50 Years of Impact: Changing the Game
Rewriting the Rules of Grantmaking Through Free Play
Free to Play is a national initiative led by Community Foundations of Canada, seeded by the Waltons Trust with support from the Lawson Foundation and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. Its goal is simple: resource local organizations to create welcoming, screen-free spaces where kids can be active, imaginative, and social.
But we felt strongly that unstructured play shouldn't just be for youth. It’s essential for adults, too! So, we joined a small cohort of community foundations experimenting with an innovative approach: participatory grantmaking.
Instead of pitching against each other for a slice of the pie, seven local organizations applied to join a collaborative cohort. Together, they stepped into two intensive, in-person workshops to build a collective understanding of free play, share vital resources, and—most importantly—cooperatively decide how to allocate the funds amongst themselves.
By removing the friction of competition, these organizations didn't just fund their own ideas; they built a network that made every project stronger.
From Collaboration to Action: The Free to Play Projects
Through this shared decision-making process, the cohort successfully distributed funding across seven distinct, creative initiatives designed to hit every corner of our community:
- Breaking Down Barriers to Nature: To reach high-needs youth facing poverty and social isolation in urban Saint John, NB Social Pediatrics received $28,000 for Growing Outside, an 8-week park and beach exploration program where kids document their outdoor joy using disposable cameras. Similarly, Fundy - St. Martins was allocated $28,000 to construct a natural, accessible playground right on Florida Beach using driftwood, sand, and logs.
- Empowering Educators & Camps: ACAP Saint John secured $26,200 to design nature-based activities for K-8 students, creating bilingual resources so local educators can lead outdoor exploration independently. Meanwhile, BGC Saint John was funded $35,000 to run three entirely free, 8-week summer camps focusing on outdoor play, social-emotional learning, and leadership for youth ages 5–16.
- Healing & Lifelong Skills: Recognizing that play is a vital tool for mental health, NB Copes received $22,500 for Seasons of Resilience, a year-round, therapist-facilitated program helping grieving children reclaim autonomy and learn sensory regulation. To build foundational outdoor skills, Origins Early Learning Foundation was allocated $32,380.40 for Once Upon a Forest, a program rooted in forest school practices like shelter-building and outdoor cooking.
- Transforming Public Spaces: Bringing a burst of creativity to the outdoors, Sugar Skulls Atlantic secured $29,600 for a multi-season initiative that includes a sustainable summer trail installation, a fall chalk mural festival, and a winter neon art experience.
By engaging those closest to the community directly in the funding process, Free to Play proved that when we stop competing and start collaborating, everybody wins.