Who Pays for Scouting?

Assisted by their parents or guardians, boys in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting and the young men and women in Exploring pay their share from personal savings and participation in money-earning projects.

Members buy their own uniforms, handbooks, and personal equipment and pay their own camp fees.

Weekly or monthly dues and funds from special money-earning projects meet expenses for supplies and activities in the Cub Scout Pack, Boy Scout Troop and Explorer Post. These monies pay for camping equipment, registration fees, Boys' Life magazine, uniform insignia, special activities and program materials.

Each Chartered Organization using the Scouting program provides the meeting place and adult volunteer leadership for its BSA unit(s). The Chartered Organization must approve unit money-earning projects before the launch of the project.

Financial resources for the local council (the local nonprofit corporation chartered by the National Council) come from Friends of Scouting, foundations, special events, project sales, investment income, trust funds, bequests, and gifts of real and personal property and the local United Ways.

These funds provide for professional staff supervision, the organization of new Scouting units, service for existing units, training of volunteer leaders, and the maintenance of council camps. They also finance the operation of the local council service center, where volunteer leaders can obtain literature, insignia, advancement badges, and other items vital to the program. In addition, the service center maintains Advancement and Membership records.

Funds to support the national organization of the Boy Scouts of America come from registration fees, local council service fees, investment income, Scouting and Boys' Life magazines, sale of uniform and equipment, contributions from individuals, and foundation grants. These monies help to deliver the program of the BSA (through four regional service centers and more than 360 local councils) to chartered organizations that use the Scouting program to meet the needs of their youth.