Who we Serve

For over 145 years, The Fresh Air Fund has provided life-changing summer experiences in the outdoors to children living in NYC’s underserved communities. 

Communities

Community partners across five boroughs

Families

of participating families would recommend our Summer 2022 programs to family and friends

Youth

ages of youth who will participate in The Fund’s 2023 summer programs

Investing in our Youth

The Fresh Air Fund expands opportunities for New York City youth from underserved communities by investing in a child's journey to learn, grow and thrive through new experiences in the outdoors. All programs are free of charge.

Our 2022 Summer Program Participants Gave Us:

Youth

4.2 out of 5

Parents

4.5 out of 5
96%

of participating families would recommend our Summer 2022 programs to family and friends

My favorite part of camp is making new friends and trying new things that I never expected to like. I love my counselors – they’re role models to me. Camp is a place where we can all talk to each other and express our feelings without feeling judged.

Layla, 13, Fresh Air Fund participant

THE POWER OF SUMMER

In summer 2022, The Fresh Air Fund offered six programs which supported healthy childhood development, addressed summer learning loss and provided children with opportunities to strengthen social-emotional skills.

Sleepaway Camp

88%

of parents / caregivers said their child learned important skills at Camp

87%

of parents / caregivers said their child is more confident after attending Camp

Friendly Towns

99%

of youth said they spent more time outdoors than usual during their visit to Friendly Towns

91%

of NYC parents / caregivers said that their child was more open to trying new things after their visit to Friendly Towns

Fresh Air Teen Academy

88%

of teens said that they got better at working with a team after participating in the Summer Teen Academy

86%

of teens said they found new things that they were good at – that they did not know they were good at

Fresh Air Summer Spaces

92%

of youth felt that Summer Spaces helped them feel active and healthy

89%

of youth felt that they got better at meeting people and making friends

Fresh Air Family Wellness

97%

of families felt more connected as a family after their Family Wellness Trip

93%

of families felt they had a greater desire to spend more time outdoors

Youth Enrichment

91%

of teens felt more responsible after participating in Youth Enrichment Programs

87%

of teens said they got better at overcoming challenges

Leadership in Action

The Fresh Air Fund has a long history of providing leadership and professional development opportunities for young people. In a typical summer, The Fund employs over 500 seasonal staff. In summer 2022, we employed 265 youth ages 18-24. 63 of the youth employed are alumni of Fresh Air programs. 

As a CIT, I learned communication and problem-solving skills. This summer showed me the importance of being open-minded when trying new things. Camp is a new experience for some campers, and being a leader to whom they felt comfortable expressing their emotions made an impact on me.

Zamaris, 16, CIT