A Rocha Canada: Wild Havens Natural Playscape: Located at A Rocha’s South Surrey location, this project creates a wild-themed, publicly accessible playspace that takes advantage of the centre’s unique heritage farm, forest, river and wetland settings. The new playscape will be designed to appropriately challenge children and help them develop their motor and risk management skills and grow in self-confidence as a result. Play structures will include a rock scramble, timber nest, fallen log bridge, tree house, dry stream bed, and demonstration garden (complete with berries for foraging), all of which will provide opportunities for climbing, exploring, building, creating, rolling, tumbling, smelling, tasting and more. The space will stimulate children’s imagination and ability to learn as they use natural objects for play and observe the diverse habitat around them. Children increase in self-confidence and develop an appreciation for nature (increasing chances they’ll practice environmental stewardship as adults.) Families and caregivers learn about the benefits of land-based risky play. Grant amount: $50,000.00.

BC Family Hearing Resource Society: The Sign and Play Outdoor Adventure Project: BCFHRS’s Surrey location at 152 St and 92 Ave will create an inclusive free outdoor play program for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Hearing Children which will allow for dedicated free outdoor accessible everyday play sessions for children aged 18 months to 5 years of age. Weekly events will include visual and tactile sensory activities, nature walks, and outdoor games for language and literacy development in a bilingual (American Sign Language and English) environment. Children will learn teamwork and collaboration in group activities. Trained Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Hearing Early Childhood Educators and early interventionists will facilitate inclusive play, visual communication, joy in movement/motor skills and will support with developing confidence and social skills in young children. Grant amount: $33,243.00.

City of Surrey: Surrey Free Play & Belonging Intiative: This initiative will transform an underused, prescriptive playground near the Fleetwood Community Centre into a natural, open-ended outdoor play environment designed to support imaginative, collaborative, and developmentally appropriate risky play. The redesigned space will incorporate natural elements and loose parts that encourage creativity, problem-solving, and connection to land-based play. It will serve our daily preschool programs, a weekly outdoor parent participation drop-in program called Stay and Play and remain freely accessible to the public. The program will design and implement staff and parent learning sessions and marketing material focused on the value of outdoor and risky play, ensuring children are supported by confident, informed adults. Grant amount: $50,000.00.

Options Community Services Society: Rooted in Nature: Connecting Families to Outdoor Play in the Early Years: The Guildford Family Resource Program is located on park land, providing families with children birth to six, a spacious outdoor area. Families can attend up to five drop-ins per week, with Spring, Summer, and Fall programming typically held outdoors. Additionally, the CCRR program offers weekly drop-ins for local daycares in the same space. Children will engage in unstructured outdoor play, which over time will include adventurous play, guided by staff who model and support exploration in a safe, stimulating environment. Staff work alongside caregivers to address barriers, provide information, and document experiences, fostering freedom, curiosity, and meaningful learning for all. Grant amount: $33,596.00.

Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society: Play, Discover, Belong: Outdoor Adventures for Surrey Kids: This project will create inclusive outdoor play opportunities for newcomer children in Surrey. During school breaks, children will take part in park outings, nature exploration, and unstructured play that lets them move, imagine, and connect freely and safely. Guided by families’ input, the program removes barriers, encourages creativity and confidence, and fosters social connection. By giving children the time, space, and freedom to play on their own terms, the program supports healthy development while helping children feel a sense of belonging in their community. Grant amount: $50,000.00.

Surrey Schools: Run & Roam After School Program: The Run & Roam Afterschool Program is not a traditional afterschool program; it creates dedicated time and space for children to play outdoors immediately after school, when they most need a break from the structure of the classroom. This program creates a safe and welcoming space at 5 school sites where students can explore, engage with nature, and play in ways that feel imaginative and child led. This freedom nurtures confidence, social connection, and a sense of belonging. Run & Roam is designed for schools in complex neighbourhoods where access to supervised yet still unstructured outdoor play opportunities is often limited. This time supports children’s focus, emotional regulation, and overall well being, while giving them freedom away from competing demands like screens. The school grounds serve as our primary outdoor classroom. Children use fields, playgrounds and natural edges to climb, build, balance, and invent their own games using loose parts and materials. In nearly all weather conditions, outdoor play becomes a regular, familiar part of daily life, helping children grow comfortable exploring the world around them. These everyday experiences support physical literacy, resilience, and confidence. Many students have also had limited opportunities to engage with nature, and without safe supports, these barriers to active play continue. Grant amount: $50,000.00.

YMCA BC:  YMCA Outdoor Experiences for Structurally Disadvantaged Students  This project provides transformative outdoor education for structurally disadvantaged students in Surrey schools who lack access to nature and traditional camp. Students of all ages can be active, learn outdoors, and participate in “risky play” activities that foster personal growth beyond the classroom. Immersive, hands-on learning in an oceanfront ecosystem helps students build resilience, confidence, and healthy minds & bodies. The program breaks down participation barriers with financial assistance and support, ensuring every student can learn, explore, & thrive in nature. By centering the needs of those most impacted, the YMCA empowers youth with lifelong skills, belonging, & a deeper connection to the natural world. Grant amount: $50,730.00.
​
Young Naturalist's Club of BC Society: Engaging Surrey Families in Nurturing Land-based Outdoor Play: Through free, community-based outdoor play events across Surrey, the program will create dedicated time for children to engage in outdoor play without the challenges of cost and planning. Programs are delivered in a variety of local green and blue spaces, offering open-ended environments where children can move, explore, imagine, and take risks (within safe frameworks) at their own pace. Play experiences are intentionally child-led and unstructured, allowing children to engage with nature in ways that reflect their own interests, abilities, and comfort levels. This land-based programming prioritizes relationship building that is reciprocal with nature, and that seeks to understand and invite local First Nation wisdom.Increase access to free, nature-based outdoor play for Surrey children and families. Grant amount: $30,270.00.