Financial Assistance

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Financial Assistance for Camp

In addition to funding that may be available from your local congregation, Camp Kalsman has limited funds available to families in need of financial aid for Summer Camp sessions.

 

For Washington State residents: Applications typically open in December and the deadline will be Friday, February 27, 2026. More information will be available here as soon as possible and we will send info to all enrolled families as soon as that application is ready! 

  • Apply directly to the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. The Federation acts as a financial aid clearinghouse for local camps, shuls, and other organizations: Learn More.
  • Please also contact your synagogue directly – many congregations provide camper scholarships and grants!

 

For Oregon residents: To be eligible for these scholarships, applicants must be Jewish residents of Oregon and demonstrate financial need. Applications will open in early 2026 with a Friday, February 27, 2026 deadline.

 

For non-Washington State residents: Apply using Camp Kalsman’s online scholarship application for NON-Washington State residents. The deadline for this application is Friday, February 27, 2026. Please also contact your synagogue directly to ask about applying to their scholarship program as well.

 

All first-time campers may also be eligible for a One Happy Camper incentive grant for Summer Camp sessions only. Please visit One Happy Camper to see if you qualify.

 

Small Communities Grant – If your family lives in a community of 10,000 Jews or less and you received the grant last year, you may be eligible for a 2nd year grant. We will share that information as soon as it is available!

One Happy Camper Grants

Your first-time camper may be eligible for a One Happy Camper grant of up to $1000!

Camp Scholarships for ISRAELI-AMERICANS

FJC offers an amazing incentive program for families in California, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, and Washington state with at least one Israeli-born parent!

First time campers may receive:

  • $1,000 for 12–18 days
  • $1,500 for 19+ days

Second time campers may receive:

  • $700 for 12–18 days
  • $1,000 for 19+ days

This incentive is in lieu of traditional One Happy Camper® grants, and families may still be eligible for additional financial assistance from their camps.

ELIGIBILITY: 

  • Family must live in California, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, or Washington state and choose an FJC network overnight camp in these states from this list.
  • At least one parent of the camper is Israeli and spent significant time living in Israel (or the camper themselves is Israeli).
  • First year campers are eligible if they have never attended Jewish overnight camp or have previously attended for fewer than 12 consecutive days.
  • Second year campers are eligible if they have attended Jewish overnight camp for one previous summer for 12+ consecutive days.
  • Multiple children per family may be eligible; we ask for a complete application per child
  • Families will be asked to complete the pre-summer survey (as part of the application) and a post summer survey.

Funding is limited and we are currently accepting eligible campers on a first-come first-served basis.

Please be aware that scholarships rarely cover 100% of camp tuition, so be prepared to pay some portion. Scholarships are typically awarded in late spring. In the meantime, we ask that you try to make small payments toward your tuition in January, March, and April. We normally require 25% of camp tuition in January, another 50% in March, and the final balance in April. However, for scholarship applicants who are still waiting for their scholarship awards, we ask that you just pay what you can on those dates and then pay your final balance after your scholarships have been awarded. While we can arrange a payment plan for your remaining balance in the spring after your scholarships awards have been posted, we are not able to carry balances beyond the first day of your camper’s camp session.