Summer is a time to unplug and unwind, to feel the sweet winds blowing. Scholarships give so many campers and adventurers the gift of simple living in the valleys and the hills.

1 out of every 5 young people would not be able to participate in Camp or Hante without assistance from our Annual Fund and endowed funds. As Eagle’s Nest looks to a future of broader inclusivity we must expand our ability to offer financial assistance accordingly. We currently are able to honor 58% of our requests for assistance. Our goal is to be able to offer EVERY child the magic of Eagle’s Nest, despite their family’s financial background.

Eagle’s Nest Foundation welcomes donations to the Eagle’s Nest Camp Scholarship Fund. Contributions designated as scholarships for Eagle’s Nest Camp help campers with financial aid and create opportunities for an enriching and challenging camp experience. Your contribution will enable young people to be members of a community where their skills will grow, their appreciation for the natural world expands, and lasting friendships develop regardless of their ability to pay. Gifts for scholarship funds may not be earmarked for a specific individual.

Outdoor Academy scholarships provide a unique semester school experience where environment, community, craft, and intellect become cornerstones of daily life and personal growth. As the summer days grow shorter, so does available financial aid. As a growing community, we strive to be inclusive and diverse, 66% of students enrolled in The Outdoor Academy receive financial aid to help pay for their semester in Pisgah Forest.

Eagle’s Nest Foundation strives to give an amount equal to or greater than 10% of The Outdoor Academy tuition budget toward OA scholarships each year. OA Scholarship funds will be expensed specifically for the tuition and school store account for qualified and eligible student(s) in need of financial aid. 

The Outdoor Academy Alumni Scholarship Fund

Eagle’s Nest Foundation welcomes donations to The Outdoor Academy Alumni Scholarship Fund, created in 2005 in honor of the tenth anniversary of The Outdoor Academy. Contributions designated to The Outdoor Academy (OA) Alumni Scholarship fund will provide financial assistance to eligible OA students who would otherwise be unable to have an experience at The Outdoor Academy. These contributions help build a lasting base of student support and guarantee future scholars from all walks of life the ability to expand their horizons through our distinct outdoor-focused, experientially based school. Gifts for scholarship funds may not be earmarked for a specific individual.

The goal for The Outdoor Academy Alumni Scholarship Fund is to be able to disburse financial aid at the 50% level for a deserving and eligible OA student(s). Available funds and the current applicant pool will govern actual disbursement levels, which will be allocated on a basis of need, as established by standard Outdoor Academy financial aid procedures.

Expendable named funds will be spent for a specified purpose on an annual basis. The minimum amount to establish a new named fund is $5,000. This type of fund is particularly appropriate for program support purposes such as faculty development, library and/or computer lab expansion. The initial gift may be increased any time. Annual replenishment of the fund provides for consistent scholarship or program support.

• Mariella Waite Huber Fund – Outdoor Academy Scholarships
• Alex & Hannah Waite Scholarship Fund – Scholarships for any program at ENF
• Transylvania County Scholarship Fund- Scholarships for local Brevard students
• Capitol Nesters Scholarship Fund- Scholarships for DC area campers and students

Eagle’s Nest Foundation welcomes the establishment of endowed funds, as well as expendable named funds and general scholarship funds. Please remember that gifts for scholarship funds may not be earmarked for a specific individual.

Endowed funds will provide income for a specified purpose in perpetuity. The minimum amount to establish a new endowed fund is $25,000. This amount may be reached over a set period of years, and the donor may add to the fund at any time thereafter. Based on market performance, our goal is to utilize 8% of the fund’s value with 4% being allocated to the designated intention of the fund, 3% reinvested to offset the rate of inflation and 1% to offset administrative fees.

• The Brugh Seed Fund
  • The Brugh Seed Fund was founded by campers and OA alumni Wendy & Graham Brugh in 2013, and is our starter fund to build a general endowment. This fund is invested according to ENF’s established guidelines for the management of endowed funds with a strong preference for socially responsible investment strategy.
  • Proceeds of the Seed Fund will be used for the general support of Camp, Hante, and OA and the physical campus in perpetuity, and will encourage generations of young explorers and adventurers to be a part of our community.
• Helen and Gordon Hanes Fund
  • This endowed fund provides partial scholarships to The Outdoor Academy students with demonstrated need
• The Derek A. Luther Camp Scholarship Fund
  •  The purpose of this fund is to provide economic relief to young persons who wish to attend Eagle’s Nest Camp. Preference will be given to campers who are eager to carry on the Eagle’s Nest tradition of developing superior character and reminding others of their personal value, and who have an interest in the arts, theatre, or other creative pursuits.
  • Derek Luther was a young man full of love, creativity, pride, emotion, and genuinely good character.  He was becoming a man in every sense.  His love of art, including mixed media, theater/drama, music, performing, and writing, brought out the best in him.  His infectious smile, hearty laugh, beautiful hazel eyes, and his 6’3″ lanky frame made him not go unnoticed.  Eagle’s Nest was an environment Derek thrived in, adored, appreciated, felt safe in, and looked forward to each year.  Each summer, he would return home with a new found sense of purpose, walk a bit taller, and recount the events from his camp experiences with an air of excitement and pride.  As Derek taught so many, it’s not the trophies, certificates, and accolades you gather along the way that make a person, but the character and bravery they show, day to day, in their efforts.
• The Fran Price Endowed Scholarship Fund
  • Fran Price was a talented, wise and very witty woman who provided full scholarships to Eagle’s Nest campers for 15 years. During this time she was solely responsible for giving nearly 20 campers the opportunity to experience the wonders of Eagle’s Nest Camp on a full camp scholarship. Fran intentionally provided these scholarships as a way of propelling others to create greater good in the world. Fran’s generosity “put fresh air in [their] lungs, a paddle in [their] hands, and a song in [their] hearts.”  Our goal is to honor Fran and to carry on her desire to make the world a better place.
• Caitlin M. Smith Endowed Scholarship Fund 
  • The goal for this fund is to be able to disburse financial aid for a deserving and eligible OA student(s).  Contributions designated as scholarships to The Outdoor Academy help to increase our ability to reach a broader applicant base, enhance the diversity of students who attend and guarantee future scholars from all walks of life the ability to expand their horizons through our Semester School.
• Helen Valentine Waite Scholarship Fund
  • The purpose of this fund is to provide one or more scholarships per year to participants in any of the foundation’s programs. The recipient must have financial need and must demonstrate a desire to find his or her own purpose and meaning. Candidates must be committed to working and learning in the great out-of-doors, with a record of service and action which shows compassion for fellow humans in the community, both locally and globally.
• David A. Gilbert Outdoor Academy Endowed Scholarship Fund
  • This will provide scholarships in honor of David A. Gilbert, who, during his 44 years as a teacher and administrator at Greensboro Day School, secured GDS as a Founding Member School of OA in 1995, served on the original OA Advisory Board, and promoted the enrollment of over 40 GDS students at OA. Awards from this fund will be given annually to OA students whose families demonstrate the need for financial aid, with priority to students from Greensboro Day School and/or students of color, to help reduce the financial burden to their families.
• Jaimie Wallace Endowed Scholarship Fund
  • Jaimie Wallace loved Eagle’s Nest. He began attending camp at age eleven and continued for several years as a camper before participating in a Hante and then, a year later, as a junior counselor. He discovered a love of outdoor adventure, especially hiking and rock climbing, at Eagle’s Nest, and those recreational activities continued to be his favorites for the rest of his life. The camp staff inspired Jaimie; his counselors were formational mentors. In his 20s, after leaving Eagle’s Nest, he enjoyed full-time employment as a high ropes adventure park guide for several years. The Eagle’s Nest ethos made him feel at ease and accepted, and the community felt like a second family for him.  As a young adult, Jaimie would visit Eagle’s Nest whenever he was in the Asheville area.  His experiences at camp were so positive that his love for it eventually extended to the Western Carolina mountain region.  At his request his ashes have been scattered near Mt. Pisgah looking back in the direction of Eagle’s Nest.  John Muir’s statement, found on the mural at the entrance to camp . . . “the mountains are calling and I must go . . .” spoke to and for Jaimie. He would be pleased and smiling to know that other young people, following him, will have the opportunity to explore nature, learn skills, and participate in the Eagle’s Nest family. 
• Noni’s Nest Egg Fund
  • The purpose of the fund is to honor Noni by building an endowed fund that will financially support the campus and surrounding land she so carefully stewarded in her 25 years as executive director and her lifetime of commitment to the ENF mission.  Going forward, annual withdrawals will support ongoing loan payments for land and buildings and assist with special conservation projects. Additionally, in the event the opportunity arises for ENF to purchase adjoining mission-appropriate land, housing, or other needed facilities, the corpus of the endowment may be used in part or full as a down payment or for outright purchase.