Grants & Funding

There are a fair few outdoor play funding schemes available, which could help your dream playground become a reality. Here is a selection:

Woodenspoon aims to improve the quality and prospect of life for children and young people living in the UK and Ireland who are physically, socially or mentally disadvantaged. Grants are available to special needs schools, in the region of £20,000 to £100,000, representing 25-100% of total project costs.

Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards assist organisations supporting children’s welfare and children’s educational projects. Grants are in the form of one-off payments in the region of £1,500K to £5,000.

Get your little treasures to help you make money for your school. All you need to do is nominate a member of your Parent Teacher’s Association to register with eBay for charity and be in charge of collecting donations.  Then your school can start selling. Turn old tennis rackets into a new gym – it couldn’t be simpler.

Awards for All is a Lottery grant scheme for small, community-based projects in the UK, which promote education, the environment and health. Grants are awarded between £300 and £10,000.

The landfill community fund allows landfill operators to donate funds towards local community and environmental projects. The scheme is regulated by EnTrust.

Set-up by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Superground’s project enables RBS group employees to nominate their local primary or secondary school for an award of £4,000.

The John Laing School Awards are open to school projects in Greater London, which promote education, the environment and health or encourage play and social development. Grants are available up to £3,000. Please contact your Local Authority for further information.

School travel plans are an ideal way to fund waiting and bike shelters .

The Teachernet  and Fundraising for schools websites contain valuable information about funding playground projects, or visit the Grantfinder website to find out which grants your project is eligible for.

Schools wishing to take a broader view, who want to maximise the social and educational value of their grounds, should consider becoming members of Learning through Landscapes, an educational charity dedicated to school grounds improvement.