Financial Assistance
Each Child Deserves the Camp Experience
Camp Seneca Lake believes that the Jewish summer camp experience should be available for every Jewish child, regardless of ability to pay. Because of our generous donors, families regardless of geography can access CSL Financial Aid ranging from $150 to $5,000+ through a simple, need-based process. Scroll down to access the 2025 Financial Aid application.
Additional scholarships and community programs/grants are available from many different resources including synagogues, local Federations, and private funders.
All personal and financial information is always kept strictly confidential. Please contact the CSL office if you have any questions at [email protected] or at 315-536-9981.
Outside Organization Tuition Subsidies
Greater Rochester Area:
- Rochester-area campers are eligible for free tuition for one session annually beginning in 2025 through the Farash Foundation’s Project Campfire initiative. The Farash Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation independent from CSL or the JCC of Greater Rochester.
- Eligible campers live in Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Livingston, Orleans, Genesee, or Yates Counties more than fifty percent of the time and self-identify as Jewish.
- Eligible campers will still register for camp and pay a deposit to hold their spot at camp, and will see the tuition credit in their account at the time of enrollment.
- Click here to learn more about the initiative.
- Please contact [email protected] with any questions related to Project Campfire eligibility for your camper!
Outside Greater Rochester:
- All first-time Jewish overnight campers are eligible to receive incentive grants (not need-based) to attend their first summer.
- Buffalo Familes: Please visit the Buffalo Jewish Federation Camper Incentive Grants page for more information.
- Syracuse Families: $1000 camperships are available for Central New York campers, please visit the CNY Federation’s website to apply!
- For One Happy Camper Grants outside Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse, please check out the One Happy Camper website at: jewishcamp.org/one-happy-camper/. Most communities offer up to $1,000 for campers attending Jewish overnight camp for their first time.
- Should your community not offer One Happy Camper grants, PJ Library offers PJ Goes to Camp incentive grants in the amount of $700 for campers who attend overnight camp for 12-18 days, or $1,000 for campers who attend camp for 19 days or longer. Eligibility requirements and contact information are available on their website.
CSL Financial Assistance
Financial Aid to offset the cost of tuition is available through Camp Seneca Lake and the generosity of donors at the Louis S. Wolk Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester. We maintain a confidential and respectful process to review need-based applications to determine if you are eligible to receive assistance. There is a sliding scale based on income to determine the level of aid we are able to provide. Expenses and other extenuating circumstances will be consider as well and may influence the level of aid given.
As there are limited funds available, all families are encouraged to explore additional funding for camp through synagogues, Jewish Federations and community foundations, private donor funds, One Happy Camper, PJ Library funds, Jewish Family Services, and more. Families outside of Rochester may also contact their local JCC to explore funding options. If you are receiving additional subsidies/scholarship/aid from outside sources beyond CSL, CSL will apply those funds as a tuition reduction in your account. If you receive outside funding applied to tuition after CSL Financial Aid has been awarded, CSL Financial Aid awards may be adjusted to reflect accurate need.
Re-evaluations of the amount of CSL Financial Aid we can award will only be considered contingent on application for other outside funding, and we will not consider awarding additional aid until you receive a decision from the outside funder.
The 2025 CSL Financial Aid Application can be found here. All campers must be registered before completing the Financial Aid application. We typically respond within two weeks, as it’s important to us to provide a quick answer to alleviate any anxiety about whether you can afford to send your child to camp!
If you have any questions, please contact the CSL team at [email protected] or at 315-536-9981.
click here for the 2025 csl scholarship applicationOther Funding sources
Administered through the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester, there are several other opportunities available to campers regardless of geography. CSL does not manage these scholarship award processes and is not involved in decisionmaking. Please contact Elana Vigdor at [email protected] for more information!
- The Mike Nozik Scholarship Fund – Any Camp Seneca Lake family, regardless of home city, may apply for this need-based scholarship. Additional selection criteria is outlined on the application. Apply here.
- Chance at Camp – The Lindsay and Jillian Wiener Memorial Scholarship Fund – Any Camp Seneca Lake family, regardless of home city, may apply for this need-based scholarship. Additional selection criteria is outlined on the application. Deadline: March 15th. Apply Here.
- Israel Grant Application – For Rochester families, this grant is open to teens attending our CSL in Israel program.
- Federation Camp Scholarship – This is a needs-based scholarship for Rochester families seeking additional aid to attend Camp Seneca Lake.
- To submit an application for one of the above, please click here. For more information, visit Federation’s Grants page or contact Elana Vigdor at [email protected] or by calling 585-461-8642.