To help our regions expand opportunities for play we partnered with the Aspen Institutes Sports and Society Program to launch Project Play Southeast Michigan through the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and Project Play Western New York through the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
These partnerships stoke regional collaboration and empower leaders to address localized challenges through targeted support. Guided by Aspen’s “8 Plays,” supports include a variety of initiatives, grants, resources, and programs designed to ensure that every child has access to the benefits of sports and recreation no matter their zip code.
The Built to Play initiative was launched in 2018 by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation in partnership with two national nonprofits, KABOOM! and The Skatepark Project, to expand access to play spaces and skateparks that inspire active, creative play across Southeast Michigan and Western New York.
Informed by early learnings from the State of Play reports, the initiative began as a $10 million investment focused on increasing opportunities for kid-driven free play. Over time, that investment grew to nearly $17 million in support of more than 100 play spaces, including skateparks, large-scale playgrounds, and imaginative play spaces embedded in everyday neighborhood settings. Working hand in hand with local communities, each project was designed to reflect local priorities while also attracting new users, ensuring more children have access to safe and engaging places to play.
To better understand the impact of these efforts, the Foundation engaged Gehl in 2022 to assess Built to Play’s outcomes. The resulting Built to Play Report highlights the initiative’s successes, lessons learned, and recommendations for community leaders, funders, and advocates seeking to create high quality play spaces. With its lasting impact, Built to Play serves as a strong model for reimagining the role of play in communities' quality of life.
