The Build A World Of Play Challenge is a DKK 900 million challenge (approximately USD 143 million) to fund bold ideas that will help build a world where every child has the chance to play and learn. Because Lever for Change will accept only one submission from Penn State and OSP is the only unit permitted to review the terms and conditions and register for this competition on behalf of the competing team, do not register on the Lever for Change site. We invite you to proceed by reviewing the following information about the competition and the internal downselect.
The Challenge seeks solutions designed to meaningfully impact the well-being and holistic development of young children (birth-to-six) in a sustainable way. It asks the question: what if the needs of the world’s youngest children, their families and their communities were a driving force in everything from the way societies design care and education systems, plan health systems, design cities and infrastructure and tackle the climate crisis?
Organizations from around the world are invited to apply with ideas that transform early childhood experiences while addressing global social issues to ensure that all young children grow up in safe, nurturing, and stimulating environments – where they have everything they need to thrive. The Challenge is seeking ideas that connect with and can be integrated across systems and sectors, that are contextually relevant and that resonate within the communities who will ultimately own and sustain them.
Up to ten finalists will be selected in September 2022. Each finalist will receive DKK 6.5 million (approximately USD 1 million) to strengthen their proposed plan, start building their team, and scale up to successfully implement their innovation. Selecting from amongst the finalist organizations, the LEGO Foundation will announce up to five awards by the end of 2022. There will be three grants awarded for DKK 200 million (approximately USD 30 million) each and two grants awarded for DKK 100 million (approximately USD 15 million) each.
Challenge Scoring Rubric:
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Impact
- Will the solution have a meaningful impact on the well-being and holistic development of young children (birth-to-six)? Is the proposed solution intentionally designed to bring bold and transformational change in policies, processes, institutions, or systems?
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Feasible
- Does the team have the skills, capacity, knowledge, or lived experience to implement the proposed strategy, or do they have a plan to build those skills or acquire strategic partners? Is the project designed to be adaptive to shifting conditions and unpredictable events?
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Community Centered
- Does the proposed solution center local communities, enable autonomy amongst proximate leaders, and foster community ownership?
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Sustainable
- Does the proposed solution indicate a nuanced understanding of the context (geographical, political, social, etc.) within which it will be implemented? Will the proposed approach enable the team to build and integrate the solution into that context in a sustainable way?
Interested applicants should upload the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_LEGO_2022) no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:
1. Cover Letter (1 page, pdf):
- Descriptive title of proposed activity
- PI name, departmental affiliations(s) and contact information
- Co-PI's names and departmental affiliation(s)
- Names of other key personnel
- Participating institution(s)
- Number and title of this funding opportunity
2. Solution Description (no more than two pages, pdf) containing the following elements. References may be included on an additional page.
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Executive Summary (150 words) Write an overview of your project that answers the following three questions:
- What is a brief description of the problem that you are trying to solve?
- How will you solve it?
- What are your intended outcomes? How will your solution impact the lives of the children you wish to serve, including children from historically under-represented communities?
- Why Your Team (300 words) Describe your teamʼs leadership, its members, and its collaborators or partners. If relevant, include details about how and why the collaboration was formed, how it includes the communities with which you seek to work, and how you intend to work together. Explain how your team is uniquely positioned to deliver results and why you are the best choice to solve this problem in the context where you are proposing to work.Emphasize that you have (or have a clear plan to develop) the right capabilities, experience, and commitment to execute your project.
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Problem Statement (300 words) Describe the specific problems that your solution will address, using non-expert language. Focus on setting the stage for your solution (versus describing how you intend to solve it) and discuss who is impacted by the problem and why the problem exists.
- Who is impacted by the problem identified?
- Why does the problem exist in the current environment?
- Are there critical stakeholders that could influence the success or failure of this project?
- Where are the leverage points where the smallest change can have the biggest impact?
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Solution Overview (300 words) Describe what your solution is or does, why it is bold and unique, how it meaningfully contributes to solving the problem, and the short and long-term impact that your solution will have.
- Describe who will benefit from your intervention and the benefits or outcomes of your intervention.
- How does your solution prioritize local communities and center those most proximate to the problems you have identified?
- Describe the impact that your solution will have on the identified problem over a grant period of at least three years. Will it have a broad impact on a large population or geography, or will it have deep and intense impact on a small population or geography?
- Please provide an estimate of children to be reached
3. 2-page CV's of Investigators
Formatting Guidelines:
- Font/size: Times New Roman (12 pt.)
- Document margins: 1.0” (top, bottom, left and right)
- Standard paper size (8 ½” x 11)
The Office of Foundation Relations is available to consult on proposal narrative elements and answer other foundation-related questions. University Park applicants should please contact Sophie Penney Leach (swp12@psu.edu), Director, Foundation Relations; Penn State College of Medicine applicants should please contact Jess Kiely, Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, (jkiely1@pennstatehealth.psu.edu) for additional support.