The Honourable Paul Pike, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development and Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities, is announcing today that the Summer Camp Inclusion Grant is open for applications for 2025-26.

This grant provides financial assistance toward the cost of hiring a support person to accommodate children with disabilities to attend and participate in summer camps. This support person may be an inclusion worker, a caregiver, an attendant, an American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter, a designated camp staff member, or any other person deemed appropriate by the family to support the child’s needs and participation at summer camp.

The Summer Camp Inclusion Grant provides funding of:

• Up to $1,000 to families with children with disabilities who require a support and/or inclusion worker to attend summer camp.
• Up to $5,000 to organizations providing summer camps who wish to hire support and/or inclusion workers to accommodate children with disabilities.

The Summer Camp Inclusion Grant aligns with the Provincial Government’s ongoing commitment to enhancing inclusion and accessibility in Newfoundland and Labrador and supports the Health Accord’s recommendation of building a provincial pathway to a more inclusive health system and society in which each person feels valued and respected.

Eleven organizations and 19 families availed of the Summer Camp Inclusion Grant in 2024. Further details on organizations that received the grant can be found in the backgrounder below.

Grant guidelines and application form can be found here. You can also call toll-free 1-888-729-6279, text 709-725-4463, or email CSSDGrantPrograms@gov.nl.ca. Video Relay Service calls are also welcome and applications are available in alternate formats. The deadline to apply is June 4, 2025.

Quotes
“Our government is committed to ensuring equitable access to services and opportunities for persons with disabilities. I am pleased to announce the Summer Camp Inclusion Grant, which helps to provide children with disabilities opportunities to participate in summer camp. This is one of many ways that we can help build an inclusive and accessible province where all residents can participate meaningfully. I encourage eligible families and organizations to apply today.”
Honourable Paul Pike
Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development and Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities

“The Summer Camp Inclusion Grant funding was a complete game changer for our Summer Program! The funding received from this grant allowed us to hire inclusion workers who worked one-on-one with children with disabilities and those who needed a little extra support to reach their full potential, to ensure everyone was included, cared for and, most importantly, had fun! Sometimes support looked like short breaks in our sensory room, encouragement to participate and, of course, an individualized approach for each child in their care. With the help of this grant, inclusion became more than a buzzword, it became a new standard for our organization.”
Amy Tiller
Gambo Sports and Recreation

-30-

Learn more
Follow us on X @GovNL and @CSSD_GovNL

Follow us on Bluesky

Like us on Facebook

BACKGROUNDER

2024 Summer Camp Inclusion Grant Recipients