The Fresh Air Fund is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit agency founded in 1877. The Fund operates six sleep-away camps in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley, places children with volunteer host families along the East Coast, and runs year-round leadership, career exploration and educational programs. The Fresh Air Fund has served more than 1.8 million children since its founding, with a goal of helping children "have new experiences, learn new skills and gain new perspectives."

In 1877, The Fresh Air Fund was created to allow children living in underserved communities the chance to enjoy free summer experiences in the country. Reverend Willard Parsons, a minister who had just moved from New York City to a small, rural parish in Sherman, Pennsylvania, asked members of his congregation to provide country vacations as volunteer host families for New York City’s neediest children. This was the beginning of The Fresh Air Fund. By 1881, the agency's work was expanding so rapidly that Reverend Parsons asked for and secured support from The New York Tribune. By 1888, the agency was incorporated as The Tribune Fresh Air Fund Aid Society. Today, Fresh Air continues to depend on favorable publicity from the media with assistance from The New York Times.

Fresh Air children ages 8 to 14 years old are given the opportunity to visit with host families to experience the joys of summer in the country. Fresh Air children are registered by more than 90 participating social services and community organizations located in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City. First-time visitors, eight to 14 years old, spend one or two weeks with their host family. Youth who are re-invited by the same family may continue with The Fund through age 18 and may enjoy longer summertime visits year after year.

Friendly Towns host families are volunteers who live in the suburbs or small town communities. Host families range in size and background, and believe the Fresh Air experience is enriching for their own families as well as for the children. There are no financial requirements for hosting a child.

The majority of Fresh Air children are from underserved communities, often without the resources to send their children on summer experiences. Children create lifelong memories of riding bikes, swimming at the beach, visiting local attractions and making new friends.

In every Friendly Town, there is a volunteer committee and Chairperson responsible for the program. The committee publicizes the program, screens applications, checks references, interviews families in their homes and approves new hosts. The committee members also make follow-up visits to all participating host families every three years. The Friendly Town committee assists hosts while Fresh Air children are visiting and often plans group activities during the trips. The Fresh Air Fund provides support to Fund Representatives, Chairpeople and host families 24 hours a day, when Fresh Air children are visiting their towns.

The Fresh Air Fund owns and operates five camps located on The Fund’s Sharpe Reservation [1] ^{[dead link]}in Fishkill, New York, 65 miles north of New York City. Sharpe Reservation has 2,300 acres of land with lakes, ponds, streams and hiking trails through the woods. The Fund's sixth camp, Camp Junior, is located in Harriman State Park.

Camp Tommy is The Fund's camp for boys, ages 12 to 15. Camp Tommy offers hiking, nature and other outdoor programs designed to develop cooperation and encourage team building. Major improvements and recently constructed facilities have created opportunities for significant educational programs, such as literacy and career skills development, computer workshops, photography and music. Originally Camp Pioneer from 1948–1998, Camp Tommy's inaugural year was 1999. Camp Tommy is named after Tommy Hilfiger, a supporter of The Fresh Air Fund.