THE ANNUAL FUND
As a nonprofit enterprise, the Camping & Education Foundation strives to be competitive with camper tuitions. However, sustaining our excellence and operating from a remote location are challenging objectives. The Foundation’s annual fund ensures that the quality of our programs continue by providing the financial support for staff salaries, scholarships, instructional programming, campsite maintenance, and so much more. Gifts of all sizes are required each year.
TUITION ASSISTANCE
Our industry-leading tuition assistance program awards more than $400,000 in need-based scholarships each year, supporting roughly 25% of our campers. Each summer, approximately 100 young men and women who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to attend Camp Kooch-i-ching or Ogichi Daa Kwe, benefit from gifts to our annual fund.
INVESTING IN EXCELLENCE
Tuition and program fees cover 65% of our expenses. The draw from our endowment covers an additional 10%. The remaining 25% needed to meet our operating needs and fund major projects must be raised each year. In addition to tuition assistance, the annual fund supports important areas such as staff salaries that are competitive with the outdoor education industry; staff training, such as wilderness medicine, mental health, and whitewater skills; wilderness gear upgrades, such as new canoes and safety equipment; and campus projects and infrastructure improvements, such as water systems and camper cabins.
ANNUAL Giving
We are fond of saying that preparing for camp is like moving a small city to the Northwoods. Each summer, Kooch-i-ching and Ogichi Daa Kwe host some 500 campers, including nearly 100 recipients of tuition assistance. Yet at the end of each summer, the revenue from tuition and investments covers just 75% of our operating expenses.
This is where the Annual Fund comes in. This is where our alumni, staff and camper parents come in—making gifts large and small that enable us to provide life-changing wilderness experiences for young men and women, year after year. This is where you come in.
ANNUAL GIVING LEVELS
Law of the Woods Level | $25,000 & Up
Grand Council Level | $15,000 — $24,999
LDAC Level | $10,000 — $14,999
Red Lodge Level | $5,000 — $9,999
Hudson Bay Level | $2,500 — $4,999
Bloodvein Level | $1,000 — $2,499
Portage Level | $500 — $999
Wannigan Level | $250 — $499
Little Council Level | $100 — $249
Many Hands Level | $1 — $99
Last Updated: 12/12/24
annual fund
As a non-profit enterprise, the Camping and Education Foundation strives to be competitive with camper tuitions; however, sustaining our excellence and operating from a remote location are challenging objectives. The Foundation’s annual fund ensures that the quality of our programs continues by providing the financial support, which funds staff salaries, scholarships, instructional programming, campsite improvements, maintenance, and so much more. Gifts of all sizes are required to help sustain this annual fund of approximately $900,000 per year over the course of the five-year campaign.
HOW TO GIVE
Cash GIFTS
A cash donation is the easiest way to support the Camping & Education Foundation. Cash donations can be made by check or by credit card.
Checks should be made out to the Camping & Education Foundation and mailed to 3515 Michigan Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45208. Credit card donations can be made online via the button below, or by calling our office at (513) 772-7479.
Stock Gifts
The Camping & Education Foundation accepts gifts of appreciated stock and mutual fund shares. Such gifts may be tax-deductible, and do not incur capital gains. Click below to download our stock transfer instructions.
Matching Gifts
If you work for a company with a matching gift program, your employer may match your donation to the Camping & Education Foundation. To make a matching gift, simply obtain a matching gift form from your employer and complete it according to your employer’s guidelines.
Staff Giving
Each year, we ask our summer staff to give back to camp by making a donation in support of our tuition assistance program, with a goal of 100% participation. In other words, the size of the gift is less important than the gift itself. A secondary goal is to raise $5,000 between both camps—roughly the cost of a full-tuition scholarship.