School Playground Funding: Your Guide to Grants and Sources

Improving your outdoor space does not have to wait for the budget to appear. School playground equipment funding comes from more places than most schools realise, from government premiums and capital grants to charitable trusts, lottery funds and good old fashioned fundraising. This guide sets out the main routes, what each one can and cannot pay for, and how to build a realistic plan to get your project funded.

If you would like help matching a funding source to your project, our team can point you in the right direction. Request a quick call back and we will help you plan.

PE and Sport Premium: what it can and cannot fund

The PE and Sport Premium is ring-fenced funding for primary schools in England to improve PE, sport and physical activity. For the 2025/26 academic year the government has committed £320 million in total. Allocations are worked out from the January 2025 census of pupils in years 1 to 6:

• schools with 17 or more eligible pupils receive £16,000 plus £10 per pupil
• schools with 16 or fewer pupils receive £1,000 per pupil

Most primary settings qualify, including maintained schools, academies and free schools, special schools, non maintained special schools and pupil referral units.

Here is the important part that is often misunderstood. The premium is revenue funding, so it cannot be used for capital expenditure, which includes buying or installing fixed playground equipment. It can, however, fund activity that encourages active, healthy lifestyles, and routine maintenance of existing assets. The government guidance gives a clear example: repainting the lines on a playground is allowable, because the playground is an existing asset and this counts as maintenance rather than a new capital purchase.

So for playground markings, active play resources that are not capital assets, and programmes that get pupils moving, the premium is a strong fit. For a brand new climbing frame or trim trail, you will usually need one of the capital routes below.

Full detail: the PE and Sport Premium guidance for primary schools and the conditions of grant for 2025 to 2026.

Capital funding for new playground equipment

Because new equipment is a capital asset, the funding routes that fit best are the government’s capital programmes. Every school should start by checking the school capital funding guidance on gov.uk.

Devolved Formula Capital (DFC). This is capital funding paid directly to schools to spend on their own priorities, which can include playground and outdoor projects. It is one of the most flexible options and is often the quickest to draw on because the school decides how to use it. Around £220 million was allocated across schools in 2025/26.

Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). This is a bidding programme for single academy trusts, smaller multi academy trusts, smaller voluntary aided bodies and sixth form colleges. Larger academies and trusts get School Condition Allocations instead. It is aimed at improving the condition of the estate, with a minimum project value of £20,000 for primary and special schools and £50,000 for secondary and all through schools. See the Condition Improvement Fund guidance for schools.

School Condition Allocations (SCA). Local authorities, larger multi academy trusts and larger voluntary aided bodies receive condition funding to distribute across their schools. If you are part of a trust or maintained by a larger authority, ask how SCA is allocated in your group.

Not sure which capital route applies to your school type? We can help you work it out before you spend time on an application.

Grants from charities, trusts and lottery funds

Beyond government funding, a wide range of grant makers support outdoor play, physical activity and community projects. Availability changes year to year, so always check the funder’s current criteria before applying. Commonly used sources include:

• The National Lottery Community Fund (Awards for All), grants of £300 to £20,000. For schools, the project must mainly benefit and involve the wider community, such as a play space open to local families outside school hours
• The Lord’s Taverners, which funds accessible and inclusive equipment for young people with disabilities and special educational needs
• Local business, supermarket and community grant schemes in your area

Inclusive and SEN projects in particular have dedicated funders, so it is worth searching specifically for those if your project has an accessibility focus.

Fundraising to close the gap

Many successful projects combine a grant with money raised by the school community. Fundraising also strengthens grant applications, because it shows the funder that the project has local backing. A structured plan across the year, with a specific event tied to each term, keeps momentum up and gives families visible milestones rather than one large target. Popular, proven ideas include:

Summer and Christmas fairs, sponsored walks and runs, non uniform days, quiz nights, raffles, cake sales, discos, talent shows, table top sales and whole school sports days with paid entry.

One of our own projects shows how this works in practice. Downham Feoffees Primary received a £10,000 National Lottery grant, secured by its parent group and topped up with money raised at community events, to fund the new equipment.

Latest Case Studies

How Schoolscapes helps you fund your project

We have helped hundreds of schools plan and phase projects around the funding they have. We can advise on which sources fit your school type, help you phase a larger scheme so it fits within DFC or a grant, and provide the quotes, designs and specifications you need to support an application. Our design and quote service is free and comes with no obligation.