a field of 30 finalists across the US and Canada. This year's six:
- Pacific Wildlife Care (San Luis Obispo, California) — Animal, Wildlife and Marine Mammal Welfare
- Whistler Community Services Society (Whistler, British Columbia) — Community Services
- Special Olympics of Missouri (Jefferson City, Missouri) — Outdoor Accessibility & Education
- Big Horn County Search and Rescue (Basin, Wyoming) — Search, Rescue & Emergency Support Services
- Operation Patriots FOB (Ridgeland, South Carolina) — Veteran & Civil Servant Outreach
- Marine Mammal Care Center of Los Angeles (San Pedro, California) — Defender Service Honorees
The Honorees category works as a second chance, going to a standout finalist from past editions of the program that didn't win its original category.
Each vehicle will be fitted with a custom exterior wrap and mission-specific accessories before delivery. The 130 is the extended-body, three-row Defender, seating up to eight, towing up to 8,200 pounds, and holding 88.9 cubic feet of cargo behind the first row. With a US starting price of about $73,000 including destination, the truck alone amounts to a substantial grant for a small nonprofit.
The money goes beyond the six winners. Chase, the presenting partner, gave $5,000 to each of the 30 finalists, for a total of $150,000. Artemis contributed another $100,000 and paid $15,000 to each second-place finisher — up from $10,000 a year ago — while BBC Studios added $75,000 as gold sponsor.
The Defender Service Awards launched in 2021, and through last year's edition the program had delivered 30 customized Defenders and more than $1 million in funding. This year's ceremony pushes the vehicle count to 36.
One change worth noting: Defender moved the reveal up the calendar. The 2025 winners were announced in mid-November at the same Temecula venue; this year, Destination Defender — and the awards ceremony with it — landed in mid-September.
