Learning

Camperships Offer Access to STEM, Summer Fun and Friends

It’s one of the four key priorities of the new Limitless campaign: to break down barriers and increase access to the Museum. One way we’re doing that right now is by offering camperships — financial assistance to families who cannot afford a summer camp experience for their children. This summer, thanks to the generous support of donors like you, nearly 100 children attended the Museum’s Aerospace Camp Experience (ACE) through camperships. 

“This year we did see a record number of applicants — over 140 applications for our Full Campership program and about 50 applicants for Partial Camperships,” said ACE Manager Clare Tally-Foos. 

A Full Campership provides a week at camp at no cost, a Partial Campership offers families anywhere from $100-$300 towards the camp’s program fees. 

“To receive a campership, full or partial, we ask families to share a little bit with us about their financial situation and how the aid would reduce barriers and allow their camper to access our programming,” explained Tally-Foos. 

In evaluating each family’s application, the ACE team looks at other aid programs the camper qualifies for, if the camper is in foster or kinship care, the estimated household income and the number of people it supports, and any other extenuating circumstances that impact a family’s financial situation, like a recent job loss. 

“It’s humbling to receive these asks and truly a joy when we are able to get a camper enrolled into a program they might otherwise not have a chance to experience,” said Tally-Foos. “It’s also clear in these applications that parents, caregivers, and guardians are seeking the very best for the youth in their lives and are working so hard to support their excitement and cultivate their interests in space, aviation, and science. That ACE could play such a pivotal role for a young person is certainly why I do what I do. I am deeply proud of the Museum’s commitment to increasing access to this program for as many kids as we can, and I know it’s due to the support of our community that we’re able to do so.”