Why give to Mathcamp?
The donors in our community each come with their own reasons: some are alumni who are passing the torch, others focus on the transformational power of a five-week summer immersion as a high-impact use of their dollars. No matter what brings you here, we're happy to have you!
By The Numbers
Whenever we make charitable giving decisions, we want to know that our dollars are effective. Let's take a look behind the scenes.
Mathcamp is a stable, thriving organization. Our students and staff return to the program year after year. Over the last decade, we've consistently seen:
- 50%+ of our students come for 2+ years, and about one sixth come for 3+ years;
- 50%+ of our staff come for 2+ years, and about a third come for 3+ years.
Individual donors and family foundations play a huge role in Mathcamp's base of support. Here's a breakdown of our source of revenue from the early 2000s to the late 2010s: the green is camper tuition (currently set at $1,100/week for our residential program), with generous financial aid widely available, and the blue is community donations (which climbed from $30,000 in FY02 to $343,144 in FY18).
Donations of all sizes play a role in that blue column. With a broad base of donors, most of them alumni giving back to the program, small gifts add up and have an impact together. At the same time, Mathcamp is ready to make efficient and effective use of larger gifts to have a profound effect right away.
Why give? Because Mathcamp is small enough to appreciate the impact of each donation, but big enough to be enduring.
Consistent Excellence
Mathcamp has had a steady size for the last decade of approximately 120 students per year, and the student body each year is approximately 75% U.S., 5–10% Canadian, 15% international students. The gender balance has been gradually shifting over time: in 2010, camp was about 26% girls, 74% boys; by 2020, the program was 45% girls, 5% non-binary students, and 50% boys. You can sense the shift in every classroom. Students continue to participate in from all walks of life, and the Scholarship Fund remains a central priority; 25–40% of our students receive need-based financial aid each summer.
Curious to read more statistics? Check out our Summary Sheet with recent data about camp.
The campers are absolutely as curious, creative, and kind as ever. They take the mathematics at Mathcamp very seriously, diving into both fundamental subjects (like Linear Algebra and Group Theory) and active areas of research (like Cluster Algebras and Algebraic Geometry). We continue to offer a mix of interactive lectures, by-discovery courses, and projects, and recently have added new academic experiences like evening talks in the dedicated Academics Lounge.
The students also take the "camp" part of Mathcamp to heart: they stay cool with liquid nitrogen ice cream, solve evil math problems at relays, do a day-long puzzle hunt, create the camp yearbook, and sing the alma mater, “Nonabelian,” at the talent show. Each summer, campers (and staff) find unusual ways to surprise one another with new ideas (and mischief): one year, the main lounge occasionally turned into a crime scene (complete with blue tape outlines on the floor), and some mysterious Haberdashers devised a puzzle with origami hats. In the first two years of the pandemic, we adapted to an online version of the program, hosted on our own virtual campus, with all of our favorite traditions and lots of new ones. We have returned to residential programming since 2022, with detailed safety protocols to prevent Covid outbreaks, and have had safe and fun summers with just as many shenanigans and just as much joy as ever.
Why give? Because Mathcamp is delivering a consistent, impactful five-week experience of mathematics and community to students, and at the same time finding ways to evolve.
Ripple Effects
Mathcamp makes a broader impact than just its summer footprint. Not only does the program change the lives of the 120 students who join us for five weeks, but there are often lasting ripple effects in the home communities of each camper. Many alums get involved in math education, and even start their own outreach programs– frequently by collaborating with fellow Mathcampers (and recruiting Mathcampers as instructors). Here are a few examples of initiatives started by teenagers in our community.
Maths Beyond Limits: a free two-week-long mathematical camp in Central Europe, for students from all over the world, held annually since 2016.
La Communauté Mathématique (CMath): a non-profit organizing competitions and a math community in Burkina Faso, which runs the first math Olympiad in the country.
San Antonio Math Include: a non-profit offering free tutoring and summer camps to provide greater access to STEM education to all students from different backgrounds.
GirlsxMRO: a volunteer-based organization dedicated to introducing girls to the world of math beyond competitions, including advanced topics and research.
Why give? Because Mathcamp changes the lives of incredible kids from all walks of life, and they change their communities.
Thank you so much for your support.
