Playground grants in Washington

Yes, in some cases. School districts are eligible applicants for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, run in Washington by the Recreation and Conservation Office. It pays to develop or renovate public outdoor recreation areas, with awards from $200,000 to $2 million and a 50 percent match. The program runs every two years. You need a comprehensive recreation plan, and the site must stay in public outdoor recreation use forever, so it suits a playground the public can use.

In Eastern Washington, Innovia Community Grants accept school districts as applicants. Awards go up to $15,000, most fall between $2,500 and $15,000, and there is one cycle a year built around a yearly theme. Note that the Norman Archibald Charitable Foundation, which funds capital and equipment projects in Northwest Washington, does not fund school foundations. See our playgrounds for schools.

Sometimes, yes. Grays Harbor Community Foundation's Community Building Grants allow religious organizations to apply for projects that benefit the whole community, and capital projects are eligible. Typical awards range from $5,000 to $30,000. There are two cycles a year, with one award per 12-month period.

In Dayton, Columbia County and northern Walla Walla County, the Warren Community Action Fund from Blue Mountain Community Foundation accepts religious organizations that hold a 501(c)3 letter. It considers capital requests once a year, and projects with visible backing from other funders are of particular interest, so line up other support before applying. See our church playground equipment.

Not usually on its own. Washington's main park program, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, accepts only cities, counties, towns, federally recognized tribes and local districts with a completed comprehensive recreation plan. A neighborhood group's path there is to partner with its city or park district, which applies for a playground in a public park.

Other Washington funders require 501(c)(3) status. For example, Pacific Power Environmental Respect funds parks, trails and gardens for charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Pacific Power's service area, with most grants between $2,000 and $5,000. It generally does not fund capital campaigns or maintenance of existing facilities. See our playgrounds for HOAs.

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, run by RCO, names play areas, picnic shelters, playing fields and hard courts as eligible park development. Local Parks development projects can receive up to $500,000. Grants are awarded every two years, and applicants need a completed comprehensive recreation plan.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund in Washington also pays to develop or renovate public outdoor recreation areas, with awards from $200,000 to $2 million. It requires a 50 percent match, runs every two years, and the site must remain in public outdoor recreation use forever. See our playgrounds for parks.

Many do require a match. The Land and Water Conservation Fund in Washington requires a 50 percent match, and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust's Equipment & Technology Grants require recipients to pay 50% or more of the purchase cost themselves.

For smaller parts of a project, Pacific Power Small Capital Grants give up to $5,000 to nonprofits and can be submitted in any of the foundation's four grant cycles. The foundation generally does not fund capital campaigns or maintenance of existing facilities, so present the request as one new item rather than part of a fundraising drive.