Foundation for Jewish Camp Census Highlights Record-Breaking Attendance and Field-Wide Mobilization to Meet Rising Financial Needs

New report shows nearly 200,000 young Jews participated in summer 2025 and a narrowing gap between financial aid requests and distribution

NEW YORK — Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) today released the findings of 2025 State of the Field Census Part I: The Business of Operating Jewish Camp, highlighting record attendance at Jewish camps this past summer as well as field-wide mobilization to boost financial aid and renovate camp infrastructure. Jewish camps engaged nearly 200,000 young campers and staff in summer 2025 — a 5% increase over the previous year and all-time record. The report also details expanded financial aid distribution of $47.2 million, as FJC, camps, and community partners work to narrow the gap between requested and distributed aid. 

“More young Jews are participating in Jewish camp than ever before, which means a record number of young Jews are connecting to their Jewish identity, building leadership skills, and having fun,” said Jamie Simon, CEO of Foundation for Jewish Camp. “Amid rising operating costs, increased financial need, and aging infrastructure, FJC is stepping up to provide families and camps with critical support so that every Jewish child can access the transformative experience of Jewish camp.” 

The report’s key findings include: 

• Increased Participation — 198,730 campers and young adult staff participated in Jewish camps across FJC’s network of 168 day camps and 161 overnight camps. This all-time record is nearly 9% higher than 2019’s pre-pandemic high, and nearly 30% higher than 2021, the first year camps moved to resume operations after COVID. 
• Camps Expand Aid Amid Rising Requests — In 2025, families requested $56 million in financial aid, partly driven by higher camp operating costs. At the same time, camps increased aid distribution to $47.2 million, narrowing the gap between requested and distributed aid. 37% of families who receive direct tuition aid say they would be unlikely to attend camp without it. 
• Investment in Facilities and Year-Round Engagement — Most overnight camps and more than a fifth of day camps have completed new buildings or renovated existing ones in the past five years. Even more are planning upcoming projects. As camps look to modernize infrastructure, many are also seeking to expand offerings outside of summer. Nearly half of overnight camps (49%) and over half of day camps (58%) are interested in providing additional programmatic and retreat offerings to engage campers, families, alumni, and communities throughout the year. 

FJC continues to support camps, campers and staff, and families with resources that expand access to and improve the quality of Jewish camps. FJC’s signature One Happy Camper® (OHC) program provides incentive grants of up to $1,500 to help camps attract new campers and increase camper enrollment, with over 130,000 OHC need-blind grants distributed since the program’s inception. FJC’s $15 million Capital Expansion initiative in partnership with The Gottesman Fund, announced last year, is providing funding for critical infrastructure upgrades to staff housing, program spaces, and camper banks. 

Part I of FJC’s annual Census, released today, focuses on the business of camp. The second part of the Census, coming in February, will dive deeper into camper and staff demographics, enrollment patterns, camp capacity, seasonal staff compensation, and the impact of camp on campers and staff. Together, these data points serve as the foundation for FJC’s 2026 Strategic Vision, which will detail a roadmap to ensure that every Jewish camp is built to last and every Jewish child has access to exceptional Jewish camp experiences.

Read the full report here: https://jewishcamp.org/census2025 

About Foundation for Jewish Camp

Foundation for Jewish Camp grows, supports, and strengthens the Jewish camp movement so camps can deliver exceptional experiences for campers, staff, families, and communities, engaging them in lifelong, joyful Judaism. Learn more at jewishcamp.org.