Camp Access and Affordability
One Happy Camper
The One Happy Camper Program was created to inspire new campers to try Jewish overnight camp. The original philanthropists behind this program understood that it’s difficult to reach Jews who find themselves on the margins or even outside of Jewish life. Thus, One Happy Camper incentives apply to all public school, home school, and some private school Jewish families whose children do not attend yeshiva. The program offers incentive grants to first-year Jewish overnight campers. JUF partners with Foundation for Jewish Camp in supporting the One Happy Camper program. As part of the JUF Camping Initiative, the long-standing Camp Coupons program has merged with One Happy Camper to reach hundreds more children each year from across Chicagoland. This means that nearly every child will be eligible to receive a grant toward their first summer of Jewish overnight camp (12 days or longer). Please note that campers are only eligible to receive one type of grant.
New for Summer 2026!
Early Bird One Happy Camper Grant increase for eligible applications now through March 15,2026:
- $1,000 for 12-18 day session
- $1,500 for 19+ day session.
All eligible OHC applications submitted after March 15, 2026 will be eligible for $700 for 12-18 day session, $1,000 for 19+ day session.
Learn more and apply for a One Happy Camper or Camp Coupons grant
Questions about One Happy Camper or Camp Coupons? Email [email protected].
Jewish Residential Camp Scholarships
Every year, JUF works with Midwest Jewish overnight camps to help Jewish families with financial need scholarships. Application information can be obtained only through an eligible camp. To be eligible, a camp must be not-for-profit, be located in the Midwest with strong ties to the Chicago area, have a Jewish educational component, and have a record of service to local residents.
FAQ
Our scholarships are only available for residents of the Chicago Metropolitan area serviced by Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (that is, any of the following six counties: Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Kane and Will).
Eligible campers must in grades 3-11 (3rd graders must be turning 9 by the end of the current school year) and must be attending a camp session of 19 days or longer.
Our camp scholarships are only for the following eligible Midwest Jewish overnight camps: Agudah Midwest/B’nos Ma’arava, Beber Camp, Camp Chi, Chavayah for Girls, Habonim Dror Camp Tavor, Moshava Wildrose, Nageela Midwest, Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI), Ramah in Wisconsin, Yeshivas Hakayitz, and Young Judaea Midwest. Please note that affiliated camps in other parts of the country are NOT eligible for our scholarships. To be eligible, a camp must be not-for-profit, be located in the Midwest with strong ties to the Chicago area, have a Jewish educational component, and have a record of service to local residents.
The reason you can’t locate our scholarship application online anywhere is because it is not available from JUF directly. Applications for our camp scholarships can only be accessed through an eligible camp. Each of the above-mentioned eligible camps has its own scholarship process and provides applications only to families who need more financial assistance than can be provided by the camp alone.
In general, our camp scholarships range from $250-$1,800 per camper. Keep in mind that our scholarship is based on financial need. The limited Federation scholarship funds are intended to supplement rather than replace existing scholarships awarded by camps or synagogues.
The camp scholarship applications are due by end-of-day on February 15th. There are no Exceptions!
Final decisions on scholarship grants will be made by the Federation Scholarship Committee. Federation staff will notify families and camps of the scholarship decisions via FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment and via email by mid-April.
If you have questions that are not answered here, please contact us at [email protected].