Guidelines for Camps

The Heckscher Foundation has a long history of supporting camps and summer programs and believes that camping is a vital part of childhood, especially for inner city kids who need opportunities to explore and stretch their abilities. In our assessment of potential grantees we distinguish among day camps, residential or “sleepaway” camps, and programs for campers with special needs. We also differentiate between individual camps and “gateway” organizations that send children to a variety of nonprofit camp partners. Finally, we have a particular interest in camps that maintain ongoing contact with young people, whether through year-round contact or via consistency summer-to-summer.

We require all our grantee camps to be members of and accredited by the American Camping Association. Any programs not so affiliated must provide written explanation.

Basic questions for day and residential camp applicants include:

• Is there a community-based organization that runs your camp? If so, please provide a brief history and mission of this sponsoring organization. If not, who owns the camp? Who is the certified Camp Director?
• Where is the camp located? Who owns the property and is responsible for its maintenance? How are campers transported to and from the camp?
• How many children does this proposal address? How many children in your program overall? What are the exact dates of your camp sessions?
• What are your criteria for recruiting and/or selecting campers?
• What is the cost per child, per week of your program? Do families contribute to the tuition and/or pay a registration fee?
• What is the staff-to-camper ratio? How are staff recruited, interviewed and hired? Do you use background checks? What kinds of staff training do you provide?
• What are your goals for campers and how do you evaluate your success?

The following are additional questions specific to residential camp applicants:

• Is the camp property used year-round? If so, by what programs and/or groups?
• Do camp counselors sleep in the cabins with the children? If not, who does?

The following are questions specific to “gateway” program applicants:

• Who administers the program that places children in the various camps? What oversight does this organization perform during the camping season?
• What camps are used for placement and how are participating camps selected? What responsibilities do these camps have to the sponsoring organization?
• How are campers recruited? What is the minimum/maximum number of children that can be placed at each camp? Does your organization have direct ties to and communication with the campers and families you place?
• Are there any costs to campers’ families associated with placement?
• Are your programs seasonal or year-round? Can campers return to the same camps in subsequent summers?
• What makes your program unique? How do you evaluate your success?