Foundation for Jewish Camp launches $45 million plan to cut camp costs for Massachusetts families

Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC), a New York-based organization that supports Jewish camps, announced on October 29, 2026, a $45 million, five-year initiative to cut the cost of Jewish overnight camp for Massachusetts families and to help 11 New England camps take more children. The Jewish Camp Access & Excellence Initiative will run from 2027 through 2031.

Most of the money, $27 million, is for tuition support through a new program called Road to Camp. Another $5.5 million will go to capital grants for projects such as camper bunks, staff housing, dining halls and program spaces, with the aim of letting the camps serve more than 200 additional children each summer. The initiative will also pay for coaching, consulting and professional development in areas such as leadership, staffing, technology and facilities planning. Tuition and capital grants account for $32.5 million of the total, by our calculation; the announcement does not put a figure on the rest.

Who qualifies

Road to Camp is open to Massachusetts families whose new or returning campers are enrolled at a participating camp for a session of 12 days or more, and families apply again each year. Households earning less than $200,000 a year can apply for 40% off tuition, and those earning $200,000 to $300,000 for 30% off. Families can register their interest now, and the application portal opens on November 17, 2026. They can still seek scholarships directly from their camp.

FJC plans 6,000 tuition grants over the five years, an average of $4,500 a grant if the $27 million is spread evenly, by our calculation. Its stated goal is to double enrollment at the participating camps among Massachusetts families with household incomes under $300,000. The camps are Camp Avoda, Camp Bauercrest, Camp JORI, Camp Pembroke, Camp Ramah in New England, Camp Tel Noar, Camp Tevya, Camp Yavneh, Camp YJ, URJ Crane Lake Camp and URJ Eisner Camp.

Help beyond the first summer

The program adds repeat aid to FJC's existing One Happy Camper grants, which FJC describes as need-blind grants of up to $1,500 off a child's first summer. Local partners set the amounts, which vary with session length; a few pay more, and some also fund a second or third summer. FJC says those grants have helped nearly 150,000 first-time campers, and eligible first-timers will keep access to them. FJC's own research on more than 3,300 families found that 86% of first-time campers with such a grant returned for a second summer, but that by the fourth year the share still coming back differed sharply by household income.

"It will open the door to Jewish camp for more families, help children return year after year and give camps the resources to grow while delivering exceptional experiences," said Jamie Simon, FJC's chief executive.

Who is paying

The announcement names four backers: The Endowment for an American Jewish Future, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. It does not say how much each is giving. The initiative builds on FJC's New England Regional Center, which was launched with support from Combined Jewish Philanthropies and The Krupp Foundation.

Barry Finestone, president and chief executive of the Jim Joseph Foundation, called FJC "a longtime, trusted partner" and said his foundation was expanding its support "in partnership with other funders." FJC chose Massachusetts and New England as a place to test its approach, and Simon said it would work with the camps to "track and assess funding impacts with hopes of expanding this initiative nationally."