Playground Funding: Ultimate Guide To The Latest Government Initiatives & More
Updated on: March 7, 2024
From safe surfaces to exciting equipment, there are lots of elements to consider when creating a new playground for children, so playground grants and funding are essential.
We know government pockets are not exactly full but with a little digging there are some government grants and funding initiatives available for children’s playgrounds.
Ever-dwindling government reserves mean it’s necessary to get creative when raising funds for children’s play areas. Whether you’re planning a playground for a school, park, EYFS setting or other children’s play space, let’s take a look at current government initiatives you can apply for plus other types of playground funding available.
Playground Funding: Ultimate Guide To The Latest Government Initiatives & More
Government Funding For School Playgrounds and Other Children’s Play Areas
There are a number of routes to access government funding for playgrounds and play areas. At present they involve funding to promote physical education and sports in schools, improve outdoor learning or enhance local communities via the UK government’s levelling up scheme.
PE and Sport Premium For Primary Schools
The PE and Sport Premium is designed to promote regular physical activity in schools. The aim is to ensure every child in the UK is able to access at least 30 minutes of enjoyable and positive physical activity during the school day.
Beyond PE sessions, the government want to see children enjoying a wider range of sports and physical activities. In order to achieve this, schools can use funding to improve their capacity to deliver better play experiences for all primary age children. The remit covers sport, PE, and physical activities with the intention to promote healthier, more active lifestyles across the UK.
Schools must be able to evidence the impact the improvement has had on pupil’s PE, physical activity, participation in sport and attainment. Grants are based on the total number of pupils in KS1 and KS2. Funds consists of a £10 allocation per pupil plus a flat rate of £16,000.
More about the PE and Sport Premium
Funding To Boost Outdoor Learning Facilities For Children
Nurseries, schools, and colleges in deprived and nature-depleted areas can apply for funding to enhance the biodiversity of their site and improve facilities for outdoor learning.
The aim is to ensure all young people have quality opportunities to spend time in the outdoors to connect with nature, learn about the outdoor world and develop green skills.
Grants are allocated in terms of access to natural space in the local area. Funding can be used for outdoor equipment, the creation of outdoor teaching areas and more. There will also be a new Climate Action Award and an online National Education Nature Park.
Discover more about funding for outdoor learning
Levelling Up Parks Fund
The Levelling Up Parks Fund is intended to install greater pride in local green spaces. The grant is shaped to improve access to, and the quality of, green spaces in over 100 local areas across the UK.
Grants have already been allocated to councils in the areas the government have deemed most in need of better quality green spaces. Funding can be used to refurbish existing spaces and create brand new places for local communities to gather for relaxation and fun.
Eligible councils in England are as follows:
Barking and Dagenham
Barnsley
Barrow-in-Furness
Basildon
Bassetlaw
Bexley
Birmingham
Blackburn with Darwen
Blackpool
Bolton
Bradford
Brent
Calderdale
Camden
Carlisle
Castle Point
County Durham
Croydon
Derby
Doncaster
Dudley
East Lindsey
East Staffordshire
Eastbourne
Enfield
Fenland
Gateshead
Great Yarmouth
Greenwich
Hackney
Halton
Hammersmith and Fulham
Haringey
Hartlepool
Hastings
Havant
Hyndburn
Ipswich
Islington
Kensington and Chelsea
Kingston upon Hull, City of
Knowsley
Lambeth
Leeds
Leicester
Lincoln
Liverpool
Luton
Manchester
Medway
Middlesbrough
North East Lincolnshire
Northumberland
Norwich
Nottingham
Oldham
Pendle
Peterborough
Portsmouth
Preston
Reading
Redcar and Cleveland
Redditch
Rochdale
Rother
Salford
Sandwell
Sefton
Sheffield
South Tyneside
Southampton
Southend-on-Sea
Stockton-on-Tees
Sunderland
Swale
Tameside
Tendring
Tower Hamlets
Walsall
Waltham Forest
West Lindsey
Westminster
Wigan
Wirral
Wolverhampton
Learn more about levelling up for UK parks
Good Growth Community Organisation Fund
The Good Growth Community Organisation Fund is part of the CIoS Good Growth Investment Plan. The fund supports local projects which help to improve the lives of residents by building better connections in local communities.
From facilities to infrastructure, the fund intends to promote community engagement via better local activities and access to community services. Funding can be used to improve community spaces, buildings, and services.
Read more about funding for community spaces
Non-Government Funding For School Playgrounds and Other Children’s Play Areas
Where Else Can I Go For Help With Playground Funding?
Browse our directory to find a wide range of UK organisations who provide grants and funding for playgrounds and children’s play areas. You may also want to supplement funds with in-house fundraising and local business sponsorships.
UK Playground Funding Directory
ACT Foundation: Fund voluntary or community action projects.
ASDA Foundation: Grants of £5000 – 10,000 for local schools, community groups and charities.
Aviva Community Fund: Funding for projects fostering better health and wellbeing for children, young people, and families.
Awards For All: UK: Funds community projects for organisations with governing bodies. Projects must promote art, sport, education, the environment, or health within the local community.
Bank of Scotland: Funding for local, regional, and national projects in Scotland.
Biffaward: Grants for community projects to create outdoor recreation spaces within 10 miles of a Biffa or landfill site.
BBC Children In Need: Grants for projects for disadvantaged children.
Big Lottery Fund: Funding for community projects which enhance local communities and children in need.
British Ecological Society: School Ground Development Grants fund school projects which enhance the natural outdoor environment, such as ponds or nature reserves.
Clare Duffield Foundation: Grants for schools and other children’s organisations fostering curiosity and creativity through the arts, culture, and heritage
Comic Relief Local: Grants for charities and community groups fostering social change in the local area.
Community Foundation: Fund local projects that enhance local communities.
Disability Grants: Gateway to national, regional, and local disability grants.
Ernest Cook Trust: Grants for educational projects promoting countryside, environmental and architectural conservation.
Fields in Trust: Grants for parks, schools and playing fields planning projects to revitalise grassroots sport in the local community.
Foyle Foundation: Grants for charities with a focus on children with SEN or learning difficulties planning projects which will have a positive impact on the public.
Greggs Foundation: Funds to help small local groups and organisations provide equipment or deliver projects.
Grants4schools: Use the free trial to access a wide database of school funding.
Groundwork: Supports projects with an environmental slant promoting better health and wellbeing for young people.
Heritage Lottery Fund: Part of the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery funds projects promoting communities, people, and heritage.
Landfill Communities Fund: Funding to support projects near landfill sites which enhance local communities.
Lankelly Chase: Grants for projects supporting young people and local areas.
Learning Through Landscapes: UK charity helping schools and EYFS settings make the most of outdoor spaces.
London Marathon Charitable Trust: Funds facilities that promote better opportunities for sport or play.
Lord’s Taverners: Grants for outdoor playgrounds and gym equipment for SEN schools.
Morrisons Foundation: Funding for projects that have a positive impact on local communities.
National Lottery: Funds projects that enhance the lives and communities of people in the UK by promoting sport, education, health, heritage, charities, voluntary groups, and the environment.
One Family Foundation: Funding for community projects that benefit families, including school play spaces.
People’s Postcode Trust: Funds projects that promote public participation in sport.
Sport England: Funding for communities promoting better sporting habits for life.
Tesco Bags of Help: Funding for projects to improve green spaces in local areas.
The Trust House: Grants to aid the improvement of deprived urban areas and fragile rural communities.
Veolia Environmental Trust: Funding for projects close to sites owned by Veolia Trust. Projects must have a remit to restore green spaces in local areas, including children’s play areas.
Wooden Spoon: Funds projects which benefit disadvantaged and disabled children.
5 Top Tips For Playground Funding Applications
Use these 5 top tips to ensure you submit a strong application for your new playground or play area.
- Clarity: Your application is one of many, so you only have minutes to convince the reader your application is worth their time. Keep your grant application clear and concise. Highlight the top reasons why you need the upgrade to your outdoor environment.
- Company Priorities: Focus on the company’s priority areas for funding allocation, such as: better opportunities for outdoor learning, improved fitness levels, higher quality equipment, better concentration, and wellbeing etc.
- Be Specific: Each company has its own remit for who it works with and why. Remember to clearly communicate who you are as an organisation and the outcomes you want to achieve for the children and wider community.
- Clear Benefits: Sponsors are accountable for the grants they deliver so be really precise about how their grant will benefit your community. Detail who will benefit from the grant, who will oversee the project, how the grant will be spent and how the project will benefit all stakeholders.
- Easy to read: Companies have lots of grant applications to sift through. Remember to ensure yours is; easy to read, well-presented, realistic in its request, answers every question asked and shows all required layers of organisational permissions have already been granted.
Learn more about our range of services for schools and children’s organisations.
Jess Sparks
Jess is deeply committed to supporting our mission of positively impacting UK outdoor play environments to promote healthy lifestyles in children.
With a CIM Level 6 Diploma in Sustainable Marketing, Jess channels her passion for sustainability into her marketing role, using her skills to promote eco-conscious practices and raise awareness for our initiatives.
Jess’ experience within the industry is instrumental in driving engagement and supporting connections with those who require ultra-durable, high-grade playground markings both locally and internationally.