Need-Based Scholarships

Campers must be between the ages of 5 and 19. Campers must live in one of Jewish Federation’s five counties: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery or Philadelphia. Campers must identify as Jewish.

Yes. Overnight campers need to attend for at least 19 consecutive days, and day campers need to attend for at least 15 days (which may be nonconsecutive).

Scholarship money is not sent to the family. Rather, it is remitted directly to the camp, which applies the scholarship amount against the camper’s bill.

Depending on the family’s need and the cost of camp, which we will verify with the camp directly, eligible campers can receive between 10 and 30% of the cost of camp.

Given the limited amount of funds at Jewish Federation’s disposal, we use a family’s tax return to help us determine need.

No, you can only apply for one or the other. If you are the parent of a first-time overnight camper, please go our One Happy Camper page to see if you are eligible for that funding first: https://www.jewishphilly.org/programs-services/jewish-camping/one-happy-camper (change this to the current link)

All applicants must be registered for camp by the application deadline. We cannot process the application of any camper who has not registered for camp.

While we cannot increase the size of the award, we will do our best to transfer awards. However, once awards are paid out to the camp, we cannot make any further changes. Furthermore, if the length of your planned camp stay decreases, we will adjust the size of your award accordingly to match the new cost of camp.

Unfortunately, we cannot process late applications, as our award calculations are based on the total number of applications that we receive by our deadline. Should more funds become available, we will create a waiting list and accept a second round of applications. Please note, though, that funds are extremely limited and those individuals who submit by the deadline get priority.

Scholarship forms will not be processed until our deadlines close. At that point we will review all applications. We generally notify parents and camps of our decisions by late March for overnight camp and April for day camp. Thank you for your patience. If you did not receive a confirmation email after submitting your application, please contact Shannon Greenstein at 215.832.0530. Please do not forget to first check your spam folder.

Unfortunately, we only fund domestic camp programs from our list of approved camps. However, your child may be eligible for one of the Jewish Federation’s Israel grants, which you can apply for here.