named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Benefit Weekend for Alumni
Annual event for alumni featuring traditional camp activities, community gatherings, and recruitment efforts for new campers.
Kinder-thon for Camper Scholarships
Annual fundraising campaign to provide financial aid, distributing over $100,000 in scholarships to ensure accessibility regardless of financial circumstances.
Summer Camp Program
Residential summer camp for children emphasizing secular Jewish culture, Yiddish language, folk music, social justice education, and community building through activities like the Peace Olympics and cultural programming.
The Ira Fund for Camp: If We Had a Hammer
Fundraising initiative to honor the legacy of longtime Program Director Ira Coleman-Palansky, supporting both commemorative projects and urgent infrastructure needs at camp.
activities · 9 groups
What they do
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Summer Day Camp Programs 2 activities
- Operate summer camp program for children and youthProvides a summer camp program for children ages 9 to 16 at a site in Tolland, Massachusetts, with sessions lasting 2, 3, 4, or 7 weeks. The program integrates sports, arts, nature, camping, and social justice education, hosting 165 to 185 campers per session and maintaining over 85% annual camper retention.
- Provide supervised recreational and outdoor activitiesOffers supervised swimming instruction and free swim with Red Cross certified lifeguards, leads nature walks and environmental exploration on 300 acres of camp property, and provides specialized instruction in sports, crafts, nature, music, and campcraft through rotating specialists.
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Summer Camp Access Scholarships 1 activity
- Administer camper registration and financial aidOperates a camper registration system, prepares and distributes required forms for the camp season, and distributes over $100,000 in scholarships annually to ensure access regardless of financial circumstances.
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Jewish Youth Summer Camps 1 activity
- Educate campers in social justice and progressive valuesTeaches campers about progressive historical figures, social justice issues, secular Jewish cultural traditions, and peace through daily activities, discussions, and annual ceremonies commemorating the Holocaust and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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Youth Counselor-in-Training Programs 1 activity
- Operate Counselors-in-Training (CIT) programRuns a two-year Counselor-in-Training program for youth turning 15 or 16, requiring participation in a full 7-week session, and includes direct work with campers and structured skill-building workshops.
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Jewish Religious Education and Outreach 1 activity
- Operate after-school secular Jewish education programRuns the Kinderland Shule, an after-school program providing secular Jewish education based on history, culture, and literature.
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Youth Theater Arts Education 1 activity
- Produce theatrical and cultural performancesProduces two major theatrical performances annually in the Paul Robeson Playhouse, performed by older campers and Counselors-in-Training (CITs), and organizes a cultural Olympics where campers create themed cheers, songs, skits, and murals based on social justice figures and movements.
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Home-Delivered Meals for Seniors and Homebound 1 activity
- Provide camp health and support servicesEmploys two full-time nurses and support staff, maintains a fully staffed infirmary with live-in nurses and a dedicated driver for medical transportation, and accommodates special dietary needs including gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-sensitive options at every meal.
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Youth Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
- Sponsor youth activist groupSponsors the United Council of Resistance (UnCOR), an activist youth group that engages young people in ongoing social justice work.
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Residential Camp Health & Safety Services 1 activity
- Staff and manage camp operationsAssigns three counselors per bunk for groups of 10–15 campers with counselors living onsite, assigns Group Leaders to each age group, conducts annual background checks on all staff, and maintains policies related to medical care, air quality, and COVID-19 for participants and families.
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financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$1.85M
Contributions & grants$793K43%
Program service revenue$1.12M61%
Investment income$3K0%
Other revenue$-67K
expenses
Total expenses$1.66M
Program expenses89%
Admin / overhead7%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$798K
Grants paid out$103K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$895K
Cash$246K
Investments$0
Liabilities$8K
Net assets$887K
Liquid reserves1.8 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue +38.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
board members · 14
- ALICE SHECTER — MEMBER
- DANIEL FISHER — MEMBER
- HELENE POTASH — MEMBER
- ISIDORA FINKELSTEIN — SECRETATRY
- JENNA DABNEY — MEMBER
- JOANNA KALB — MEMBER
- JUDEE ROSENBAUM — MEMBER
- LAURA SHMISHKISS — MEMBER
- LIZ CASTILLO — TREASURER
- RACHEL WYATT — MEMBER
- SANDRA GOLDSTEIN LEHNERT — MEMBER
- STEVEN ITZKOWITZ — VICE PRESIDENT
- SYLVIE STRAUS-FIGUEROA — MEMBER
- WILLIAM ROTHBERG — PRESIDENT
relationships · 6
Who they work with
- CampInTouch Partner — Uses CampInTouch as a platform for camper registration and document management.
- CampMinder Partner — Uses CampMinder (CampInTouch) as its online camp management system for staff accounts and paperwork.
- Clapton Community FC Partner — Antifascist soccer club in East London with which Camp Kinderland has a connection, including a shared handkerchief in their clubhouse.
- Massachusetts and Tolland Boards of Health Government — Regularly inspects and monitors Camp Kinderland for compliance with health regulations.
- Paul Robeson Partner — Names the camp's playhouse after Paul Robeson, honoring his legacy in performances and programming.
- United Council of Resistance Partner — Sponsored activist youth group that engages Camp Kinderland youth in year-round social justice work.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Gender-Affirming Inclusion Modelmethodology: gender-affirming_programmingBy operating a gender-inclusive camp that actively affirms campers’ identities in partnership with families, we foster a safe, supportive environment that enables full participation, because identity affirmation is foundational to belonging and emotional safety in youth development settings.
- Solidarity-Based Experiential Learningmethodology: solidarity-based_educationBy connecting campers to historical and contemporary social justice movements through intergenerational and global solidarity, we cultivate a sense of agency and responsibility, because immersive, relationship-based education rooted in lived legacy (e.g., labor activism) produces deeper engagement than abstract instruction.
- Values-Integrated Social Justice Educationmethodology: values-integration-through-arts-and-activismBy embedding progressive secular Jewish values and social justice principles into all aspects of camp programming—such as arts, activism, and daily activities—we cultivate a multicultural environment and foster lifelong engagement in economic, racial, and social justice, because experiential, culture-based learning deepens commitment and understanding.