NEW YORK, March 5, 2024 -- The Toy Foundation™, the philanthropic arm of The Toy Association™, is proud to announce $380,000 has been awarded to 20 children's hospitals and health systems that serve under-resourced communities, as part of its 2024 Childrens Hospital Play Grants program. More than 240,000 children in need will benefit from this initiative, which funds innovative play therapy projects proven to significantly improve care, wellbeing, and treatment outcomes of hospitalized children.
Recent research shows that access to play elevates the overall patient experience by 98 percent¹. To provide play therapy projects to patients and better support their recovery, hospitals are reliant on external funding or donations to offer this key aspect of the holistic pediatric care model. The Toy Foundation's Children's Hospital Play Grants program helps fill this need at hospitals that need it most, where 50 percent or more of patients rely on Medicaid. The 2024 play projects funded by TTF include sensory toy stations, arts and crafts programs, and playroom and waiting area upgrades, among others, that the hospitals will complete by the end of the year.
"Play has a profound impact on a child's healing journey during a hospital stay, providing physical, emotional, and educational benefits that you cannot get from medicine," said Pamela Mastrota, executive director at The Toy Foundation. "We are proud to expand the Play Grants program with a third annual distribution of grants that will support more hospitals and pediatric patients by giving them access to toys, art, and other play therapies to help improve children's coping skills and medical outcomes."
2024 Recipients of The Toy Foundation's Children's Hospital Play Grants include:
The Children's Hospital Play Grants program has helped improve pediatric care for 360,000 children since 2021 through the funding of nearly 40 play projects at Children's Hospital Association member hospitals nationwide. Learn about the program's significant benefits to children in the 2022/2023 impact report.
TTF is grateful for the generous partnership and financial support from Beacon Media Group and VTech Electronics North America.
For more information about The Toy Foundation's Children's Hospital Play Grants program, visit ToyFoundation.org.
About The Toy Foundation™ toyfoundation.org
The Toy Foundation (TTF) is a 501 (c)(3) children's charity and philanthropic arm of The Toy Association™. As the uniting force for the collective philanthropy of the toy industry for the benefit of all children in need, TTF works with small, medium, and large companies to create a world where every child experiences the comfort, joy, and extraordinary physical, emotional, and educational benefits of play through three program areas – The Toy Bank℠, Play Grants, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Pipeline Program. Thanks to the toy industry's support, TTF has delivered play to more than 31 million children in need around the world.
¹ Source: Hope For Henry. (2024).