Tips For Funding a Playground in Your Community
Introducing a new park or playground project to your community is always exciting! After all, who doesn’t want more epic and fun play spaces in their neighbourhood? While getting your community excited and on board with a new project might seem simple, one of the biggest obstacles that comes into play with a new park and playground build is funding. Larger municipalities might have access to more funds for these types of community projects, however in many cases, project coordinators rely on grants, bursaries, and other types of funding to help get the build off the ground. Fundrising and gathering funds for a new playground or park build can seem, at times, daunting and overwhelming.
The great news is that there are lots of great grants and other fundraising options available that can not only help raise the money needed, but they can also provide great opportunities to get the community involved and excited about a new park or playground build. Parkworks has compiled a list of tips to help you fund a community playground for your own neighbourhood.
Plan your FUN BUiLDS early
One of the first thing you'll want to do when planning for a new project is to establish your budget. Looking at the kind of play features and other elements you’d like included is a great way to get a baseline for what a playground might cost. Don’t forget to factor in every aspects of the build into the total budget, such as installation, inspections, and general maintenance costs. You’ll also want to determine the goals for the new project. Will it be a school playground or a community park? Do you want to make it an epic, fun space for kids, or a welcoming, outdoor space for the entire neighbourhood to enjoy?
Once you’ve established the details of the project, you’ll then want to get a fundraising team in place. Engage local leaders within the community, businesses, and parents who will be able to champion the entire build and help get fundraising efforts off the ground.
Contact local businesses
Generating excitement around a new park or playground is important for not only spreading the word, but also for getting the community invested. Reaching out to local businesses during the early planning stages is a great way to do this. Many local businesses are eager to support and give back to their communities, so they may be willing to either donate to or sponsor the park or playground. Some businesses might be interested in helping to run a fundraiser for the project. This not only allows businesses to feel a sense of community involvement, but it can be beneficial for them too. Branding opportunities that may come from sponsoring a new park or playground build can help local businesses advertise and continue to expand their community support.
Get the community involved
Along with getting local businesses involved in a park or playground build, you’ll also want to get the community invested. Organizing events such as bake sales, silent auctions, or raffles, are a great way to bring the community together and fundraise for the project. In some cases, utilizing crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter is another fundraising option. The Parkworks team can help generate community excitement by providing renderings and visuals of the proposed playground or park to help residents visualize the completed space.
In some cases, you might get a group of community members who want to be as hands-on with the project as possible. If this is the case, you might want to consider a community-build initiative for the park or playground. Typically, volunteer-run community-builds give community members the ability to actually have a hand in building the playground, which can not only bolster enthusiasm and interest, but can help save money on construction and installation. Parkworks has a podcast episode that covers this topic in-depth and gives some great examples of how to make a community-built playground project a successful one.
Explore grants and bursaries
Securing funding is often one of the biggest steps in bringing a new park or playground to life. The good news? There is more support out there than you might think. Grants and bursaries are available from local and federal governments, corporations, nonprofits, and foundations, many of which are specifically designed to support outdoor spaces, recreation, and community connection. Even better, most grants do not need to be repaid, which means more budget can go directly into building a space your community will love.
The trick is knowing where to look and which opportunities are the right fit. Funding programs vary by province, project type, and audience. A schoolyard project may qualify for different grants than a destination playground or neighbourhood park. It can feel like a lot to sort through, but that is where a little guidance goes a long way.
To make things easier, the Parkworks team has pulled together a curated list of current grant and funding opportunities to help you get started. Fill out the form to download the list and start exploring what could help bring your project to life.
And if you would rather not tackle it alone, you do not have to. Parkworks can help connect you with relevant grants and strengthen your proposals with eye-catching project renderings, clear estimated costs, and practical guidance along the way. Big ideas deserve real support, and we are here to help you move from “what if” to “let’s build it.”
From designing your dream playground and helping generate community excitement, to providing renderings and visuals to aid in applications for grants, to executing the installation and unveiling the finished project, the team of experts at Parkworks can help you every step of the way.