TL;DR: The Playground Equipment Program (PEP) is the BC government’s main school playground grant. In the 2026 round, 25 schools received $200,000 each, and since 2018 the province has invested more than $50 million in over 330 school playgrounds. School districts apply each year through their capital plan submissions, and funds are usually issued to the school’s Parent Advisory Council (PAC). Beyond PEP, projects using recycled-rubber surfacing may qualify for up to $30,000 in matching funding through the Tire Stewardship BC Community Grant Program, and playgrounds are explicitly eligible under BC’s Community Gaming Capital Project Grants. This guide explains how each program works and how to make your project grant-ready.
Most schools build one playground per decade, so nobody on a PAC is expected to be a grant expert. That’s fine. Here’s everything you need to know, in plain language.
What is the BC Playground Equipment Program (PEP)?
PEP is a provincial grant program, launched in 2018, that funds new and replacement playgrounds at BC public schools. Its explicit goal is to take the fundraising burden off parents: before PEP, a new school playground typically meant years of bake sales and bottle drives. Since the program began, the province has invested more than $50 million toward new playgrounds at more than 330 schools, benefiting over 88,000 students, and every BC school district has received at least one PEP playground.
A large share of PEP playgrounds are universally accessible designs, which is worth noting when you plan your equipment and surfacing choices. Accessible and inclusive aren’t the same thing: accessibility is about physical access, while inclusive design means children of all abilities can actually play together.
How much is a PEP grant in 2026?
In the 2026 funding round, 25 schools received $200,000 each toward a new accessible playground, or $5 million in total. The per-school amount has grown with construction costs: it started at $90,000 to $105,000 in 2018, rose to $165,000 by 2022, and reached $200,000 with Budget 2025.
That $200,000 is designed to cover a complete accessible playground project: equipment, site preparation, installation, and safety surfacing. This is why quoting a full project as one package matters. A grant that covers “the playground” needs to actually cover the surfacing and site works too, not just the structure.
Who is eligible, and how do schools apply?
PEP funding goes to public schools, and the application runs through your school district, not directly from the school or PAC. Districts submit their playground priorities in their annual capital plan submissions to the ministry, typically in June each year. When a school is approved, the funds are usually issued to the school’s PAC.
What this means practically for a PAC:
- Talk to your district’s facilities or capital planning department early, ideally in winter or spring, before the June capital plan submission.
- Make the case for your school’s priority. Districts rank their requests, so a documented case (age and condition of existing equipment, safety concerns, accessibility gaps, school population) helps your school rise up the district’s list.
- Have a project scope ready. A realistic budget covering equipment, site works, installation, and surfacing shows the district your project is deliverable within the grant amount. Our guide on how to plan a school playground project walks through the full sequence.
What are your odds, and how are schools prioritized?
The province funds playgrounds based on greatest need. Priority goes first to schools with no playground at all, then to schools with aging equipment. Districts that don’t receive funding in one year can reapply the next, so persistence is genuinely part of the strategy, and many schools succeed on a second or third submission.
Roughly 25 to 60 schools have been funded per year depending on the round, across a province with about 1,600 public schools. So treat PEP as one pillar of a funding plan, not the whole plan.
What other playground grants are available in BC?
PEP is the biggest single source, but it isn’t the only one, and several others apply to daycares, community groups, and municipalities that PEP doesn’t cover.
Tire Stewardship BC Community Grant Program
This program funds projects that use recycled tire products made in BC, which puts poured-in-place (PIP) rubber safety surfacing squarely in scope. It’s a matching grant: you contribute an amount equal to or greater than the amount requested, up to a maximum of $30,000, including freight and installation costs. Eligible applicants include municipalities, community groups, schools, and First Nations and Métis settlements, and projects must be fully public and wheelchair accessible.
The 2026 intake ran from January 5 to March 31, so watch for the next window early in the calendar year. In its 2026 round the program funded 11 projects, 10 playgrounds and one community centre, repurposing 17,828 recycled tires. Two of the recipients were PAC societies, which tells you this is a realistic target for a school project, not just a municipal one. Over 18 years the program has invested more than $6.84 million in 371 projects across 96 BC communities.
BC Community Gaming Grants
Two streams matter for playgrounds:
- Capital Project Grants. These distribute $5 million annually to not-for-profit organizations for capital projects costing between $20,000 and $1,250,000, and playgrounds are explicitly listed as eligible outdoor structures. The 2026 intake ran July 17 to August 31. Organizations may submit one Capital Project Grant application per year.
- PAC and DPAC Program Grants. Smaller and annual, allocated at roughly $20 per student, with a minimum grant for schools under 100 students. Playground equipment is an eligible expense, so many PACs bank these grants year over year toward a project.
Local and private funders
Many BC municipalities and regional community foundations run small capital grant programs, and service clubs and local businesses (Rotary, Lions, credit unions) regularly co-fund playgrounds, especially accessible ones. Individually these are smaller amounts, but they stack well on top of a larger grant.
Most successful projects layer two or more sources with PAC fundraising. No grant is ever guaranteed, so build your budget in phases that can flex with what you actually receive, and confirm current intake dates and criteria directly with each program before you plan around them.
How to make your playground project grant-ready
A grant-ready project answers the questions funders ask before they ask them:
- A defined scope and budget covering equipment, site works, installation, and surfacing, not just the structure. Underbudgeting surfacing is the most common and most expensive planning mistake we see.
- Safety and standards language. Reference CSA Z614, the Canadian playground safety standard, in your project description.
- An accessibility and inclusion plan. Recent PEP rounds have funded accessible playgrounds specifically, and the TSBC program requires projects to be fully public and wheelchair accessible, so showing how children of all abilities will move through and play in the space strengthens multiple applications at once.
- Community support. Letters from the school, district, and community groups.
- A realistic timeline. Grant-funded playgrounds usually need to be built within a defined window, so line up your supplier and installer before the money lands. Approved PEP projects are typically designed, built, and installed within about a year.
Swing Time helps BC schools and PACs with exactly this. Scoping, budgeting, funding strategy, and timelines are part of the project, not an upsell. Because we supply Canadian-made Blue Imp equipment and install it with our own construction team, including Playturf PIP rubber surfacing, one accountable partner can give you a single, grant-ready number for the whole project.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the BC PEP grant per school?
$200,000 per school in the 2026 round. The amount has increased over time, from $90,000 to $105,000 in 2018 to $200,000 under Budget 2025.
Can a PAC apply for a PEP grant directly?
No. Applications go through your school district’s annual capital plan submission, typically due in June. PACs influence the process by making the case to their district, and when funding is approved, it’s usually issued to the PAC.
What if our school doesn’t get funded this year?
Reapply. Districts can resubmit unfunded schools the following year, and priority goes to schools with no playground or the oldest equipment, so a documented need builds your case over time.
Are daycares eligible for PEP grants?
No. PEP funds public schools. Daycares and community groups should look at Community Gaming Capital Project Grants, community foundations, the Tire Stewardship BC Community Grant Program (for recycled-rubber surfacing), and municipal programs instead.
Does rubber surfacing really qualify for extra funding?
It may. The Tire Stewardship BC Community Grant Program funds projects using recycled tire products made in BC, including PIP rubber surfacing, on a matching basis up to a maximum of $30,000. Projects must be fully public and wheelchair accessible. Because Playturf PIP surfacing uses Canadian recycled rubber, projects that include it may be eligible, but confirm the current intake criteria before you budget around it. No funding is ever guaranteed.
When do BC playground grant applications open?
They run on different clocks. PEP goes through district capital plan submissions in June. The Tire Stewardship BC intake ran January 5 to March 31 in 2026. Community Gaming Capital Project Grants ran July 17 to August 31 in 2026. Check each program’s current dates, since intakes shift year to year.
How long does a grant-funded playground take to build?
PEP playgrounds are generally designed, built, and installed within about a year of funding. Working with one team for equipment, site works, installation, and surfacing keeps that timeline from slipping between vendors.
Ready to build a grant-ready playground plan?
Whether you’re preparing your district submission or planning a project around funding you’ve already secured, we’ll help you scope it, budget it, and deliver it. One team from planning to the first recess.
Call (604) 990-9187 or email sales@swingtimebc.com for a grant-ready project quote.