One Happy Camper Eligibility
Check to see if your camper is eligible to receive up to $1000 off their first summer at camp.
Your first-time camper may be eligible for a One Happy Camper grant of up to $1000!
Eligibility and grant amounts are determined by your local sponsoring organization in coordination with the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Eligibility is typically based on:
- Where you live;
- Past overnight nonprofit Jewish summer camp experience;
- Length of stay at camp;
- Type of school your child is currently enrolled in;
- Grade your child will enter the fall after camp.
Where are these One Happy Camper programs and which one is for my child?
- To see if you live in a community that offers a One Happy Camper program, see our list of partners and contact your local program provider.
- If you do not live in a One Happy Camper community, and your first-time camper is a PJ Library member, alum, or sibling of a PJ Library member or alum,s/he may be eligible for a grant through the PJ Library One Happy Camper program. (Please note that PJ Library grants for Day School students are limited.)
- If you neither live in a One Happy Camper community, nor are eligible for the PJ Library One Happy Camper grant, your camper may be eligible for a One Happy Camper incentive grant through your camp.
APPLY NOW for your One Happy Camper grant! Based on your responses, our system will assign you to the appropriate program.
Some important information:
- Before your child can qualify for a grant, s/he must first be enrolled at a camp listed in our Find a Camp search tool.
- This is not a scholarship program. Grants are not based on financial need.
- Campers will typically receive $1000 for a first-time, 19-consecutive-day session; or $700 for campers attending 12-consecutive-day sessions in the Western states for the first-time. (Western states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.) Some restrictions may apply.
- While your child may be eligible for more than one incentive grant, s/he can only receive one grant that is affiliated with the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s One Happy Camper program. This includes, but is not limited to, the PJ Library One Happy Camper program, the Harold Grinspoon Western Massachusetts camp incentive program, and/or the various community-based and camp-sponsored One Happy Camper programs.
- One Happy Camper grants are intended for children who are not currently participating in an immersive daily Jewish experience. As such, children currrently attending a Jewish day school or yeshiva typically are not eligible. However, select partners do have some resources for Jewish day school children. Please be in touch with your local program provider for more information.
- Some select partners offer grants for second-year campers. To learn more, please be in touch with your local program provider.
Attention returning JWest and Midwest Interfaith Incentive Program recipients:
- The JWest Campership program offers incentive grants to returning middle school campers who participated in JWest as first time campers in 2011 and second time campers in 2012. JWest is funded by the generous support of the Jim Joseph Foundation. Please apply for your third-year JWest grant today. Please note: Campers who only attended for less than 19 days in both summer 2011 and 2012 are eligible for a third year $500 incentive grant.
- Midwest Interfaith Incentive Program offered incentives to returning campers who attended select camps in teh Midwest in 2009-2011. (Camps included B'nai B'rith Beber Camp, Camp Interlaken JCC, Camp Livingston, Camp Nageela Midwest, Camp Sabra, Camp Ramah Wisconsin, Camp Young Judaea Midwest, Habonim Dror Camp Tavor, JCC Camp Chi, JCC Camp Wise, and URJ Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute.) This program has sunset, however, if your child is a first-time camper, there are community- or camp-sponsored programs for which your camper may qualify.