Funding & Grants for Parks & Recreation Playgrounds

Community playgrounds not only support a child's cognitive, physical and emotional development, but they also add beauty, social connection and a sense of belonging to the communities they serve. Even though playgrounds are a great investment, municipal parks and recreation departments are under constant fiscal pressure and funding is often a concern.

Like many municipalities we've worked with, we'll help you look at funding options and purchasing contracts to make your community playground dreams come to life. From fundraisers to grants for playground equipment to leasing or purchasing contracts, there are many options available, you just have to know where to look.

Local Partnerships

To make your community playground dreams a reality, you may want to consider partnering with local, like-minded organizations, such as Kiwanis clubs®, the Y® or local school districts. Many communities across the country have discovered that working in a partnership has enabled them to build, renovate or maintain a playground more effectively than acting alone.

A resurgence of city revitalization across the country has mobilized community organizations to act and get involved. After all, parks and playgrounds help communities feel more engaged and united by the common cause of creating a safe, fun and beneficial place for families and kids to play.

Connect with a Landscape Structures consultant to make sure you're considering all your community playground funding options.

Parks & Recreation: Grants for Playgrounds

Grants are a great way to secure funding or supplement budgets for a municipal playground project. Our Grant Resource Guide provides a listing of federal and state grant programs, as well as grants offered by organizations and corporations to help you navigate the playground grant process. It is a valuable resource that makes it easy to secure supplemental funding for your new playground.

Below are examples of parks and recreation playground grants available in the Grant Resource Guide:

• Dr. Pepper Snapple and KABOOM! offers grants for playground equipment money to qualifying organizations. Grants from KABOOM! even come with the support of a Grants Manager and community-build installation support. We’ve partnered with KABOOM! to build many playgrounds including their 1,000th community build project in Atlanta, Ga.
• The Kiwanis Children’s Fund provides grants to Kiwanis family clubs and districts for projects with a strong Kiwanis identity—and the Kiwanis club’s significant hands-on involvement. Projects must also support activities addressing at least one of the following Children’s Fund cause areas: health, education and youth leadership development.

Be sure to speak with a Landscape Structures representative to understand the types of grants for playgrounds and sale promotions available and what might be best for your community project. Contact us at 888.438.6574 to request your Grant Guide or contact your local playground consultant.

10 Tips to Make Your Playground Grant Stand Out

Follow these guidelines to create a thorough and complete grant proposal for your playground project.

1. Start with an outline of your community playground proposal before you begin writing to establish a plan for information you want to include.
2. Your goals and activities should be stated clearly.
3. Write specifically to the grant requirements.
4. When possible, brevity is best – write clearly, concisely and professionally.
5. Approach your writing as if your playground project has already been funded and you are explaining what you will be doing.
6. Be careful to answer each question in full.
7. Check the deadline for the grant and allow enough time to get buy-in from required stakeholders so it can be submitted on time.
8. Visuals will help your playground grant application stand out; include drawings of your playground design as well as photos of kids enjoying the specific playground components.
9. Carefully read and edit your entire grant proposal.
10. Go outside your circle and ask someone not familiar with your playground project to read the proposal for clarity.

Community Playground Fundraising

A fundraising campaign is a great way to secure community playground funding and get the larger community involved. A community car wash or walk-a-thon or even working with local restaurants to donate profits can be highly-profitable and fun.  

Some partners we work with to enhance your community playground fundraising efforts include:

FundMonkey is a web-based, campaign management software designed to accept online donations, communicate with participants, improve participation and increase overall donations for your event-based fundraiser. Request a free sample kit and see how you can use this software to make your 5k, dance-a-thon or battle of the bands a success!

Learn more about the various fundraising options available for your community playground.

ARP Funds for Parks

ARP Funds for Parks- Use the ARP (American Rescue Plan) and CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act funds to enhance your outdoor spaces, build stronger neighborhoods and communities, and/or address increased maintenance needs. We can help you plan for a new community playground or improve existing playgrounds, develop outdoor fitness environments for teens and adults, enhance your outdoor spaces with commercial shade structures, create a community splash pad or create a plan for regular maintenance checks.

Additional Ways to Purchase Your Community Playground

Purchasing contracts are options to help save money by avoiding the bid process, whereas leasing options help fund your project over time.

Purchasing Contracts for Playgrounds

Any tax-based agency or non-profit 501c can take advantage of buying cooperatives and expedite and simplify the purchasing process. These contracts are nationwide government-procurement services that establish competitively priced contracts for goods and services with the assurance that all contracts have been awarded through a competitive, public bidding process that is compliant with state bidding statutes. 

It’s an easy-to-use, no-cost service and you can enroll by completing a short registration process. Once enrolled, you can purchase Landscape Structures’ playground equipment at a great price through HGACBuy, National Association of State Procurements Officials (NASPO), OMNIA Partners, National Joints Powers Alliance® (NJPA), The Cooperative Purchasing Network® (TCPN) or The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS/TAPs). Contact us to learn how you can take advantage of purchasing contracts. 

Leasing Solutions

We've aligned with National Cooperative Leasing to provide municipalities with efficient financing solutions for playground equipment. With lease-purchase options, you can build your community playground today and fund it over time. Learn more about the attractive rates and simple process.

Contact us to learn more about leasing and purchasing contracts as ways to purchase your community playground.