American Camping Association
Also known as Dba American Camp Association
American Camping Association reported $16.5 million in revenue and $16.0 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $86.66 went to program services, $10.88 to management and general costs and $2.46 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 49.7% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $321,876 (President/Chief Executive Officer (Partial Year)). 7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 67% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $16MFor context, the median across 2,433 covered unclassified charities: $88.27 programs, $11.68 management, $0.05 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $17MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 86.7% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 10.9% | 11.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.5% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.08 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 29.4% | 29.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 49.7% | 58.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $321,876 | $301,601 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.01% | 1.38% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 45.0 | 6.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 20 of 20 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseCamp and youth development education reflects aca's community of parents and professionals who join together to share knowledge to enhance human development. As a result of aca educational programs and services, youth and adults learn powerful lessons in community, character-building, skill development, and healthy living . A primary vehicle for disseminating education and information to camp professionals is through the annual aca national conference. More than 2,100 individuals attended the four-day conference in dallas texas in february 2025. Numerous local and regional events are offered.…
Member and field services is the member and customer development services of aca. Telephone and email support, technical assistance, operational components, and financial support are provided through a national staff of association management professionals to 23 local offices, which in turn, provide services locally to the public, camps, and camp professionals. Aca has almost 10,700 individual members
Accreditation is a voluntary process that almost 2,700 camps have chosen to go through. This communicates to parents that a camp has voluntarily undergone a peer to peer review of over 250 health and safety standards that apply to overnight and day camps. The aim of this program is to educate camp staff in the administration of key aspects of camp operation, particularly those related to program quality and the health and safety of campers and staff
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President/Chief Executive Officer (Partial Year) Officer, 39.0 hrs/week | $271,740 | $0 | $50,136 | $321,876 |
| Interim President/Chief Executive Officer Officer, 39.0 hrs/week | $183,741 | $0 | $55,208 | $238,949 |
| Chief Financial Officer Officer, 39.0 hrs/week | $180,983 | $0 | $27,544 | $208,527 |
| Sr. Director of Innovation & Learning Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $122,919 | $0 | $44,817 | $167,736 |
| Director of Information Technology Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $113,391 | $0 | $49,694 | $163,085 |
| Chief Development Officer Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $142,865 | $0 | $18,091 | $160,956 |
| Chief Marketing Officer (Partial Year) Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $125,623 | $0 | $24,709 | $150,332 |
7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from American Camping Association (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $704K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b20 · 20 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2Yes
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 560
- Volunteers Part I, line 62,300
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Thrive Paradigm Inclusion and Belonging Consulting | $168,840 |
| Steph Love Consulting Program Quality Coaching | $147,269 |
| Raines Consulting LLC Inclusion and Belonging Training | $110,799 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 4 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
13 private foundations reported grants to American Camping Association totaling $46M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from American Camping Association's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for American Camping Association, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 American Camping Association spent in FY2025, $86.66 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Baptist Health PropertiesJacksonville, FL · revenue $16M · programs 86.0% · FY2025
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- Neighborhood Legal ServicesBuffalo, NY · revenue $16M · programs 87.8% · 2025
- Portsmouth Community Health CenterPortsmouth, VA · revenue $17M · programs 76.5% · FY2025
- Girl Scouts of Eastern MissouriSt Louis, MO · revenue $16M · programs 87.7% · FY2025
Questions people ask
How much of American Camping Association's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, American Camping Association reported that 86.7% of its $16.0 million in expenses went to program services, 10.9% to management and general and 2.5% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does American Camping Association pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation American Camping Association reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $321,876, for the role of President/Chief Executive Officer (Partial Year) (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does American Camping Association get its money?
Of $16.5 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 29.4% came from contributions and grants and 49.7% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is American Camping Association a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 35-0962419 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202523099349304162 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202433049349302683 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202333079349303163 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202213189349311661 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202103079349301340 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202043029349300444 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 35-0962419: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.