Region(s):
Global
Subject Area:
Youth Development
Donor Partner:
LEGO Foundation_RGB_for_WEB.png
Status: Closed; Awarded

Build A World Of Play Challenge

On December 6, 2022, the LEGO Foundation announced five awardees for its Build a World of Play Challenge, which aims to fund bold and impactful solutions focused on early childhood. The Challenge is awarding a total of DKK 900 million (approximately $117 Million) to support substantial contributions to the lives of children from birth to six years old and spark a global movement to prioritize early childhood development.

Credit: The LEGO Foundation

About the Challenge

The Build a World of Play Challenge was launched on February 16, 2022 by the LEGO Foundation to address a global early childhood emergency, that has been exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The awards reaffirm the LEGO Foundation’s commitment in the LEGO® brand’s 90th year to ensure children globally are given opportunities to learn through play.

The Awardees

Three grants of DKK 200 million each and two grants for DKK 100 million each were awarded to five awardees to fund bold and impactful solutions focused on early childhood. Collectively, these organizations will have a meaningful impact on the development of young children through the power of play. Each of these bold solutions promotes the well-being of children, their caregivers and their communities, using culturally relevant and sustainable approaches.

The five awardee projects are below (alphabetically):

Finalists

On October 20, 2022, the LEGO Foundation announced ten finalists for its global Build A World Of Play Challenge. The Challenge received 627 submissions from 86 countries. Applications were evaluated by multi-disciplined experts from across the world based on four criteria: whether they were impactful, feasible, community-centered, and sustainable.

The other finalists in the Build a World of Play Challenge are listed below (alphabetically):

About the Challenge

Launched on February 16, 2022, Build A World Of Play will award DKK 900 million ($117 million) to fund bold and impactful solutions focused on early childhood. Hosted by The LEGO Foundation, the Challenge supports substantial contributions to the lives of children from birth to six years old and spark a global movement to prioritize early childhood development.

Solutions Hub

The Challenge revealed many exciting and exceptional ideas that the LEGO Foundation launched the Build a World of Play Solutions Hub, in partnership with Lever for Change. The Solutions Hub features the top 24 ideas that emerged from the Challenge after a multi-stage process. We hope the Solutions Hub will inspire and encourage more organizations to invest in bold, innovative, and impactful solutions focused on early childhood.

Explore the Build a World of Play Solutions Hub

Contact us

The LEGO Foundation invites other philanthropists to join in funding the finalists and other top-ranked organizations that have emerged through this process. Donors interested in providing additional funding for the Build World of Play Challenge should contact Dana Rice, Vice President of Philanthropy at Lever for Change.

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