The LEGO Foundation launches $143 million early-years development competition

The LEGO Foundation has today launched a $143 million global competition to provide aid for early-years childhood development.

Today’s initiative, the Build a World of Play Challenge, will help enable organisations who can make a positive impact on the youngest children around the world. Reaffirming The LEGO Foundation’s commitment to ensuring children globally are given opportunities to learn through play, the challenge is offering grants to those organisations who can provide innovative solutions to key problems during early childhood development.

“All children have the right to feel safe and have access to quality education and healthcare. But to date, early childhood development has been not just under-recognised, but grossly underfunded,” says Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, Chair of the Board of Directors at The LEGO Foundation, and the fourth-generation representative of the LEGO owner family.

“Children are the builders of tomorrow. To build a better world for future generations – focusing on innovation and action – we must work together,” says Kristiansen. “If we do not invest in the youngest children in our society, we don’t invest in our collective future.”

Grants will be given to organisations tackling childhood issues such as education and care, inadequate nutrition, toxic stress in homes and communities, violence in homes and communities and pollution, as well as to those supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of the whole family.

Five main successful applicants will share in the $143 million fund, as will 10 organisations selected as finalists. Interested applicants must register by April 7, with final submissions due May 17. You can find out more about The LEGO Foundation’s Build a World of Play Challenge and the issues the competition’s prize fund will be used to tackle here.

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