Play Learn Thrive Fund - Transition to Scale (TTS)

Play, Learn, Thrive is a global funding initiative by Grand Challenges Canada and the LEGO Foundation that supports culturally grounded, play-based innovations to improve developmental outcomes for children aged 0–5 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Within this initiative, the Transition to Scale (TTS) stream targets innovations that are ready to expand their reach and integrate into sustainable systems.

Grand Challenges Canada

Overview of the Play Learn Thrive Fund - Transition to Scale (TTS) program:

The Play, Learn, Thrive funding call is a key initiative from Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) in partnership with the LEGO Foundation, aimed at advancing bold, locally led innovations that support early childhood development (ECD) through inclusive, play-based approaches. The program targets children in LMICs who face systemic barriers due to poverty, disability, conflict, displacement, or cultural marginalization. By fostering local leadership and culturally relevant programming, the initiative seeks to empower children, families, and communities with long-term solutions for nurturing care and early learning. Within this broader initiative, the Transition to Scale (TTS) stream is a specialized funding mechanism designed for organizations whose innovations have already demonstrated success at the pilot stage and are now positioned for large-scale implementation. TTS provides larger, multi-year grants to scale high-impact innovations that improve developmental outcomes for children aged 0–5, with a clear plan for sustainability, systems integration, and policy alignment.

Benefits of the Play Learn Thrive Fund - Transition to Scale (TTS) program:

Transition to Scale (TTS) grants are negotiated based on need and scope, typically ranging from $500,000 to $1,500,000+ CAD, over a 24 year period.

Eligibility criteria of the Play Learn Thrive Fund - Transition to Scale (TTS) program:

Each applicant must meet the following criteria to be considered:
Must represent a not-for-profit organization;
Must be a formed and legally incorporated entity (or the equivalent)
Must be legally registered to do business in at least one of the four priority countries (Kenya, Uganda, Lebanon, and Jordan)
Must have an active presence in at least one of the four priority countries
Must be implementing the project directly (in at least one of the four priority countries)
Must be implementing their project in at least one of the four (4) priority countries (Kenya, Uganda, Lebanon, and Jordan) to be considered;
Must adhere to the general areas of focus set out in the RFP