Play for All

The Play for All funding opportunity provides grants to help California libraries design and create welcoming family play spaces and offer meaningful programming around play for young children ages zero to eight. The purpose of these grants is to support libraries in addressing the barriers and inequitable access to quality play spaces and play-based programming young children may encounter in communities that are experiencing marginalization, are under-resourced, and underserved.

The State Library team is here to help. Request a meeting to discuss your proposal with members of our team. For those with questions about designing equitable grant programs, we may ask a trained Equity Advisor to join the meeting.

The Play for All LSTA-funded projects meet Goal 4 of the California Library Services and Technology Act Investment Plan 2023–2027: Strengthen equitable resource-sharing and access to information, services, and opportunity with an emphasis on local community strengths and challenges.

Timeline

  • Grant opportunity opens: Wednesday, January 8, 2025
  • Information Session: Tuesday, January 14 at 2:00 pm.
  • Grant opportunity closes: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at 12:00 noon
  • Application review period: April 2025
  • Application status and selection notification: May 2025
  • Grant period begins: July 1, 2025
  • Grant period ends: June 30, 2026

Awards will be made after federal IMLS funding levels are confirmed for 2025-2026 and the 2025-2026 California State budget has passed. Successful applicants can expect to receive project funds up to 8 to 10 weeks after the payment claim form is received by the State Library.

Purpose

Research shows that play is essential to a young child’s development. California State Library’s 2021 paper Together, Learning More! documents the influential role play has in an early learner’s cognitive, social, and emotional skills development, and that a range of play experiences is important for well-rounded development:

Play CharacteristicInfluence on Development
Imaginary PlayCreativity, Reasoning, Empathy
Social PlaySelf-regulation, Pro-social skills, Language development
Physical PlayFine motor skills, Scientific thinking, Language development
Game PlayExecutive functions, Reasoning, Creativity (when open-ended)

From Together, Learning More! Interactive Family Learning in California’s Libraries, p. 21

However, many of California’s young children do not have equitable access to safe spaces to play and learn. This opportunity will support libraries in providing access to quality play spaces and play-based programming for young children in communities that are experiencing marginalization, , are under-resourced, and are underserved.

Project Details

California libraries can apply for grant funding to support:

  • Staff time to co-design, coordinate, and implement play-based programs onsite at the library or through outreach at non-library locations.
  • Purchases of mobile and/or child-friendly furnishings, manipulatives, and materials to create play spaces for early learners (young children ages zero to eight).
  • Services from community organizations including parenting workshops and presentations about play-based child development.
  • Participation in professional development workshops to gain knowledge and skills around play-based programming and spaces.
  • Outreach and promotion of play resources and programs to communities that are experiencing marginalization, re under-resourced and are underserved.
  • Any additional allowable expenditures that help libraries provide young children ages zero to eight access to play. Please note that if grant funds will be used to pay for a service from a community organization or organizations, those organization(s) cannot be considered as a partner in the application.

We welcome applications from libraries that offer play programs onsite and/or at locations other than library sites. Some possible options to provide this service at locations other than the library include:

  • Having library staff conduct regular outreach visits to bring play programs and materials to the non-library location.
  • Creating opportunities for the focus population to come to the library where the play space and/or programs are (for example, providing direct shuttle service to and from the library, or any other allowable transportation method).
  • Offering non-library locations the option of having a long-term checkout period of play programming materials.

Applicants must refer to the application instructions for full details about allowable and unallowable expenses.

Evaluation

Successful applicants will be required to survey participants in order to measure the impact of their programs. Survey questions will be provided by the California State Library.

Commitments

Project staff funded through this opportunity make a commitment the following:

  • Connect and engage with communities that are experiencing marginalization, are  under-resourced, and are underserved.
  • Participate in virtual Community of Practice meetings
  • Attend professional development trainings centered on the topic of play
  • Participate in recorded, virtual Ignite Talks in June 2026 to share promising practices and stories with the larger library community.

Learn about current and past Play for All Grant projects.

Eligibility and Requirements

To Apply

Applications will be completed and submitted online using the California State Library’s grant application portal. Please be sure to review the Federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Application Guide thoroughly before beginning the application and expect to reference the instructions while completing the application. Use the link included below to access the online application.

To help ensure California communities have the library services and programs they need to thrive, the State Library’s Five Year Plan for Grantmaking centers equity. 

  • If we receive more strong applications than we can support, we will prioritize funding projects that:
  • Deliver innovative programs and services directly to Californians.
  • Support libraries and communities that have not received LSTA grants in the last five years.
  • Support communities with higher poverty rates as measured by the California Poverty Measure (CPM). 
  • Support libraries with a low Local Income Per Capita (LIPC).

To help expand the libraries and communities that benefit from LSTA funding, we encourage applications from library jurisdictions and branches that have not received LSTA funding in the last five years, and collaborative groups of libraries representing a variety of regions, library sizes, and populations.

This opportunity does not fund projects that focus solely on collection development, space planning, capacity building in libraries, or projects that are eligible to be funded through our other grant programs. For example, proposed projects that aim to improve access to nutrition are more appropriate for the Lunch at the Library program.