The Gottesman Fund donated $15 million to the Foundation for Jewish Camp to help the more than 300 Jewish summer camps in the organization’s network expand their capacity and modernize their facilities, the foundation said.

The grant — the largest that the organization has ever received — was announced at the Jewish Camp Summit in Chicago, which is being hosted this week jointly by FJC and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s JCamp 180. 

“It happens to be the largest single commitment that we’ve ever received. We’ve received big grants historically: $12 million from [The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation], $10 million here, but this $15 million is bigger than any one-time grant we’ve ever received,” Jeremy J. Fingerman, CEO of FJC, told eJewishPhilanthropy.

According to FJC, this money will allow it to provide grants to camps of up to $750,000 to cover up to 50% of the total cost of an infrastructure project. Approximately $5 million will be allocated for projects related to staff and family housing, $7 million will go to program spaces to modernize them and improve their “climate resilience,” and approximately $3 million will go to constructing camper housing to increase capacity.

The $15 million donation from Ruth and David Gottesman’s family foundation comes amid a rise in interest in Jewish summer camps, following a substantial dip during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We finally got back to pre-pandemic levels; we can start dreaming again,” Fingerman said. 

This past summer saw nearly 190,000 participants at day or overnight Jewish summer camps across North America, according to FJC, which estimates that at least a quarter of the camps in its network are full or nearly so. 

“We have more and more camps that are telling us they’re at capacity, and they want to serve more kids, but there’s something that’s physically getting in the way. In some cases, they need more staff housing in order to cover adequately for safety and a higher population of campers. In some cases, it could be dining hall capacity, it could be bunks,” he said.

Fingerman said that in addition to allowing camps to expand their infrastructure, the new donation will allow others to adapt to a changing climate.

“There are some parts of the country where there was so much rain this past summer… They need more covered space for programs if it’s raining,” he said. “We have the camps out west that suffered tremendous damage and destruction due to the wildfires [and] they’re starting to rebuild. The heat also is an issue. Let’s take a dining hall that’s not air-conditioned. Well, maybe [the camp can get] an air conditioner, or maybe they’ll… put in big fans.”

Diane Eidman, director at the Gottesman Fund, said the pledge reflected the organization’s focus on Jewish life.

“[It’s] hard to think of an experience that’s more formative for young Jews than camp,” Eidman said. “We’re thrilled to partner with Foundation for Jewish Camp to offer funding for capital improvement projects so that camps can enroll more campers, hire more staff and deliver higher-quality experiences to every member of the community.”