Camp Allen Camp and Conference Center 
The information on this page was last updated 2/14/2025. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Established in 1921 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, Camp Allen is a year-round facility located one hour northwest of Houston near Navasota, Texas. Camp Allen accommodates a variety of spiritual, social, corporate, and educational events for all ages in addition to our founding summer camp program. Our 1,100 beautiful acres features a hotel and conference center, dormitory campsites, lakeside log cabins, two lakes, miles of trails, and much more. We invite you to explore, retreat, and awaken your spirit in our piney woods!
Contact information
Mailing address:
Camp Allen Camp and Conference Center
18800 FM 362
Navasota, TX 77868
Website: campallen.org
Phone: 936-825-7175
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 746016479
CEO/President: Allen Knight
Chairman: The Rt. Rev. Andrew Doyle
Board size: 29
Founder: Rt. Rev. Clinton S. Quin & Rosa Lum Allen
Ruling year: 1940
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
Mission statement
Camp Allen honors God and enriches lives by being a year-round gathering place for all ages, offering Christian hospitality amidst 1,100 forested acres, and striving for excellence in facilities, service, and programs.
Statement of faith
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
D
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Camps/Conference Centers
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 512 of 1123 | 26 of 36 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 866 of 1124 | 29 of 37 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 368 of 1124 | 19 of 37 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 378 of 1123 | 18 of 36 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 7% | 12% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 34% | 42% | 42% | 43% | 57% | 37% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 3% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 66% | 58% | 58% | 57% | 43% | 63% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 83% | 84% | 87% | 87% | 85% | 88% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 93% | 78% | 83% | 95% | 101% | 86% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 75% | 65% | 72% | 83% | 87% | 76% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 7% | 22% | 17% | 5% | -1% | 14% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 4% | 14% | 11% | 3% | -1% | 9% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 9% | 9% | 10% | 11% | 8% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.44 | 0.45 | 0.49 | 0.44 | 0.35 | 0.44 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 4.36 | 3.52 | 6.67 | 19.45 | 10.82 | 3.45 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.65 | 1.58 | 3.29 | 8.53 | 3.84 | 1.52 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 5.57 | 4.09 | 2.49 | 0.87 | 1.44 | 3.74 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.18 | 0.24 | 0.40 | 1.14 | 0.69 | 0.27 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.46 | 5.74 | 2.18 | -0.20 | 0.96 | 5.80 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 9% | 7% | 7% | 8% | 17% | 18% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 1% | 3% | 10% | 10% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 196% | 207% | 189% | 209% | 234% | 187% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Cash | $1,284,218 | $134,552 | $209,376 | $462,134 | $2,148,364 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $2,876,735 | $2,661,213 | $672,519 | $1,237,066 | $3,256,783 |
| Short-term investments | $2,023,931 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $6,184,884 | $2,795,765 | $881,895 | $1,699,200 | $5,405,147 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $15,544,215 | $15,818,586 | $16,121,341 | $16,683,389 | $13,240,852 |
| Other long-term assets | $38,070 | $36,354 | $150,000 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $15,582,285 | $15,854,940 | $16,271,341 | $16,683,389 | $13,240,852 |
| Total assets | $21,767,169 | $18,650,705 | $17,153,236 | $18,382,589 | $18,645,999 |
| Liabilities | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $264,624 | $317,969 | $172,187 | $389,676 | $705,665 |
| Other current liabilities | $1,249,383 | $805,785 | $837,015 | $786,650 | $738,684 |
| Total current liabilities | $1,514,007 | $1,123,754 | $1,009,202 | $1,176,326 | $1,444,349 |
| Debt | $30,487 | $124,942 | $441,706 | $1,926,060 | $1,835,377 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $30,487 | $124,942 | $441,706 | $1,926,060 | $1,835,377 |
| Total liabilities | $1,544,494 | $1,248,696 | $1,450,908 | $3,102,386 | $3,279,726 |
| Net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Without donor restrictions | $15,197,296 | $15,508,449 | $14,247,243 | $13,061,073 | $6,735,760 |
| With donor restrictions | $5,025,379 | $1,893,560 | $1,455,085 | $2,219,130 | $8,630,513 |
| Net assets | $20,222,675 | $17,402,009 | $15,702,328 | $15,280,203 | $15,366,273 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Total contributions | $5,331,521 | $4,604,553 | $3,424,136 | $3,672,791 | $3,552,144 |
| Program service revenue | $7,042,516 | $6,348,092 | $4,434,902 | $2,750,044 | $5,977,357 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $89,344 | $553 | $1,160 | $14,053 | $27,596 |
| Other revenue | $123,595 | $82,381 | $82,513 | ($4,538) | ($14,985) |
| Total other revenue | $7,255,455 | $6,431,026 | $4,518,575 | $2,759,559 | $5,989,968 |
| Total revenue | $12,586,976 | $11,035,579 | $7,942,711 | $6,432,350 | $9,542,112 |
| Expenses | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Program services | $8,212,395 | $7,948,913 | $6,565,917 | $5,570,808 | $7,222,163 |
| Management and general | $919,605 | $848,486 | $729,638 | $716,706 | $663,589 |
| Fundraising | $634,310 | $388,499 | $225,031 | $230,906 | $314,823 |
| Total expenses | $9,766,310 | $9,185,898 | $7,520,586 | $6,518,420 | $8,200,575 |
| Change in net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $2,820,666 | $1,849,681 | $422,125 | ($86,070) | $1,341,537 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $2,820,666 | $1,849,681 | $422,125 | ($86,070) | $1,341,537 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Bishop Andrew Doyle | Chairman | $517,328 |
| William Allen Kight | President | $216,236 |
| Gloria Clepper | Director of Operations | $123,719 |
| George Dehan | Former Pres./Cap. Camp. Chair | $117,600 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2023
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 2/14/2025. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Turning into the driveway of the serene, treelined 1,100 acre property, one might not guess the humble beginnings of Camp Allen...
It all started with one innovative idea, two determined individuals, 36 campers, a handful of tents, and a sky full of stars. In the early 1900s, Rt. Rev. Clinton S. Quin, the Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, shared a dream with prominent Houstonian and devout Christian Rosa Lum Allen: to create a place for young people in parishes to go deeper in their faith. Rosa so heartily agreed with his sentiment that she opened up her family's estate on Galveston Bay as a trial location for this brand new idea of a summer camp. Hence, in the summer of 1921 in a backyard near Sylvan Beach, Camp Allen became the first summer camp of the Episcopal Church. (The original Camp Allen property is visible today from Bayshore Drive in La Porte, Texas, and the railroad car that campers rode to camp has been preserved at the Sylvan Beach Depot Museum.)
Those first few summers on Galveston Bay were sweet and simple. Staff members were chosen by Bishop Quin himself, several of which became priests who would be leaders in the Diocese for many years to come. Campers lodged in Rosa's spacious home, and participated in group activities like fishing and hiking. However, popularity grew so much that only a few years later it became clear that Camp Allen had outgrown Rosa's estate. Continuing in her generosity, she gifted Camp Allen with a plot of land 7 miles from Goose Creek at the head of Trinity Bay. This second location was ideal for a summer camp. With 14 acres of green pastures with a bay frontage of 600 feet and a 30-foot bluff, the activities were limitless. Even traveling to Camp Allen was exciting: because the roads to Trinity Bay were impassible by car, campers journeyed to camp via the "Ethel B," a ship that traveled down the Houston ship channel to Camp's pier.
In the 1930s, with the constant blooming of the summer camp ministry, Camp Allen had a platform to offer even more to its community. Development began at Trinity Bay to make the site ideal for hosting not just campers, but anyone for retreats, conferences, and meetings. It was then that the Clergy Conference began to meet at Camp Allen, which still meets annually to this day. Meanwhile, summer camp continued to flourish, hosting more and more children each summer.
In the 1950s Camp Allen continued to grow. Facilities expanded and summer camp became more and more innovative. Campers came from all around Texas came to experience folk dancing, crafts, masquerade parties, treasure hunts, drama, singing, crabbing, baseball, archery, tennis, and swimming. They woke up to Morning Prayer and celebrated with "Canteen" every Thursday night, a tradition still held at summer camp today. At this time, the registration fee for 2 weeks at camp was only $30.
In 1968 Trinity Bay was sold to find a space that would better fit the needs of Camp Allen's rapid growth, which brings us to the Piney woods! In 1968, 700 acres were purchased in Navasota, Texas and in 1972 construction began. The conference center and rectory were erected in 1975 and Camp Allen's first two campsites hosted summer camp in 1974. By 1976, Camp Allen saw 800 campers each summer. By 1984, Campsite 3 was finished complete with an altar assembled of stones from the Shrine at Rosa's estate and the Trinity Bay location. Additionally, Campsite 3 houses a beautiful hand carved cross by Rev John Price. Plans for more expansion were soon developed and implemented under the leadership of Rt. Rev. Claude Payne and the direction of Camp Allen Rector, the Rev. David Thames. By 2000, Camp Allen had welcomed more hotel lodging, the equestrian center, 76 acre Lake Coffield, the lakeside cabins, ropes courses, and All Saints' Chapel. Campers enjoyed the newly instated "Blob" while Discovery students climbed to new heights on the ropes course. Recent additions include a Discovery Center for outdoor education, summer camp staff housing, a new playground and high ropes course, a camper health center, and renovations to the camp roads, hotel, and pavilion.
Over the past 15 years, Camp Allen has worked hard to reach more people, enhance the visitor experience, and strengthen the organization's financial position. The camp's successful growth has led to an increased need for capacity. Informed by guest feedback, the Board has identified a series of important projects to be completed before the camp's centennial in 2021. These projects are aligned with the camp's goals and strategic plan and will position Camp Allen to advance its mission for many years to come.
Camp Allen has traversed over 150 miles and 100 years to reach where it is today. With a journey from 10 to 1,100 acres, 1 to 88 full time employees, and receiving gifted land to operating on a 6.7 million dollar budget, the Camp Allen family is most proud and thankful for the lives transformed by God because of the ministry of this special place.
Program accomplishments
40,072 Conference, Campsite, and Cabin Guests
559 Non-Profits & Churches
732 Events/ Retreats held at Camp Allen
5616 Outdoor Education Students and Faculty
2,045 Summer Campers