Who we serve
For over 145 years, The Fresh Air Fund has provided life-changing and transformative summer experiences in the outdoors for NYC children from low-income communities. The Fund has served more than 1.8 million children since 1877.
Communities 
Families 
of participating families in 2021 would recommend The Fresh Air Fund to family and friends
Youth 
of youth reported feeling more confident after participating in a 2021 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 2021 Summer Program Participants Gave Us:
98%
of parents / guardians surveyed would recommend our Summer 2021 programs to family and friends
Across all of our Summer 2021 programs, 84% of youth said they got better at meeting people and making friends; 86% of parents / guardians reported their child(ren) is more open to trying new things and 90% of youth reported feeling active and healthy.
Nyael, 13, Fresh Air Fund participantMy favorite thing about The Fresh Air Fund is that you have the chance to make new friends and it gives you the opportunity to see the world differently.
THE POWER OF SUMMER
In summer 2021, we launched six programs. Our in-person, virtual and hybrid programs supported healthy childhood development, addressed summer learning loss and provided children with opportunities to strengthen social-emotional skills.
Fresh Air Summer Spaces
95%
of children feel more active and healthy
92%
of children said the program helped them get better at meeting people and making friends
Fresh Air Open Spaces
97%
of participants found new things they were good at – that they didn’t know they were good at
97%
of participants feel more active and healthy
Fresh Air Teen Programs
86%
of teens felt more confident
595
youth served
Fresh Air Family Wellness
1,163
adults and children participated in the program
99%
of families felt more connected as a family
Fresh Air Everywhere
800+
books were sent to Fresh Air Everywhere campers
92%
of campers said their experience made them want to take better care of the environment
Friendly Towns Connect
533
"supply boxes" were sent to participants
84%
of participants shared their experience made them want to visit new places
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 2021, 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 over 200 youth, ages 18-24, as counselors across all our programs, including more than 50 alumni of Fresh Air programs.
Ashley, 15, Teen AcademyThe Fresh Air Fund has impacted me by allowing me to experience new things and exposing me to other ideas and careers that I never would have imagined. I had so many new ideas and got to think outside of the box.