Mission and Goals

Mission

The mission of the Summer Fund is to ensure that underserved children and youth in the Metropolitan Boston area have access to a wide variety of affordable, high-quality camp-based recreational and learning opportunities, by providing resources for operational support, capacity building and professional development.

Goals

The Summer Fund dedicates its resources, effort, and time to achieving the following:

  • Growing a collaborative pool of funding to support summer camp and programs serving urban, underserved children and youth;
  • Increasing the number of summer program slots that are accessible to urban, underserved children, youth, and families;
  • Increasing summer camp and program quality by providing operational support, capacity building and professional development AND conducting ongoing assessments of quality standards;
  • Building a strategic portfolio of camps that provide high-quality recreational, academic support, and experiential learning opportunities

Summer Fund Fact

Fifty-eight organizations operating at 93 sites in Greater Boston received general operating grants from the Summer Fund in 2017.

Our Impact

The Summer Fund provides 60% of the total number of groups we serve for our summer programs, which yields 35% of our total participants and 40% of our participant fees. The impact of the Summer Fund on YES’s Outdoor Adventure Program is substantial. It provides the opportunity for more than 250 participants to receive introductory, one-day outdoor experiential education excursions, which we hope will leave them yearning to come back for more.

— Youth Enrichment Services (YES)

Random Quote

The Homeless Campership Fund made a significant impact in several children’s lives this summer. The experience of traveling to an environment so different from the sidewalks and alleys they see every day brought energy and enthusiasm back to their eyes. The freedom and independence of the summer camp environment is especially valuable to children that have experienced the powerlessness that can come with being homeless.

— Elizabeth Stone House, Roxbury