Matching Grants

Endowment Accelerator

Support permanent endowment-building for Jewish overnight summer camps.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation has announced a new grant to support permanent endowment-building for Jewish overnight summer camps affiliated with JCamp 180.

Endowment Accelerator

The Endowment Accelerator matching grant is a $4M, four-year commitment that will leverage at least an additional $12M in total for the field, seeding cash endowment funds. 

Looking for helpful resources?

Endowment Accelerator Toolkit

Endowment Accelerator Workshop Series

Download sample Endowment Policies

Download Endowment Policy Evaluation Criteria

 Key Dates

The grant period for the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant is January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2027. Camps participating in the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant program are expected to complete the program requirements outlined below.

Due Dates Requirement & Description
Early December, 2023

Applications open
December 14, 2023

Optional Informational Webinar

View here
December 29, 2023

Applications due

Applicants will submit through the online grants portal.
January 31, 2024

Grant Agreement Letter Sent out

Grantee camps will receive notification via email to sign a Grant Agreement Letter.
February 29, 2024

Grant Agreement Letter due

Grantees will submit Signed Letters through the online grants portal.
Year 1
October 31, 2024

Endowment Policies due

All policies outlined below must be in place and approved by the governing Board.
February 3, 2025*

Donation Tracker due for Payment Processing and Narrative Report due

All gifts to be matched must be submitted by this date for payment processing.

To stay eligible, camps must complete an annual narrative report which will outline plans and activities completed in the year regarding the endowment.
Year 2
February 2, 2026*

Donation Tracker due for payment processing and Narrative Report due

To stay eligible, camps must complete an annual narrative report which will outline plans and activities completed in the year regarding the endowment.
Year 3
February 1, 2027

Donation Tracker due for payment processing and Narrative Report due

To stay eligible, camps must complete an annual narrative report which will outline plans and activities completed in the year regarding the endowment.
Year 4
February 1, 2028

Donation Tracker due for payment processing and Narrative Report due

Camps must complete an annual narrative report which will outline plans and activities completed in the year regarding the endowment.

 *When a deadline falls on Shabbat, the deadline will be adjusted to the following Monday.

 Guidelines

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation has committed $25 Million, $5 million per year (2023-2027) in matching funds to nonprofit Jewish overnight camps to support camps as they move beyond the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and build on their fundraising success during the pandemic period.

Overview

All overnight camps affiliated with the JCamp 180 program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation as of January 1, 2024, are eligible to participate in the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant program.  Participating Jewish overnight camps will be eligible to receive $1 from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) for every $3 they raise from other donors into a qualifying permanent endowment fund.  To qualify for matching funds, gifts must be received after January 1, 2024, and before December 31, 2027.  The maximum matching amount for each camp is $40,000.

Eligibility

The Endowment Accelerator grant is available to each Jewish overnight camp affiliated with JCamp 180 as of January 1, 2024. A full list of eligible camps can be found here.  

This challenge grant runs from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2027.

Applications to participate in the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant will be made available in early December 2023 and must be submitted to JCamp 180 no later than December 29, 2023

Camps must sign and submit a grant agreement letter after they apply for participation using the JCamp 180 online grants portal.

The grant agreement letter will be sent out to each participating camp by January 31, 2024 and must be signed and returned by February 29, 2024.

Grant usage and match amount

Grant funds and donor gifts to this match must be placed into a qualifying permanent endowment fund as defined below.

JCamp 180 shall review the camp’s endowment creation and policy documents to confirm that the permanent endowment meets JCamp 180 requirements. 

For camps that do not own real estate

JCamp 180 has made allowances for the use of the portion of their grant designated for physical or capital improvements. To the extent possible, half of the JCamp 180 provided funds should be used toward physical improvements such as major equipment, storage units, or other infrastructure projects.  However, if these uses for the HGF funds are not possible, HGF provided funds may be used to pay the cost of site occupancy (rental fees).

The chart below outlines how funds should be used for capital and unrestricted expenses:

  HGF Grant Camp Raises Total Funds Raised
  $50,000 $150,000 $200,000
Use of Funds      
Capital $25,000 $ 75,000 $100,000
Unrestricted $25,000 $ 75,000 $100,000
Total $50,000 $150,000 $200,000

Earning the HGF grant

HGF Physical and Capital Improvement Allocation

The portion of the HGF grant designated for physical or capital improvement use may only be matched by unrestricted funds or funds restricted for these improvements.

HGF Unrestricted Allocation

The portion of the HGF grant whose use is unrestricted may be matched by any gift to the camp.

Gift Matching Eligibility

Gifts eligible to be matched

  • To be eligible for matching by HGF, gifts must be cash or cash equivalents. Stocks, bonds, and other cash equivalents will be matched.

  • Gifts must be added to the camp’s permanent endowment fund prior to the completion of the matching grant period (12/31/2027) to be eligible to be matched.

  • Gifts of any amount that are placed in the camp’s permanent endowment will be matched up to the maximum challenge grant amount.

Gifts not eligible to be matched

  • Restricted gifts for current operating or capital uses.

  • Gifts of noncash equivalents will not be matched by HGF. Examples of noncash equivalents include land, personal property, life insurance policies, art, and jewelry.

  • Gifts from existing camp funds.

  • Gifts already counted towards a different HGF grant or matching funds received as part of a different HGF grant.

What is a Qualifying Permanent Endowment Fund?

To receive JCamp 180 matching funds from the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant, camps must have a new or existing “qualifying” permanent endowment fund. The qualifying permanent endowment fund will be the repository of all matching funds from JCamp 180 as well as all funds raised to qualify for these matching funds from other donors.

  • The endowment must be for the sole benefit of the camp.
  • The endowment must be invested in a manner and through an organization such as a brokerage firm, a financial institution, or a community endowment fund. Individual investment agents or self-managed endowments are not eligible for the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant. 
  • Approved Policy Documents.

(Please note that HGF is not a financial advisor. HGF can offer sample policy language and guidance about endowment best practices.)

Endowment policy documents must be approved by the camp’s governing body and must contain the following elements to be eligible for the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant:

  • A spending policy, that includes the following elements:
    • how the annual distributions are to be calculated
    • allowed usages of the annual distributions
    • a statement protecting the fund corpus (principal) from use other than in extraordinary circumstances which must be clearly defined
    • a successor plan, detailing what happens to the fund if the camp ceases to exist
  • An investment policy for how the endowment fund is to be invested
  • Gift acceptance policies outlining how gifts are to be accepted and invested

Camps can review our Evaluation Criteria that articulate what we are looking for in each of the policies. Camps can also use this set of sample policies as a baseline to customize to their unique circumstances. These policies are cross-referenced with the Evaluation Criteria to ensure that they will be accepted by HGF.

  • To receive HGF matching grant payments camps must complete all annual reporting requirements even if no gifts were received to be matched in a given year.
  • HGF will not distribute matching grant payments to camps that do not meet the endowment policy requirements outlined above.
  • To receive HGF matching grant payments camps must provide an endowment statement or evidence of deposit into the camp’s qualifying permanent endowment fund as part of the Donation Report.
  • Disbursements may be made by electronic transfer or by check.
  • Each year, HGF will distribute a matching payment based on the submitted Donation Report by the dates listed below.
  • Should a camp not submit a matching grant request in any given year, or if the submitted matching grant request does not draw one-quarter of the eligible match, undistributed funds will carry over and be eligible for disbursement through December 31, 2027.
  • Should a camp raise the amount of funds needed to secure the full $40,000 of matching funds prior to Year 4 of the grant period, HGF will pay out the full matching grant amount as soon as this milestone is met.

Year Payments Distributed By
Year 1 April 30, 2025
Year 2 April 30, 2026
Year 3 April 30, 2027
Year 4 April 30, 2028

 Frequently Asked Questions

Click on a frequently asked question below to view the answer.

Yes, affiliated overnight camps can apply for both and are encouraged to do so.

Refer to the “Qualifying permanent endowment fund” section in the grant guidelines.

This is not required as a part of the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant, but a camp or donor may elect to set up such an agreement.

Yes, if the endowment meets HGF’s requirements for a qualifying permanent endowment and the funds received as part of the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant are individually tracked and designated for the sole benefit of an individual camp.

The funds received as part of the Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant may be distributed across multiple funds, as long as each fund meets JCamp 180’s requirements for a qualifying permanent endowment.

Your organization may hold funds through the four years of the grant program until your camp meets the minimum contribution.

Yes, and HGF will pay out the full matching grant ($40,000) as soon as this milestone is met.

Should a camp not submit a matching grant request in any given year, or if the submitted matching grant request does not draw one-quarter of the eligible match, undistributed funds will carry over and be eligible for disbursement through December 31, 2027. However, the year 1 requirements include developing the policy documents for the fund and submitting a Narrative Report.

Yes.

Yes. Camps can submit gifts to be matched at any time during the grant period as long as those gifts weren't used to match any other funds.

No.

Review our Evaluation Criteria that articulate what we are looking for in each of the policies. You can also use this set of sample policies as a baseline to customize to your unique circumstances. These policies are cross-referenced with the Evaluation Criteria to ensure that they will be accepted by HGF.

Please note that these policies are samples only and that there are many variations on these policies that will meet HGF’s Endowment Accelerator Matching Grant criteria. These samples are meant to be a guide for you to use as you create or update your own policies. We encourage you to take the time to have the important internal conversations to craft the policies that most fit your particular organization.

HGF encourages all camps to apply this year; while there may be additional opportunities to re-apply at a later date, HGF cannot make any guarantees about available funds.

The following questions are found on the application:

  1. Do you have an existing endowment fund?
    If yes, please answer the following three questions:
    1. Does it meet HGF’s definition of a qualifying permanent endowment, as described in the Endowment Accelerator Grant Rules?
    2. Are there funds in your permanent endowment that have restricted usage?
    3. If yes, what percentage of the total permanent endowment do they represent, and what are they for?
  2. Do you have an endowment goal?
    What is it, and over what time period? (E.g. we would like to have a $25 million endowment by 2050)
  3. Describe your current efforts (if any) to solicit legacy contributions to grow your endowment (cash or future commitments).
  4. Do you anticipate needing training and coaching resources to implement an endowment program (or to complete this endowment match)?
    If yes, please share your thoughts on what would be most helpful from JCamp 180.
  5. What challenges do you anticipate in completing this match?
    Are there any constraints on your organization to complete an endowment program for your camp?

 Orientation and Refresh Webinar

On April 29, 2026, JCamp 180 team members Dalia Krusner and Elizabeth Kaplan led this webinar for camps who recently joined the Endowment Accelerator or are entering their third year of participation in the grant. 

In this webinar

Dalia and Elizabeth:

  • Welcomed seven new camps

    joining the program this year

  • Reviewed grant requirements and key dates

  • Shared resources and coaching opportunities

    to help advance camps' endowment work

  • Answered questions live

This webinar covered the basics of the Endowment Accelerator Grant.

It is especially valuable for teams with recent turnover or that have updated their strategic priorities - it's a great chance to get aligned and set yourself up for success.

Related Resources

Webinar Slides

Webinar Slides

Endowment Accelerator Toolkit

Endowment Accelerator Toolkit

Need More Information?

Have additional questions about Endowment Accelerator?

For questions about accessing the grant portal and submitting the application:
Contact our Grants team

For other questions about the grant, email your Relationship Manager or
Email Us