|
Today’s society is divided by economic,
racial, national, geographic, religious,
ethnic, and social boundaries. Efforts
to bridge these divisions have been attempted
through legislation and social programs.
However, barriers continue to isolate people.
As a charitable organization, the American
Camp Association (ACA) has strived to
break down these barriers by developing
a unique camper scholarship program that
enables private/independent camps to use
charitable contributions for camper scholarships.
Each year, participating camps give scholarships
to campers unable to afford the entire
camp fee and whose presence at camp will
broaden the composition of the camp community.
ACA recognizes that camp provides natural
conditions for campers from different backgrounds
to work, play, and struggle together under
the supervision and encouragement of trained,
caring leadership. As camps are able to
help more children attend camp, the opportunities
to build bridges of understanding will
grow and expand.
The ACA Camper Scholarship
Program
Donors Gain a Tax
Advantage
The Camper Scholarship Program enables
more children to experience camp by making
it easier for private/independent camps
to offer scholarship funding for more campers.
Since the American Camp Association
is a tax-exempt corporation under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service
code, contributions to ACA are tax deductible.
Within certain restrictions, the association
can accept contributions for camper scholarships.
In this way, private/independent camps
can offer a tax deduction for contributions
to their camp’s scholarship program.
How to Build the Bridge
- Each camp selects its own scholarship
recipients; however, ACA wishes to encourage
interaction between campers from varying
social, economic, racial, national, and
cultural backgrounds. ACA recommends
that scholarship recipients remain anonymous
to the camp community.
- Camps solicit contributions from parents,
businesses, organizations, or foundations.
All donor checks must be made payable
to the ACA Camper Scholarship Program
with the camp’s name in the lower
left-hand corner. Contributions may be
sent directly to ACA or may be collected
by the camp and forwarded to ACA.
- ACA credits funds received to your
camp’s account and completes a
donor acknowledgment for each gift, which
is routed back through the camp so that
a personal “thank you” can
accompany it.
- The ACA National Office issues a check
within fourteen working days of the participating
camp’s request. The total amount
requested cannot exceed the amount in
the camp’s account.
- Free brochures describing ACA’s
Camper Scholarship Program are available
for distribution in soliciting donations.
The brochure is designed with space for
your camp’s name and address.
- Contact ACA’s development department
at 765-342-8456 or jtumey@ACAcamps.org for
camper scholarship applications, brochures,
or for general information about starting
a camper scholarship program at your
camp.
Bridge Building Made
Simple
- Any ACA-accredited camp may participate.
- Camps must develop and submit a set
of objective criteria by which scholarship
recipients will be evaluated and selected.
- Scholarship monies must be used to
provide services for campers whose families
cannot otherwise afford the experience.
- The scholarship recipients should have
a different background than the majority
of the camper population.
- Camp directors must complete an application
for each scholarship.
- A 7½ percent administration
fee will be assessed on all scholarship
contributions at the time they are credited
to a camp’s account. Plus, any
interest income will be retained by ACA
to lower administrative fees. A balance
statement will be sent to the camp each
time ACA processes a receipt of funds
or issues a scholarship check.
- Relatives of a camp’s owners,
operators, or employees are not eligible
for scholarships.
- The person who makes the scholarship
selections for a camp may not be a donor
or be influenced by a donor or allow
a donor to exercise a significant influence
in the selection of scholarship recipients.
- Camp owners or operators may not make
contributions to their camp’s scholarship
fund.
- The camp must be currently accredited
by the American Camp Association at
the time of the scholarship award.
|
 |
|
