The LEGO Foundation has announced the five winners of its global Build a World of Play Challenge, which will receive a total of 900 million Danish kroner (DKK) ($117 million) to fund bold, innovative, and impactful solutions focused on early childhood.

Working with Lever for Change, an affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the LEGO Foundation awarded three grants of 200 million DKK ($28 million) and two grants of 100 million DKK ($14 million) in support of specific efforts to promote the well-being of children from birth to age 6, their caregivers, and their communities, using culturally relevant and sustainable approaches. Recipients of $28 million grants include Ubongo International, which will work to scale its Akili Family educational entertainment program in Tanzania; IRD Global to build ecosystems for early childhood development in rural South Africa by upskilling women, especially grandmothers, in play and well-being within villages and co-creating centralized playhouses; and the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, which will work with partners worldwide to scale culture-based home education and intergenerational play spaces for the well-being of Indigenous children and families.

The recipients of $14 million grants include Impact and Innovations Development Centre in Uganda, which will teach positive parenting and non-violent discipline to reinforce positive fatherhood norms, thereby reducing violence and empowering children in Ugandan communities; and Clinton Health Access Initiative, which aims to empower disabled children to play and thrive by supporting sustainable and community-led government programs that provide early screening and life-changing assistive technology in eight countries.

Ten finalists were selected from among 627 valid proposals, and applicants were evaluated on four criteria: whether they were impactful, feasible, community-centered, and sustainable. Each finalist received approximately 6 million DKK ($ 1 million) to strengthen their proposed plan, start building their team, and scale to successfully implement their innovation.

“The LEGO Foundation’s announcement of this group of recipients signals a long-term investment in early childhood development that will pay dividends for decades to come,” said Kristen J. Molyneaux, vice president of program strategy and learning at Lever for Change. “These outstanding projects are all committed to build inclusivity. They will work to reach and engage with some of the most marginalized children and communities around the world, creating conditions for all children to learn, play, and thrive during the most critical years of their lives.” 

(Photo credit: Amy Montalvo, One Pass Productions)