Financial Aid
- Our needs-based financial aid process is confidential
- Family names are redacted when applications are reviewed
- Documentation is submitted through a secure website
- The unique needs of each family are taken into consideration when reviewing applications.
Jewish overnight camping is widely recognized as a cornerstone for strengthening Jewish identity and securing a vibrant Jewish future. Capital Camps recognizes the significant cost families invest in providing a quality Jewish camp experience for their children. We firmly believe this expense should not be financial barrier, which is why we are dedicated to making the magic of camp accessible to every child by proudly offering financial aid to qualified families with demonstrated need in our MD, VA, DC and PA communities.
Our determination process is built upon standards that include compassion, privacy, integrity, equity and transparency.
Financial Aid
In these difficult times, first time camper grants (see grants and discounts tab) and additional financial aid funding have been provided for our camp families by The Federation of Greater Washington.
Financial aid grants are made for one year only. A new application for aid is required each summer, and aid is based on a family’s current need and the availability of funds.
For shared fee obligations / separate households, each responsible party must complete their own application.
Camper(s) must be registered with a deposit in order for a financial aid application to be reviewed. If the deposit required to enroll a camper or the financial aid application fee will prohibit an application from being submitted, please contact Ruth Burka to make deposit payment arrangements.
Capital Camps offers a convenient and secure method to apply for financial assistance through Clarity, an independent, third party company that will conduct an initial financial analysis through an online application process. Capital Camps will receive a confidential report outlining your financial situation based on the information obtained in your application and supporting tax documents. Capital Camps uses the information supplied by Clarity as a guideline in making its determination.
CCRC is deeply committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. All applications undergo a “blind” review by the financial aid committee to ensure integrity, fairness and confidentiality. All families receiving aid are asked to treat all personal matters relating to their aid as confidential.
If you have any questions regarding our financial aid program, please contact Ruth Burka, Director of Finance and Administration.
Direct Dial: 240-283-6158
Email: ruth@capitalcamps.org
Income
We use your entire household income, financial resources, and household size to determine the minimum expected contribution toward campers’ fees.
Assets
Liquid assets are made up of non-qualified retirement monies held in checking, savings, brokerage accounts, and sometimes funds in trusts, or certificates of deposit.
There is an expectation that a certain amount of liquid assets would be available for contribution toward tuition.
Personal Considerations
Also considered is an overview of all your financial data and available assets.
- Tuition payments for day schools.
- Qualified Retirement Account balances. (Please note that extraordinarily large retirement investments are not automatically excluded from consideration as available funds toward tuition.)
- Home mortgage and equity
- Real estate in addition to your family home
- Trusts and 529 accounts
- Vehicles
- Liabilities
- Financial support for elder care or immediate family members with special needs that are unable to care for themselves.
- Daycare and college costs are considered only up to the amount of reasonably available cost alternatives. Excessive or elective costs are included in our need assessment.
- Exceptional circumstances that affect your family’s available financial resources.
- Recent unemployment or employment transitions that negatively impact your available resources.
- Other grants or support available to the family to help pay for the cost of camp.
Not Considered
These items below, among others, are not included in tuition assistance determination, even as we respect their impact on your family budget:
- Lifestyle choices that make paying tuition difficult (expensive vacations, luxury automobiles, investment homes, pet costs, other extracurricular costs beyond a typical amount, etc.)
- Daycare and college costs that are considered excessive or elective when less expensive alternatives are available are excluded in our need assessment.
Will I qualify for financial assistance?
Tuition assistance amounts will vary based on each family’s unique set of circumstances and financial resources.
For the 2026 camp season, we are using Clarity for our online financial aid application platform. Our goal is to make the tuition assistance application process as easy as possible for your family. Clarity offers a streamlined, mobile-friendly application.
Additionally, Clarity removes the need to upload your W2 and 1040 returns by accessing them directly from the IRS. US taxpayers authorize the release of their W2s and taxes returns from the IRS to Clarity through their own IRS.gov account.
DEADLINE FOR APPLYING:
- For Campers Registered as of November 2nd, 2025: The deadline to complete your financial aid application is November 16th, 2025.
- For Campers Registering After November 2nd, 2025: Your financial aid application must be completed within two weeks (14 days) of your camper’s enrollment date.
Applications for tuition assistance are reviewed in the order they are received. Applications submitted after the deadline will be reviewed; however, less funding may be available, especially as we get closer to the start of the camp season.
CCRC is deeply committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. All applications undergo a “blind” review by the financial aid committee to ensure integrity, fairness and confidentiality.
If you have specific questions about your family’s situation before starting the Clarity financial aid application, please do not hesitate to contact Ruth Burka
For additional support and to glimpse the family application experience, check out these links to guides and video tutorials. Note that for this purpose, “School” refers to “Camp”.
Clarity Family Application Guide
Video Introduction to Clarity for Families
Contact Clarity Support
Email support can be access support@clarityapp.com, and chat support can be found in the application using the “Help” button in the lower left corner, or you can reach them by phone at 206-210-3752.
Capital Camps & Retreat Center takes the privacy and security of your personal information very seriously. Clarity is certified for both GDPR and SOC2 and uses enterprise-level security standards including end-to-end encryption of all personally identifiable information. For more information, please refer to Clarity’s Privacy Policy.
Additional Support
If you wish to participate in an entirely optional webinar about applying for tuition assistance, hosted by our partner experts at Clarity, you may do so by clicking on any of the links below.
One Happy Camper
Eligible first time campers receive between $500 and $1000 off camp! These non-need based grants are funded by Capital Camps and our community partners. The One HappyCamper grant program is managed by The Foundation for Jewish Camp. More information can be found online at https://jewishcamp.org/one–happy–camper/
Step One – Apply for Capital Camps
Step Two – Apply for One Happy Camper Grant
Step Three – Give your child an amazing fun-filled summer!
Jewish Professionals Discount
We are proud to offer a discount to Jewish community professionals. For more information, please inquire at info@capitalcamps.org.
US Active Duty Military Grant
Children of Active Duty US Military personnel may be eligible for a grant. For more information, please inquire at info@capitalcamps.org.
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