If you're a school, parish council or community group, there are funding options available.  Applying for funding can sometimes be a daunting task, and no doubt you’ll have lots of questions.

Where do I start? Who can I contact? What’s involved? 

Firstly, don’t panic. Think of us as a helping hand along the way, and we’ve got some top tips and advice to get you started (and don’t forget…we’re here to help you!).

We’ve been designing and installing playgrounds since 1996, helping schools, community groups and businesses create play areas for many years. So using our own experience, we’ve put together this funding start guide.

What is funding?

Put simply, it’s the capital provided to you to fund your playground project, whether you’re a local authority, council, school, charity, community group, parish council or non-profit organisation.  

Where do I start?

It starts with research.  Start small so as not to feel overwhelmed. Find out which funders can help you. We’ve listed a few below in the ‘funding guides to get you started’, but look for funders within your sector: education, local authority, parish council, etc.

• Put together a list of potentials funders
• Find out their requirements and what you need to support your application
• Think about how you can answer their questions
• What you can do to make your application stand out from the rest

How do I apply for playground funding?        

Each funder will have their own requirements, but generally you’ll want to provide as much information as you can. The last thing you want is for your application to not even get a look in.  

What are you trying to solve?

Tell them who you are and the problem / challenge you’re trying to solve.

• Why you?
• How will the funds be used?
• What's your objectives?
• Where are you now, and where to you want to be?

Funding guides to get you started

Bring your idea to life

This is your opportunity to visually show the play area you’d like.

• Top tip! If you have designs and a quote for your playground project - great!  This will show the funder you're serious about your application
• Include budgets and time frames, and who needs to be involved
• How do you plan to 'open your playground'? Are you able to get local radio stations, news papers, community publications to attend - think about all the publicity (and we're always on the look out for projects to add to our portfolio)
• How will the play area be maintained after installation

Community benefits

• How will it affect the children, families and community in your area?
• The benefits of outdoor play - how will it support the development of children physically, mentally and cognitively?
• What's the benefit of having the playground?
• And if it's for the community, involve them. Share the designs, ask for feedback, get quotes and testimonials from families who will be using the playground, how will it directly benefit them?

How you’ll allocate the budget

Go into detail about how the funds will be allocated and used, not just in the now but also into the future (Top tip! Show the funder you’ve thought about this as a long term plan).

• Show a breakdown of costs (equipment, installation, maintenance).  All of our proposals come with a full breakdown so it's ready to support your application

In summary…

Think of this as your closing speech and your final chance to make your application shine and why you should receive the funding.

• A powerful closing summary
• You're ready to answer any questions and provide any support evidence

And don't forget - we're here to support you. So if you have a question, or need any help, simply get in touch.

Need help designing your play area?

We can help bring your imagination to life, tailoring our service to you and design the wow factor playground you'd like (and need).

Let's talk