Autism Speaks awarded scholarships to more than 330 campers at 51 camps across the country through the Autism Speaks Baker Summer Camp Scholarship Program. All camps in the U.S. that provide a summer program to financially disadvantaged individuals with autism were eligible to apply. 280 camps submitted scholarship grant applications which were reviewed by a national committee composed of families affected by autism, individuals with autism, and autism professionals.
Grants were evaluated based on their overall camp program design and available activities, approach to serving people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, staff training in working with people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and a documented and thoughtful process for selecting qualified scholarship campers. The Camps were responsible for choosing the scholarship recipients based on an autism diagnosis, financial need, and the individual's opportunity for growth and development through the camp experience.
Below is a list of the camps that scholarship awardees will be attending:
URJ and NFTY's Kutz Campus Reform for Jewish Teens Mitzvah Corps: An Integrative Program for Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder Kutz Camp: Mitzvah Corps Program New York, NY kutz.urjcamps.org
Note: If there is a camp your child enjoys and you don't see it on the list, please encourage the camp to apply for grants in next year's funding cycle.
For questions about applications or technical issues, contact Serena Selkin at sselkin@autismspeaks.org.
Click here for a PDF version of the Baker Summer Camp Program Guidelines.
A special thanks to Norma and Malcolm Baker, John W. Carson Foundation, a private foundation in New York, and online fundraising through Facebook for making these camp scholarships possible.
Click here to see the Family Services Community Connections piece on Summer Camps.