Playground Funding

A great school or neighborhood playground serves everyone in the community and provides a safe and healthy place for children to stay active, improve their social skills and fight childhood obesity. Although playgrounds are a great investment, many schools, communities and non-profits are working with tight budgets and are tasked to do more with less.

While money is an obstacle to overcome, there are many playground purchasing and funding options – fundraising, playground grants, purchasing contracts or lease agreements – that will bring your playground dreams to fruition. We will collaborate with you to help create a well-designed playground that meets your unique needs while staying within your budget.

Don't let limited funds or the bid process prevent you from building a playground for your school or community. Learn more and contact us with your questions or to get started on your next playground project!

Playground Fundraising

Fundraising is a part of nearly all playground projects. Playground fundraisers not only raise money to purchase playground equipment, but it brings people together for a shared purpose of improving the lives of children in their community. From building your fundraising team to budgets, timelines and thank you notes, we'll show you how to raise money for your playground, engage the community and, most importantly, have fun!

Learn more about playground fundraising.

Playground Grant Opportunities

Many organizations allocate funds for building or updating school and community playgrounds through playground grants. These organizations see the benefits playgrounds bring to a community and the development of the whole child – mentally, physically and socially. They are also a great way for foundations and corporations to support the revitalization of the communities where they are located. We’ll explain how to apply for grants and offer writing tips to get your grant noticed. Plus, our Grant Resources contain a list of federal and state programs, as well as grants offered by corporations that may be a fit for your school or organization.

Learn more about playground grants.

ARP + ESSER Funding

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act were created to provide additional relief for individuals and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Plan also includes funding for state, local and tribal governments as well as education—known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER). This is unlike any prior COVID funding because ALL counties, cities and schools will receive funds.

Learn more about parks-related eligibility as well as how your school playground projects may be eligible to use these funds.

Playground Purchasing Contracts

Playground purchasing contracts enable groups to pool their buying power together to negotiate better pricing. It also simplifies and expedites the procurement process because instead of seeking quotes, bids or proposals, organizations can select products from a cooperative contract catalog. Landscape Structures holds several national cooperative purchasing contracts that will reduce costs and streamline your playground purchasing process.

Learn more about purchasing contracts.

Playground Leasing and Financing

Lease-purchase financing addresses an immediate need while improving the management of cash flow through monthly payments. If applicable, there is also the tax-exempt feature of lease-purchase financing, which can make a playground purchase more affordable than ever imagined. We’ve aligned with NCL Government Capital to provide recreation departments, schools, non-profits, parks, churches, childcare facilities and preschools with efficient financing solutions to purchase park and playground equipment.

Learn more about the benefits of leasing and other playground financing options.

Contact Us

Still overwhelmed about how to overcome the funding hurdle? Contact a Landscape Structures playground consultant to discuss the many ways to fund your community or school playground.