Press Release 02.18.20

FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH CAMP SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR NEW COMPETITIVE EDGE PROGRAM COHORT

FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH CAMP SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR NEW COMPETITIVE EDGE PROGRAM COHORT

 Grants will Enable Traditional Overnight Camps to Launch New Specialty Tracks

New York, NY,  February 18, 2020 — Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) is now accepting proposals for a second round of the successful Competitive Edge program. This initiative provides capital investment and training support to a cohort of up to five Jewish overnight camps to plan and implement new specialty tracks in their traditional camps to launch in summer 2022. Grants will provide capital investment to build or upgrade program facilities and equipment, increase staff capacity, along with workshops to develop cutting-edge programs, refine marketing and recruitment strategies. The Gottesman Fund has generously renewed their commitment to Competitive Edge with a new $1.2 million grant. 

The lack of Jewish specialty options has driven many parents and their children to choose from among the many available secular summer programs, rather than attend a Jewish camp.  Through Competitive Edge, Jewish camps will offer innovative specialty programs (intensive tracks or a “camp within a camp”), enabling them to successfully recruit and retain new campers who may have otherwise pursued secular summer experiences. These new tracks will provide high-level skill building in a multitude of areas — such as culinary arts, game design, surfing, arts, music, or robotics — within a camp’s existing program. 

Michelle Koplan, Executive Director of Oregon’s B’nai B’rith Camp (awarded a Competitive Edge Grant in 2019), says, “As a result of Competitive Edge, we will retain campers, especially in their teen years, where campers define their Jewish identity and learn to give back to the next generation.” 

“The competitive landscape for summer experiences continues to change and requires that Jewish camps innovate and adapt in order to grow,” says FJC CEO Jeremy J. Fingerman.  “We know this initiative will provide camps with a competitive edge in the marketplace to expand the number of campers served.”

Proposals will be accepted from camps across North America through April 27, 2020. For application instructions, visit https://jewishcamp.org/the-competitive-edge/.

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The Gottesman Fund: Founded in 1965, The Gottesman Fund is managed by members of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman family and is dedicated to enhancing and perpetuating Jewish life in the United States, providing significant support to domestic medical, educational and cultural institutions, and supporting projects in Israel which improve the quality of life for its visitors and residents

About Foundation for Jewish Camp: Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) fosters excellence and accelerates innovation at Jewish camps across North America by developing adaptive talent, deepening immersive learning experiences, and catalyzing field growth. Founded in 1998, FJC elevates Jewish camp on the cultural and philanthropic agenda, creating opportunities to engage even more young people in Jewish camp through groundbreaking programs such as One Happy Camper® and FJC’s Specialty Camps Incubator.  FJC advocates for over 300 day and overnight camps that provide nearly 180,000 campers and counselors each summer with a meaningful, personal, and lifelong connection to Judaism. FJC is a public 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For more information, please visit: jewishcamp.org.

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