How the Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Mental Health & Wellness Grant Program is Expanding Support Across SeriousFun Camps
Kids with special healthcare needs experience social isolation, anxiety, and depression at higher rates than their peers. Caring for these kids’ mental, emotional, and social health has long been at the center of our work.
For decades, our camps and programs have acted as an antidote to traumatic childhood events—helping millions of children with life-altering medical conditions build lasting friendships, confidence, and resilience alongside peers who understand their experience without explanation.
Now, thanks to generous support from Abercrombie & Fitch Co., that work is expanding in exciting ways.
This May, in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re proud to celebrate a growing area of programming across the Network: dedicated camp sessions for children living with mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, panic disorder, and acute stress disorder. These conditions are now part of the 100+ primary diagnoses served across our Network.
A Decade of Partnership and Impact
For the past decade, we’ve teamed up with Abercrombie & Fitch Co. to provide critical support for children’s mental, emotional, and social wellbeing around the world.
Since our partnership began, A&F Co. has helped deliver:
- More than 130,000 volunteer hours at SeriousFun camps
- More than 406,000 of (the softest!) camp t-shirts
- Over $20.5 million in charitable support, including funding for dedicated mental health programs, training, and expert staffing
- More than 1.4 million camp experiences for children and families
Now—through the Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Mental Health & Wellness Grant Program—the partnership is helping SeriousFun camps expand dedicated mental health programming and support for children who struggle with isolation, stress, anxiety, trauma, and disconnection from peers.
Currently in its fourth year, the grant program dedicates $200,000 annually to expand critical mental health initiatives around the Network. This year, seven SeriousFun camps will strengthen trauma-informed care training for staff and volunteers, create new opportunities for emotional regulation and connection for campers, and host dedicated camp sessions for children with mental health diagnoses like anxiety and depression. We’ll also roll out new mental health staff training across the Network.
What makes this partnership especially powerful is its ripple effect. By investing in staff training, clinical expertise, caregiver support, and mental health programming, these grants don’t just promote mental health for kids with serious health challenges; they also help build sustainable systems of care whose impacts extend far beyond a week at camp.
Looking Ahead
As we continue expanding access to camp experiences for children with complex medical and mental health needs, partnerships like this one help ensure that every child can experience belonging, joy, and the freedom to “kick back and raise a little hell,” just as our founder Paul Newman intended.
We’re deeply grateful for what we’ve built together and even more excited for what’s ahead.
When we invest in kids’ mental health, we invest in the kind of possibility that defines what SeriousFun camps are all about: changing how kids with serious health challenges see themselves and their futures.