Donate

 Because we are dedicated to making our program affordable for every family

We're a small nonprofit, and our mission literally wouldn't be possible without community support. Tuition alone does NOT cover the full cost of running camp every year, and that's because we have always been committed to keeping our tuition costs as low as possible, even as facilities have grown more expensive post-pandemic. We believe creative, enriching, life-changing learning opportunities should be available to every family regardless of finances -- and we also believe there are like-minded folks out there would be willing to be part of a mission like ours.

Because we believe what we're doing here is unique and important

From our roots as a camp for “gifted, creative, and talented” kids in the 80s, we have evolved into a community that supports all those qualities in our campers. We draw from the broadest range of students we can find in Appalachia, while being particularly accommodating to neuro-divergent, LGBTQ+, and other young people seeking a community that is accepting, caring, demographically inclusive, that also encourages adventurous thinking, iconoclasm, play, and deep critical thinking. The staff who have been returning to AICL for decades -- and the next generations of campers who continue to come back as new staff -- have seen first-hand how this kind of programming can transform the lives of kids in Appalachia.

Because 100% of our scholarships are funded by donations from people like you

We'll let one of our scholarship recipients take this one:

"When I go to camp, I don’t have to fake being interested in the 'popular' things like phones or social media. Instead I can be my nerdy, math-loving self. Camp isn’t just a place that I have fun, like during camp wide zombie hunts or talent shows; it isn’t just a place where I get to take really cool classes like “How Do We Learn” or “Science of Sweets”; it isn’t just a place where I can think outside the box; it isn’t just a place where I can discover new strengths and work on my weaknesses, and it isn’t just a place where I can make friends. It is a place where I am surrounded by other people that can also be their nerdy selves, artsy selves, reading selves, funny selves, happy selves, and true selves and still belong to an amazing camp community. 

This is why scholarships are so important. It allows everyone interested to belong to the AICL community. It allows everyone to have an equal chance to get to take amazing classes. It allows all kids like me to be able to have an experience that we will never forget and that shapes the rest of our lives."