Summary
A new UK-wide programme for outdoor play: risky, adventurous, child-led. Co-funders are invited to co-invest in a five-year, place-based programme, which is working for a lasting cultural shift in how families, educators, settings and the state relate to and resource child play.
Aims and activities
Aims and questions
Aims and activities
Play is how children build confidence, friendships, physical health and mental resilience. Yet the freedom to play outdoors has narrowed while concern about children's mental health and inactivity has grown. Together we will work for a local and national cultural shift in how parents, educators, settings and the state think about and resource play, leaving a legacy of spaces, provision and sustainable funding.
At a glance: £9.3 million total programme value (minimum); 20 community foundations across the UK; five years (June 2026 to November 2031); programmes open locally in spring 2027.
The initiative acknowledges play as a right and builds on a long history of practice and research. It learns from and with a sister programme underway in Canada, and is a practical proof of concept for the place-based implementation of the recommendations in Everything to Play For, the 2025 Play Commission report. It arrives at a moment of renewed policy interest: a Prime Minister with a play track record, a revitalised All-Party Parliamentary Group on Play, new investment, and the announced social media ban for under-16s.
Priorities and approach:
- adventurous and child-directed play, which research links with better outcomes for wellbeing, physical activity and resilience, alongside widening access, intersectionality and funding good practice locally to grow the conditions for sustainable provision
- culture shift, more than a funding programme: a whole-system approach that maps provision, understands barriers, convenes and builds capacity over time, rooted locally with national impact
- insight and evidence: testing what works locally and understanding patterns nationally, with in-person convening every year, tangible contributions to the evidence base, and an outcomes framework built with the sector
How to get involved
You can read a one page summary, or read more about the programme at our blog.
We are inviting co-funders now, during the development phase. Co-funders can:
- strengthen what is funded, topping up local allocations so more children, areas and organisations are reached, or sustaining activity beyond the initial period
- co-fund specific themes or geographies, for example health funders supporting physical and mental health outcomes, or regional funders supporting areas of particular need or interest
- strengthen the learning and influence work, resourcing the national synthesis, deeper evaluation, local advocacy, or policy engagement on adventurous play
The need is far bigger than any one funder can meet. All co-funding keeps the flexible, locally-led approach that makes this model distinctive. Initial enquiries welcome via partnerships@ukcommunityfoundations.org, with follow-up conversations tailored to funder interests and capacity.
Who's involved
Who was involved
UK Community Foundations provides national insight, convening and advocacy, working with 20 community foundations delivering locally. The programme is guided by Play England, Save the Children, and academic and sector experts, with a cross-border peer learning community alongside the 22 places already underway in Canada, and whole-programme learning facilitated by Renaisi.
Learning and Resources
We can provide on request to interested partners:
- draft outcomes and thematic framework, with evidence links on outdoor play, child development and health
- examples from our community foundation development work showing local alignment and delivery potential
- a detailed budget and allocation model
- evidence briefs on risky and adventurous play, the outdoor early years workforce, and policy alignment
