The American Camp Association is accepting applications for its Character Grant Program.
Donor Name: American Camp Association
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/01/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The purpose of this program is to provide financial support, training, and technical assistance for selected day and overnight camps in the U.S. who are interested in starting, enhancing, expanding, or celebrating character development programs or projects. By the end of the Character at Camp initiative, they anticipate camps in the US will represent one of the largest and most potent contexts for character development in the learning and development ecosystem.
Types of Grants
- Planning Grants
- Planning Grants are designed for organizations that need a year of planning, training, and capacity building before they can develop and implement a full character program or project.
- Implementation Grants
- Implementation Grants are designed for organizations that have a specific character program or project in mind and sufficient capacity to successfully implement that program or project starting in 2027.
- Network Implentation Grants
- Network Implentation Grants are designed for organizations that serve as the coordinating entity for 6+ camps that are eager to implement a character program or project with their on-site program teams.
Funding Information
- Planning Grants
- Organizations can request up to $50,000 for a one-year Planning Grant.
- Implementation Grants
- The maximum funding request is $300,000. For two-year grants, ACA’s guidance is to request funding up to $200,000.
- Network Implentation Grants
- Organizations can request up to $300,000 for a three-year Network Implementation Grant proposal.
Eligibility Criteria
Be eligible for the Character Grant Program, an applicant must be a nonprofit organization that is physically located in the US and are exempt from tax under Internal Revenue Code (Code) section 501(c)(3), or a government/municipal organization. Additionally, an applicant must be an organization that currently offers day and/or overnight camp programming.
For more information, visit American Camp Association.
