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
When it comes to locking down other funding sources for a park or playground build, exploring available grants and bursaries is a great place to start. They can come from a variety of sources, including governments (both local and federal), corporations, nonprofits, and foundations, and can be a huge asset to funding your project. It is money that doesn’t have to be repaid, and often times these grants are available for initiatives that look to bring outdoor green spaces to communities and neighbourhoods, making them a perfect option for those looking to build playgrounds.
It’s important to do your research before applying for grants to make sure you’re applying for the best ones for your project. Depending on the space you’re building and where you’re building it, you may be eligible for more specific grants, such as ones for schools or daycares, while other projects might require you to apply for more general grants available for any playground or park spaces.
Every project is going to be unique, and every municipality or government is going to have different grants available, so taking the time to do your research is key to finding the right grants for your project. Checking with your provincial parks and recreation association is a great place to start looking for grants and funding options.
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.