Jewish summer camps will be getting a financial boost to help expand their enrollment this summer while maintaining coronavirus safety regulations. The $2.6 million Capacity Expansion Grants from the Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund (JCRIF) will benefit more than 30 Jewish camps.
“Camps want nothing more than to provide a safe, healthy and joyful Jewish environment for campers, and although many challenges and uncertainties remain, I feel optimism and anticipation as FJC and our camp partners work diligently to ensure a safe and successful summer 2021,” said Jeremy Fingerman, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, which worked to secure the funding.
Fingerman estimates that the fiscal dollars will allow camps to welcome more than 3,000 new children this summer.
Additionally, another $8 million in grants from other donors will be available to camps that meet donor-specified criteria, including geographical location.
Felicia Herman of the JCRIF said the organization’s supporters, including the Jim Joseph Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Aviv Foundation, Maimonides Fund, Paul E. Singer Foundation, and Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, “were impressed with the number of strong and creative applications FJC received and are proud to help enable even more kids than ever to attend camp this summer.”
Last year, many, if not most, Jewish camps that are part of the FJC network were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The closures significantly impacted the bottom line of the camps, which also could not rent out their grounds during the off-season months for events or programs, losing yet another source of funding.
