Home > Scouting Resources > Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance

The Crater Lake Council Executive Board and leadership believe that every youth should have the opportunity to benefit from Scouting. But, there may be circumstances where youth and his/her family needs a little help financially to take part in Scouting activities. To address this, our council has allocated part of its annual budget (funded through Friends of Scouting, grants, and scholarship donations) to help.

There are three assistance programs: Camperships, Uniform Assistance, and Membership Assistance.

Table of Contents

Membership Assistance

The Boy Scouts of America charges a national membership fee for all youth and adults who register as Scouts or leaders. Although you pay this fee to our council office, we are required to send all of this money to the national organization. The Membership Assistance program helps make sure every youth has the opportunity to join Scouting.

You will also want to see if your unit and its Chartering Organization can help with all or part of the fee. We do this because many units and charter partners offer this kind of help, and we want to make sure we prioritize our available funds at the council level to help as many Scouts as possible who can’t get help elsewhere.

Here’s how the Membership Assistance process works:
  1. Unit leaders will provide the Registration Assistance request form to families who are not able to pay registration fees (and whose unit or chartering organization cannot help).
  2. The family will fill out the form and return it to unit leaders.
  3. Unit leaders will then return the form (by saving the fillable PDF or printing and completing by hand) to Jody Stonebrook, preferably by email.
  4. Our staff will process completed financial aid forms in an expedited manner so that financial aid requests are timely considered.
  5. Our staff will notify the applying family and the unit Committee Chair with results.
Camperships

Camping is one of the methods of delivering the Scouting program. Camperships provide part of the fee for Scouts to attend camping programs here in the Crater Lake Council  (like a scholarship for camp).

Before applying for a council Campership, please ask your unit and its Chartering Organization for any financial assistance possible. We ask this because many units and charter partners do offer this kind of help, and we want to make sure we prioritize our available limited funds at the council level to help as many Scouts as possible who can’t get help elsewhere.

Here’s how to apply for a Campership:
  1. Fillable form to get the assistance request form
  2. Complete the form by filling in the PDF and saving it to your computer, or printing and filling by hand
  3. Have your Scout write a brief letter (by hand or electronically) indicating what Scouting means to him/her and how attending the camp in question will have an impact
  4. Email the completed Campership assistance request form and the Scout’s letter to jody.stonebrook@scouting.org  or mail/drop off hard copies of the form and letter to:

Crater Lake Council, Attn: Camperships, 3039 Hanley Road, Central Point, Or 97502

If approved, we will provide the Scout’s family with up to half of the cost of camp (subject to availability and budget). All Scouts who receive campership aid should earn or provide part of their fee, in keeping with “A Scout is Thrifty.”

NOTE: Camperships are primarily given to Scouts attending Crater Lake Council Camps.

Uniform Assistance

The Scout uniform is an important part of delivering the Scouting program. It reinforces unity among Scouts, and a feeling of being part of the same program. The Uniform Assistance program helps make sure every Scout has the opportunity to be fully uniformed.

Here’s how the Uniform Assistance process works:
  1. Click here to get the Uniform Assistance form
  2. Complete the form by filling in the PDF and saving it to your computer, or printing and filling by hand
  3. Have your Scout write a brief letter (by hand or electronically) indicating what Scouting means to him/her and how this uniform assistance will have an impact
  4. Submit the completed form and letter to your Scout unit
  5. Ask your unit if it has a used uniform closet for its Scouts; if it doesn’t…
    • Discuss with your unit how much your family can contribute to the purchase of a uniform and whether the unit has any uniform assistance funds it can provide to help
    • Have your unit contact the Central Point Service Center; together, we will determine whether the unit can meet your family’s need or if your request should be forwarded to our council Scout Shop
  6. If the Scout Shop receives your request, it will offer a package of assistance that may include gently-used uniform parts or the opportunity to purchase new uniform parts at a discount
  7. The Central Point Service Center will inform your unit about the assistance package that’s been offered; your unit will then present this information to you (the shop will not contact you directly concerning financial assistance)