CMTA Receives Highly Competitive $154,000 American Camp Association Grant for Its Camp Footprint Program

CMTA's Camp Footprint receives $154,000 ACA Character at Camp Grant, launches Footprint Fellowship, a two-year leadership initiative for youth living with CMT.

GLENOLDEN, PA, UNITED STATES, March 31, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA) received an American Camp Association Character at Camp Implementation Grant to launch Camp Footprint’s Footprint Fellowship: Bringing Camp Magic Home. Camp Footprint, the only CMT-focused camp for kids, has been an active program for more than 10 years and provides a fully inclusive sleep-away experience that focuses on both physical and emotional well-being. The ultimate goal of the grant is to propagate the strength and value of Camp Footprint to other camp programs across the country.

The Character at Camp Grant Program is a competitive national initiative supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. Through this grant, CMTA will launch Camp Footprint’s Footprint Fellowship: Bringing Camp Magic Home, a two-year leadership initiative extending the camp experience beyond a single week each summer. CMTA was selected through a competitive application process, and the award is a recognition of the quality of the camp program among programs nationally.

Thirty-five Camp Footprint campers and staff will serve as Fellows in the inaugural year of the program. Throughout the year, Fellows will participate in structured mentorship, guided reflection, leadership development, and ongoing connection designed to help individuals living with CMT carry the confidence, identity, and sense of belonging they build at camp into their everyday lives.

“Camp Footprint has always been a place where kids with CMT don’t have to explain themselves—where authenticity, confidence, and belonging come naturally,” said Jonah Berger, CMTA National Youth Programs Manager and Camp Footprint director. “This grant empowers us to bring the same camp magic beyond the summer for our camp and for other camp programs across the country. We’re building the character to be yourself and lead with empathy, confidence, and purpose in everyday life."

As a Character at Camp Implementation Grant recipient, CMTA will participate in collaborative learning and professional development opportunities through the American Camp Association to strengthen program quality and align with national best practices.

About Camp Footprint

Camp Footprint is CMTA’s national sleepaway camp program for youth living with CMT and the only camp in the United States created specifically for individuals affected by CMT. Offered in both eastern and western locations, the week-long nationally recognized program provides an accessible, supportive environment where campers build confidence, independence, and lasting peer connections through shared experience and mentorship.

About the American Camp Association

The American Camp Association is a community of camp professionals who, for over 100 years, have joined together to share our knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs. Because of our diverse 10,000 plus membership and our exceptional programs, we’re uniquely able to unleash the life-changing power of camp. Our work gives more children and adults the opportunity to learn powerful lessons in community, character-building, skill development, and healthy living — lessons that can be learned nowhere else. Learn more: acacamps.org

About Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT)

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a group of rare, inheritable peripheral neuropathies. Named after Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth, who first described it in 1886, CMT causes progressive muscle weakness, loss of sensation, impaired balance, and other debilitating complications. There is currently no cure or approved treatment.

About the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA)

The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA) is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). As the largest philanthropic funder of CMT research, CMTA has invested more than $33 million since 2008 to accelerate research leading to new treatments and ultimately a cure. Through a strategic model that combines targeted funding, specialized scientific tools and resources, and strong patient partnership, CMTA drives promising science toward meaningful outcomes for people living with CMT. Learn more: cmtausa.org

Kenny Raymond
Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association
+1 800-606-2682
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