The Play for All funding opportunity provides grants to help California libraries design and create welcoming family play spaces and offer meaningful programming around play for marginalized young children.
Donor Name: California State Library
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/06/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The purpose of these grants is to support libraries in addressing the barriers and inequitable access to quality play spaces and play-based programming young children may experience in marginalized, under-resourced, and underserved communities.
Research shows that play is essential to a young child’s development. California State Library’s 2021 white paper Together, Learning More! documents the influential role play has in a young child’s cognitive, social, and emotional skills development, and that a range of play experiences is important for well-rounded development:
- Play Characteristic: Influence on Development.
- Imaginary Play: Creativity, Reasoning, Empathy.
- Social Play: Self-regulation, Pro-social skills, Language development.
- Physical Play: Fine motor skills, Scientific thinking, Language development.
- Game Play: Executive functions, Reasoning, Creativity (when open-ended).
Funding Information
California libraries may apply for funding:
- Minimum funding request: $10,000
- Maximum funding request: $75,000
Grant Period
- Grant period begins: July 1, 2024
- Grant period ends: June 30, 2025
Eligibility Requirements
California libraries can apply for grant funding to support:
- Staff time to co-design, coordinate, and implement play-based programs.
- Purchases of mobile and/or child-friendly furnishings, manipulatives, and materials to create play spaces for young children.
- Services from community organizations including parenting workshops and presentations about play-based child development.
- Participation in professional development workshops to gain knowledge and skills around play-based programming and spaces.
- Outreach and promotion of play resources and programs.
- Any additional allowable expenditures that help libraries provide young children access to play. Please note that if grant funds will be used to pay for a service from a community organization or organizations, those organization(s) cannot be considered as a partner in the application.
For more information, visit California State Library.