AGAWAM, MA — JCamp 180, a core program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), will support more than 100 nonprofit Jewish overnight camps over the next five years with the $25 million Forward Together matching grant. Forward Together will provide unrestricted support to the camps along with capital investments for the physical improvements that are necessary for camp success.
Harold Grinspoon, benefactor and co-founder of the HGF, believes camps are among the most important assets of the Jewish community, providing impactful experiences for Jewish young people to become enculturated in Jewish traditions, values and identity.
“I never was able to go to a Jewish camp, but I know they are crucial ways for young people to plant the roots of lifelong Jewish connections,” says Grinspoon, who has invested more than $55 million dollars in Jewish camps through JCamp 180 over the past 28 years. “I was overjoyed to have visited multiple camps in person this past summer after two summers away due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I saw camps brimming with life, although continuing to struggle with significant mental health, staffing, and infrastructure challenges after the pandemic. The Forward Together grant renews my commitment to helping position Jewish non-profit overnight camps for long-term sustainability for generations.”
Forward Together is a 1:3 matching grant where the HGF disburses $1 for every $3 the camp raises. Each camp will receive a base allocation of funds; if they raise four times the allocation within the grant period, the camp will receive a $10,000 bonus.
JCamp 180 Director Sarah Eisinger says the timing of the grant is critical as camps seek to build on past fundraising successes. “The Harold Grinspoon Foundation support for Jewish summer camp is enduring and we are proud to make this commitment over these next five years,” says Eisinger. “This support will give the camps the resources and tools to maintain and steward their current donors and attract new ones. We hope this match gives the camps the confidence to continue sharing the power of Jewish camp so they can be sustainable into the future.”
About JCamp 180
JCamp 180 works with more than 100 nonprofit Jewish overnight camps and nearly 40 nonprofit Jewish day camps across North America, providing them with grants, consulting, training and resources, and providing their professional teams and lay leaders with professional development programs to build their organizational effectiveness. JCamp 180 believes that when Jewish camps are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources for long-term organizational excellence they will operate thriving camps that create lifelong Jewish connections.
About the Harold Grinspoon Foundation
Inspired by the deep meaning and joy offered by Jewish living, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation helps people connect to Jewish values, faith, traditions, and culture and build vibrant Jewish communities.
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