Who we serve
Over our more than 140 year history, we have served more than 1.8 million children. In Summer 2020, despite the challenges of Covid-19, we continued to serve New York City communities, families and youth.
Communities 
Families 
of participating families in 2020 would recommend The Fresh Air Fund to family and friends
Youth 
of youth reported feeling more confident after participating in a 2020 summer program
Investing in our Youth
We believe that investing in a child’s journey through life provides an opportunity for young people to learn, grow and thrive in NYC and beyond. Fresh Air programs serve children from NYC’s low-income communities and are free of charge.
Our 2020 Summer Program Participants Gave Us:
98%
of parents / caregivers surveyed would recommend our Summer 2020 programs to family and friends
Across all of our Summer 2020 programs, 91% of youth reported feeling safe; 86% of caregivers reported their child(ren) is more open to trying new things and 88% of youth reported feeling active and healthy.
Marjorie, Mother of Lorenzo and Adriano, Fresh Air Everywhere ParticipantsIt’s so great to see my boys setting an alarm and looking forward to the day. We’ve seen them laugh, learn and be happy for the first time in a long time. The staff engages and teaches, which is really nice to see. We had many struggles but your staff really goes above and beyond, and we want to say thank you.
A SUMMER REIMAGINED
We recognized that summer would look very different in 2020 and were committed to finding the resources and creative solutions to reimagine summer and keep its magic alive.
Fresh Air Everywhere
97%
of caregivers would recommend the program to friends and family
87%
of campers said the program made them feel active and healthy
2,064
“camp in a box” kits were sent to campers
92%
of campers said their experience made them want to take better care of the environment
Fresh Air Summer Spaces
12,000
available slots at 10 sites
92%
of children said their time at Summer Spaces helped them feel more active and healthier
96%
of caregivers said they would be interested in a similar Summer Spaces program in the future
88%
of caregivers said their child/children is more open to trying new things
Fresh Air Teen Programs
88%
of participants reported feeling more confident
87%
found new things they were good at – that they didn’t know they were good at
500+
youth served
$416,800
funds distributed to support stipends
Fresh Air Family Wellness
1,257
people participated in the program
100%
would recommend the program to family and friends
291
bags of fresh produce were given to families
99%
felt more connected as a family
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 2020, as opportunities for young people to gain paid work experience were dramatically limited, our commitment became even stronger. Through Fresh Air Everywhere, Teen Programs and Summer Spaces, we employed 200 New York City youth ages 18-24. 45 of the youth employed were alumni of Fresh Air programs.
Joshua, Summer Spaces StaffI learned active listening, flexibility, communication, and team-work. I learned a lot from the children, such as to be genuine, have fun without holding back, and give your all to every game.