FAQs

Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education

To provide children from under-resourced communities with life-changing opportunities through the experience of summer camp. SCOPE funds camp scholarships ‘camperships’ to send children who commit to staying in school to nonprofit, resident camps which will empower them to develop to their full potential.

SCOPE began in 1991 and the first camperships were provided in the summer of 1992.

The national office of SCOPE is located at 275 Madison Avenue, Suite 2110, New York, NY 10016.

SCOPE partners with camps who serve children in the Northeast, Midwest, Southeast and Southwest regions of the United States.

Yes, SCOPE is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our Tax ID number is 20-2772242.

Summer camp reinforces what children learn in school and enhances overall academic learning; camp allows children to grow socially, emotionally, and physically while providing them with meaningful and fun interactions with children and excellent adult role models.

Well-designed summer camps are educational programs that offer artistic, musical, and athletic experiences, adventurous outdoor programs, and a safe environment. Trained staff and camp professionals are educators who support, encourage, and teach campers.

Summer camp is an essential component of the year-round educational continuum and plays a critical role in helping children from under-resourced communities to thrive.

Children who receive SCOPE camperships come from low-income families and the chance to attend summer camp is a unique opportunity that their parents could not otherwise afford. Families work directly with the SCOPE partner camps to enroll their children – there is no specific ‘SCOPE Camp.’

Ben Appelbaum Advocate for Youth Award
The Ben Appelbaum Advocate for Youth Award is given annually to an individual and/or organization that demonstrates a commitment to improving the lives of children.

Ben Appelbaum was a successful camp owner and director of several day camps in the New York metropolitan area. A leader in the camp industry and past president of American Camp Association-NY, Ben was known for his dedication to strengthening the profession and to raising awareness of SCOPE and its mission to serve children of financially disadvantaged families. After his untimely passing in 1996, SCOPE named the Advocate for Youth Award in his memory to acknowledge his leadership and commitment to improving the lives of economically disadvantaged youth through the summer camp experience.

The award is presented at the annual SCOPE Benefit. Past recipients of this prestigious award include: The Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, The Heckscher Foundation for Children, Chancellor Rudy Crew, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christopher Reeve, HELP USA, Women in Need, Focus for a Future, and Camp America.

Awardees are organizations and/or individuals that support enhancing the lives of children. This could be through raising awareness of social issues, creation of programs, or contributions to society that benefit children. The recipient is determined by a selection committee of the SCOPE Board of Directors.

SCOPE Leadership Award
The SCOPE Leadership Award recognizes a member of either the SCOPE Associate Board or Junior Leadership Council who demonstrates a strong commitment to improving the lives of children by awareness and fundraising in their efforts to provide access to overnight summer camp opportunities for children of low-income families and/or under-resourced communities through their support of SCOPE. The award is presented at the annual SCOPE Benefit in New York City.

SCOPE Leadership Award Recipients:

This prestigious annual recognition is given to one summer camp in celebration of their generous commitment to SCOPE. The SCOPE Board of Directors nominates and votes on a camp whose contributions to SCOPE throughout the year are influential beyond the borders of summer.  

The camp’s efforts and overall dedication to sharing the mission of SCOPE with their camp communities are exemplified through:  

• Philanthropy 

• Engagement Initiatives 

• Social Action 

• Leadership Programs 

• Advocacy 

• Volunteerism 

• Create a Culture of Giving 

The SCOPE Philanthropic Camp of the Year Award demonstrates meaningful progress toward fundraising and community involvement in support of SCOPE. The award is presented at the annual SCOPE Benefit.

SCOPE Philanthropic Camp of the Year Award Recipients 

Campership = Camp Scholarship

SCOPE’s role is to allocate an allotted number of campership funding to each of our SCOPE partner camps. The camps work directly with families/community partners, who do not have the financial means, in order for their children to attend camp.

SCOPE campership recipients must meet all of these requirements:

• Be a child age 7 – 16
• Enrolled in school
• Qualify for the USDA Free or Reduced Lunch program

• Northeast SCOPE Campership: $1,500
• Midwest SCOPE Campership: $750
• Southeast SCOPE Campership: $750
• Southwest SCOPE Campership: $750

Generally, a campership offers a child two weeks at overnight camp. In certain cases, session dates may vary.

• Northeast Camperships: Two weeks
• Midwest Camperships: One or two weeks
• Southeast Camperships: One or two weeks
• Southwest Camperships: One or two weeks

In 2024, SCOPE funded over 1,300 camperships. Since inception, SCOPE has funded over 28,300 camperships.

All SCOPE partner camps are:

• Nonprofit camps
• Overnight camps (resident)
• Accredited by the American Camp Association
• Accept children at the cost of a SCOPE campership with no additional fees

Based on SCOPE’s available funding:

• Camps must meet SCOPE’s eligibility requirements
• Camps must apply for SCOPE campership support annually
• Camps must follow SCOPE guidelines for providing camper information in a timely fashion

Camps that meet the eligibility requirements to be a SCOPE partner camp apply to SCOPE annually for support.

SCOPE partner camps recruit campers on their own; SCOPE does not match potential campers with camps. Individuals looking to apply for a campership must apply for SCOPE support through the camp in which they are applying to attend. Check out the list of SCOPE partner camps to determine what camp is right for you/your child. Inquire directly with the camp about applying for a SCOPE campership. SCOPE is not a camp.

Although SCOPE sets the eligibility guidelines, each camp determines which children will be accepted into its program. The child’s family must apply for SCOPE support directly with the camp in which they are applying to attend.

SCOPE is grateful to receive support from a large community made up of individuals, groups, businesses, and foundations. In addition, SCOPE events throughout the year help to strengthen SCOPE’s mission.

• Corporate Partners
• Foundations & Funds
• Philanthropic Camps
• Groups
• Individuals

Funds raised annually by SCOPE are allocated with the support of the SCOPE Board of Directors to the nonprofit partner camps to fund camperships.

20-2772242

Yes! However, if you receive a benefit from making your donation (i.e. event tickets, raffle, silent auction) you can only deduct the amount of your donation that is greater than the value of the benefit you receive.

SCOPE

SCOPE, 275 Madison Avenue, Suite 2110, New York, NY 10016

Matching gifts are a type of corporate giving program that essentially double an employee’s initial donation to eligible nonprofit organizations. Check with your employer to double your impact!

View SCOPE events calendar and photos from past events.

Discover how you can get more involved with SCOPE

Learn from the many other camps who have woven efforts to support SCOPE into their camp culture Camp Strides4SCOPE