Play Space Grants
NRPA and The Walt Disney Company have come together to improve access to outdoor play through the Meet Me at the Park Play Spaces Grant Program. Thanks to a $1 million donation from Disney, grant funding is available to provide additional communities with increased access to inclusive play spaces in local parks for children and families. As part of this program, park and recreation agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories are invited to share their best ideas on increasing access to inclusive play spaces for children and families in underserved communities. Agencies with the most innovative, scalable and impactful project ideas will receive grants to build their projects.
This investment supports NRPA and Disney’s combined goal of providing one million kids and families with greater access to play.
Applicant Eligibility
- Be a local or state government park and recreation agency, (e.g., municipal park and recreation department, tribal recreation department, park district, etc.)
- The project must take place at a publicly-owned site(s) in an underserved community*.
- Provide opportunities for community engagement and volunteerism in association with the project.
- Promote the project locally through its own communication channels and on social media.
- Administer surveys and collect data from at least 25 people at the project site (tablet or laptop may be required).
- Eight of the selected grantees will be required to conduct a more in-depth evaluation to assess and understand how the project led to increased activity, community, connection to nature and other benefits. Evaluation tools and training will be provided to selected grantees.
Grant Resources
NRPA hosted a webinar on March 19, 2019 to provide an overview of grant requirements and help answer questions. Learn more about the webinar.
Browse frequently asked questions and answers related to this opportunity.
Project Dates and Deadlines
- March 12, 2019: Applications Open
- March 19, 2019: Webinar for Applicants
- April 12, 2019: Applications are due by 11:59PM ET
- June 5-12, 2019: Applicants to be Notified by NRPA
- August 17, 2019: Interim Reports Due to NRPA
- December 13, 2019: Project Completion
- December 31, 2019: Final Reports and Surveys Due to NRPA (template to be provided)
Applications were due by 11:59PM ET on April 12, 2019
Check Out Selected 2017 and 2018 Projects
Please email playspacesRFA@nrpa.org with questions about the Play Spaces grant program.
2015-2018 Earth Month Campaign
Starting in April 2015, NRPA and The Walt Disney Company teamed up to celebrate Earth Month by helping to fund local park improvement projects in cities around the U.S. You can view the past Earth Month projects here.
