Lilly Endowment Inc. Makes $45.5 Million Grant to American Camp Association

Photo byCourtesy of ACA

Grant to Bolster Character Development Programs for Young People at Camp.

The American Camp Association® (ACA) is set to revolutionize character development programs for young people across the United States. Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded the ACA a $45,000,000 grant to launch the Character at Camp initiative.

The project will strengthen, expand, and celebrate character development at over 15,000 year-round and summer camps nationwide, offering an unparalleled opportunity to promote essential life skills in young individuals.

In today's world, character traits such as gratitude, kindness, creativity, and teamwork are more crucial than ever. The Character at Camp initiative seeks to empower young people with the skills to navigate life's challenges and contribute positively to society.

"We are grateful for Lilly Endowment's support of ACA and our shared commitment to support camps across the country with the funding, tools, resources, and education to expand and prioritize character development programs," "This Character at Camp initiative recognizes the diverse needs of children and youth. We know camp experiences build a world of belonging and growth, and we're excited to engage camps as they work to strengthen their character development programs." -said Tom Rosenberg, ACA president/CEO.

Photo byCourtesy of ACA

Character at Camp is an innovative initiative anchored in the belief that summer and year-round camp programs provide an unparalleled opportunity to promote the character development of young people. While camps vary greatly in their mission, size, activities, programming, and location, many are run with an intrinsic focus on youth development and character-building skills and traits.

"For decades, well-run camps have positively impacted the character development of thousands of campers. With ACA's commitment, leadership, and expertise, its Character at Camp initiative can enhance and expand character development from various perspectives and in diverse young people nationwide. -N. Clay Robbins is Lilly Endowment's chairman and CEO.

ACA's recent National Camp Impact Study demonstrated that camp experiences support social connectedness among youth and the development of skills and qualities such as perseverance, responsibility, and the willingness to try new things.

This study also found that these skills and traits last over time. Individuals who attended Camp as children demonstrate these skills and traits throughout academic environments and into their early careers.

For more than a century, character development has been foundational to the camp experience, as each Camp offers various opportunities to develop critical character skills and traits.

Camps provide young people with experiences in less-distracting settings, often surrounded by nature, that can help support character development through social interactions with peers and counselors, time for reflection, and other activities.

For example, campers learn responsibility as they help set tables in the dining hall, engage in leadership when guiding groups during hikes, and practice empathy when they support fellow campers who are missing home.

In today's world, the benefits of building character skills and traits such as gratitude, kindness, creativity, curiosity, perseverance, resiliency, empathy, courage, and teamwork could not be more critical.

The Character at Camp initiative will be conducted during the next six years. ACA will provide in-person and virtual training opportunities, educational tools, and other resources to camps to strengthen, expand, or establish character development programs at the more than 15,000 year-round and summer camps across the U.S.

As a direct result of this new initiative, ACA will invite camp leaders to participate in educational and peer-learning opportunities, networking, training, and other experiences to learn how to help develop character skills and traits at Camp. ACA will work with camp professionals, youth development experts, and others to create new educational resources, training, and assessment tools to provide camps with opportunities to engage in this critical initiative.

From 2025, eligible nonprofit camps can apply for up to a three-year competitive grant to support their character development programs. Eligible organizations can apply for funding ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 based on the length of the grant period. Funds may be used for staffing, training, curricula, assessment, communications, and/or outreach and partnership efforts to support camps' specific goals related to character development.

The initiative will fund a broad range of camps serving young people from varied backgrounds and experiences, including under-resourced and underrepresented youth, and provide funding for developing character-based programming that is culturally relevant and values the diverse perspectives of youth and families.

Lilly Endowment's founders firmly believed that developing the character of young people was vital to the future of communities and our country, and they supported many efforts to understand how character is formed.

About ACA

ACA supports Camp and outdoor experiences for children, youth, and adults. ACA serves 15,000 camps in the U.S. that annually serve 26 million campers.

ACA is a national accrediting body and provides public evidence of a camp's voluntary commitment to the health, safety, risk management, and overall well-being of campers and staff.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937. J.K. Lilly Sr., along with sons J.K. Jr. and Eli, offer financial support with gifts of stock.

The Endowment is a separate entity with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. The Endowment funds programs nationwide and maintains a particular commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and its home state, Indiana.

For more information, visit ACAcamps.org

For more information, visit lillyendowment.org

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N.B. This article is for information purposes only.

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