Nature Exploration Areas

KABOOM! is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending playspace inequity by ensuring that every child, particularly those in underserved communities, has access to high-quality places to play. Their latest initiative, the Nature Exploration Areas (NEAs), exemplifies their mission by promoting outdoor play spaces constructed from natural, locally sourced materials. These environments are designed to stimulate rich, sensory experiences and provide children with meaningful physical, mental, and social-emotional developmental opportunities through nature play. Nature Exploration Areas serve a dual purpose by offering environmental benefits alongside community development opportunities. Through this initiative, communities engage in a participatory design and construction process, creating playspaces that reflect their local context and needs. This model fosters community cohesion, offers skills-building opportunities for participants, and encourages long-term stewardship of the built environment. The initiative emphasizes sustainability and inclusivity, aiming to bring nature play to neighborhoods that historically lack equitable access to green spaces. The funding opportunity is geographically limited and varies depending on current regional campaigns. Interested communities are encouraged to check the website for location-specific openings. Eligible applicants must serve low-income youth populations and show demonstrable need for an outdoor play environment. Applicants must also own the land or hold a long-term lease with explicit permission from the landowner for construction. Additionally, applicants must demonstrate a capacity to organize and engage a community planning committee and secure a high level of volunteer participation on Build Day. Requirements extend beyond community mobilization. Applicants are responsible for site readiness, including completion of soil testing, utility checks, and permitting processes. They must also identify local in-kind contributions such as meals for volunteers, sanitation facilities, tools, and dumpsters. Importantly, awardees agree to maintain the playspace once construction is complete, ensuring long-term impact for the children and community. The application process begins with an eligibility quiz to help communities determine if they qualify. Those eligible can proceed to a full application, where they will be supported by KABOOM!'s Community Engagement and Build Managers throughout the planning and implementation stages. While specific evaluation criteria are not detailed, emphasis is placed on demonstrated need, community engagement capacity, and readiness to mobilize for the project timeline. There is no stated application deadline on the source page, and the opportunity appears to recur or be available on a rolling basis in select cities. Contact information for KABOOM! includes a physical address in Bethesda, Maryland, and a general phone line. A downloadable toolkit is also referenced, suggesting the availability of additional planning and design resources for municipalities or community organizations interested in pursuing NEA projects.