Grant money is on the way!
Camps for adults with disabilities may be funded by grants provided by the government or by private foundations. Grants do not have to be repaid. However, the competition for obtaining grants is fierce, and sometimes you must conduct specific research at your camp in order to obtain certain grants. Applying to several grants and using some in combination with each other is a good funding strategy.
State Grants for Independent Living
According to the U.S. Department of Education website, individual states receive funds from the federal government earmarked for use in educational programs designed to help people with special needs live independently. Since camps for adults with disabilities likely promote skills needed for independent living, they would potentially qualify to receive these funds. However, individuals and nonprofit organizations must contact state representatives in order to see if they qualify for funding. A list of contacts for each state is available at the U.S. Department of Education website (ed.gov). Start there when pursuing grant opportunities for your camp.
Private Foundations
Private foundations offer grants to individuals and organizations. However, many required you to be incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Achieving 501(c)(3) status means that your organization is tax-exempt. The main guideline for starting a 501(c)(3) nonprofit is finding a group of people who support the same cause and are willing to have regular meetings regarding the future of your organization.
If you'd prefer not to start an official nonprofit organization, look for grants offered to people who share personal characteristics with you such as gender and income level. Don't limit yourself to looking at grants directed only toward starting camps for disabled adults.
Research-Based Grants
Research-based grants are a final source of funding to consider. You can find information about them by searching for organizations that conduct research directed at treating and understanding the specific disabilities of the adults who will attend your camp.
For those willing to incorporate complementary and alternative medicine into the camp's programs, it's possible that the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) can supply a grant that is not based on one specific medical condition. The NCCAM requires that existing organizations research basic, pre-clinical and early phase clinical studies that can ultimately lead to a commercial complementary and alternative medicine product. Specific areas of interest to NCCAM that may coordinate with camps for disabled adults include developing and validating standard mind-body methods for healthy living and developing tools for pain management that are not accepted conventionally.
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