28 Nov Sunshine Coast Foundation to support local outdoor play projects through Free to Play

The Sunshine Coast Foundation is inviting eligible local organizations serving the Sunshine Coast [1] to apply for funding through Free to Play, a new, multi-year initiative supporting projects that help children spend less time on screens and more unstructured time in the outdoors – imagining, exploring, playing, taking risks, being in nature, connecting with others, and creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime.  This initiative responds to growing research showing a decline in outdoor play, rising screen use, and increased barriers that limit children’s freedom to explore and engage in their communities.

On the Sunshine Coast, where nature is abundant and accessible, children are spending less time outside and more time on screens. In 2024-2025, only 1 in 4 local Grade 5 students met the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity [2], and half of Grade 8 students reported never playing in a park or in their neighbourhood in a typical week [3].

Created by Community Foundations of Canada with support from the Waltons Trust, the Lawson Foundation, and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, the Sunshine Coast Foundation is proud to be among 22 participating community foundations across Canada delivering Free to Play to ensure deep local impact, with the long-term goal of scaling in future phases.

The Foundation has been allocated $350,000 in grant funding that will be invested in the community between 2026 and 2027 through two intake periods. Applications for the first intake opened on Friday, November 28, 2025, at 9:00 AM PST, and will close on February 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM PST.

To further increase the impact of this initiative, the Foundation has also launched a new Free to Play Fund, where 100% of community contributions will be directed to help fund local projects. The Fund has already received its first gift — a $10,000 contribution from the Sunshine Coast Credit Union, and the Foundation has set a goal for the community to grow this fund by at least an additional $100,000.

“This is an exciting opportunity to help children in our community access joyful, and meaningful outdoor play,” says Foundation Board Chair, Doug Allan. “Free to Play empowers children to play their own way, connect with nature, take on challenges, and build lifelong skills like independence and problem-solving through outdoor play.”

Eligible applicants include registered charities and non-profits, including Indigenous Governing Bodies, as well as municipalities, other qualified donees, and incorporated non-profit organizations, such as a community such as community groups, Indigenous nations/communities, school boards, schools, or local organizations registered federally or provincially.

“Free to Play is about rediscovering something many of us cherished in our own youthhoods — the freedom to be a little bit wild — to be active, explore, imagine, and be curious in the natural world,” says Erin Storey, the Foundation’s Executive Director.  “We’re excited to work with local partners to help shift long-standing stigmas around adventurous outdoor play and to remove the barriers that prevent children across the Sunshine Coast from engaging in unstructured, spontaneous play. Ultimately, we want children to feel the call of this beautiful place we call home and to experience outdoor play as a joyful, essential part of growing up.”

WHAT’S NEXT

The first application intake is now open through February 24, 2026.

An applicant guide is available to help organizations understand the program and prepare to apply.

Visit the Foundation’s Free to Play webpage for more information:

https://sunshinecoastfoundation.org/free-to-play/

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[1] The Sunshine Coast refers to the Sunshine Coast Regional District, British Columbia, comprised of the following three Municipalities and five Electoral Areas: District of Sechelt, Town of Gibsons, shíshálh Nation Government District, Area A: Egmont / Pender Harbour, Area B: Halfmoon Bay, Area D: Roberts Creek, Area E: Elphinstone, and Area F: West Howe Sound.

[2] Source: Middle Years Development Instrument [MDI] Grade 5 report. School District Results, 2024-2025. Sunshine Coast (SD46).

[3] Source: Middle Years Development Instrument [MDI] Grade 8 report. School District Results, 2024-2025. Sunshine Coast (SD46).