Community Care

Jewish summer camp is more than a place to play and be joyful. It is a living community where campers and staff grow, feel a sense of belonging, and build confidence together. At FJC, Community Care means ensuring camps have the resources, training, and support to meet the evolving needs of their communities, from accessibility and inclusion to mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. Through targeted grants and professional development, FJC helps camps create environments where everyone can thrive.

Accessibility & Inclusion Initiatives

Yashar: Skills Training Initiative

The Yashar: Skills Training Initiative provides capital funding as well as resources, training, and consulting for Jewish camps to develop and expand skills training programs (previously known as vocational education or Voc Ed), providing meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities for young adults with disabilities.

Learn More

The Yashar Initiative

The $12 million accessibility grant initiative generously funded by The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation aims to increase accessibility for campers and staff with disabilities at Jewish summer day and overnight camps.

Learn More

Mental Health Initiatives

As an immersive, social environment centered around growth and belonging, camps are uniquely positioned for self-discovery and strengthening confidence, interpersonal skills, and resiliency. Foundation for Jewish Camp is committed to continuing to provide quality mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health (MESSH) support to the ever-changing challenges campers and staff are bringing to camps.

Yedid Nefesh Initiative

Thanks to a visionary gift from The Marcus Foundation, Foundation for Jewish Camp provides more than 100 day and overnight camps with financial and programmatic support to address mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health (MESSH) in holistic ways – supporting camps’ hiring qualified mental health professionals on their staff, enhancing counselor training, integrating wellness programming into activity areas, and developing other ways to create cultural change within their camp communities year-round.

Learn More

Mental Health Graduate Student Fellowship

As part of Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Yedid Nefesh mental health initiative, the Mental Health Graduate Student Fellowship supports building a pipeline of mental health professionals working at Jewish camp to expand qualified mental health support by embedding it into camp teams.

View Opportunity