Playground grants in Texas

Catholic schools have a Texas option. The Burkitt Foundation Perpetual Fund at the El Paso Community Foundation accepts applications from Catholic K-12 schools in the dioceses of Galveston-Houston, San Antonio and El Paso, once a year in the summer. The foundation generally does not fund capital campaigns, so present the playground as one defined school project rather than part of a larger building drive.

Public schools can apply to Walmart Spark Good Local Grants, which award $250 to $5,000 for projects that serve the local community. Your school must serve the same area as the Walmart store, Sam's Club or distribution center you apply to. Applications run in three cycles a year, and a funded school cannot apply to the same facility again in that fiscal year. See our playgrounds for schools.

Yes, in some parts of the state. In East Texas, the T.J. and LaVerne Plunkett Foundation Grant funds Christian ministries and children and youth programs run by 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Cherokee, Gregg, Nacogdoches, Panola and Rusk counties. Applicants must share the family's Christian values, and requests should not exceed $10,000. It runs once a year.

In Center, Texas, the John Reagan Harris Community Fund lists religious projects among the work it supports, as long as the project benefits the town. Requests of up to $10,000 are encouraged, and there is no minimum. Because the fund asks that projects benefit Center, a playground the wider neighborhood can use makes a stronger case than one limited to members. See our church playground equipment.

Some local foundations accept government applicants, not just nonprofits. The Edwin A. “Blue” and Janice Owen Miller Charitable Fund Grant from the East Texas Communities Foundation accepts governmental entities serving Henderson County. It funds new or expanded projects in areas such as education, health and the environment, encourages requests of up to $15,000, and has no minimum. It runs once a year in the spring.

The John Reagan Harris Community Fund, also from the East Texas Communities Foundation, accepts governmental units for civic and educational projects that benefit Center, Texas. Requests of up to $10,000 are encouraged. Neither fund names playgrounds, so describe the playground as a new community project. See our playgrounds for parks.

Yes. The San Antonio Area Foundation's Capital Grants fund nonprofit infrastructure projects in Bexar and seven surrounding counties. The projects must already be at a critical stage of completion. That means you apply to help finish a playground that is underway, not to start one from scratch.

In rural West-Central Texas, the Community Foundation of Abilene's Windham Fund Grants support capital projects that improve quality of life in rural communities. Nonprofits in counties such as Taylor, Brown and Jones, or within 150 miles of Oplin, can apply. The fund runs once a year, every spring.

The American Academy of Dermatology's Shade Structure Grant pays up to $8,000 for permanent shade where children learn and play, including materials and installation, plus a sun safety sign. Public schools and 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving children 18 and under can apply. You need a sun safety program that has been running for at least a year, plus a letter from a dermatologist.

The academy says $8,000 covers most 10 by 10 foot shade sails, so shade for a larger playground needs other funding. The grant runs once a year. Winners must send a W9 and a vendor invoice within 45 days of the award, so have your shade quote ready before you apply.