GivingTuesday is December 1!
On Tuesday, December 1, 2026, you can help every child have a place to play through a gift to KidsPlay’s GivingTuesday campaign for the Community Fund.
Children need a lot of things: a safe place to live, healthy food to eat, sturdy clothes to wear at school or at play. Families work hard to provide their little ones with everything they need to grow, but after things like housing and food are paid for, it can be hard to also afford enriching educational experiences, no matter how much a parent may want to. Things like the loss of a job or an unexpected medical expense can make it impossible.
KidsPlay’s Community Fund changes that. Every year, generous people in our community come together to make sure that every family can visit KidsPlay, no matter what kind of challenges a family is facing at home.
Community Membership
A free six-month membership for a family with serious challenges
Community Memberships are where it all began. When KidsPlay first started its membership program, some families had a realization: thanks to their membership, they could afford to come to KidsPlay whenever they wanted, but that wasn’t true for all their friends and neighbors. When these families wanted to “pay it forward” by buying an extra membership and asking KidsPlay to give it to a family who couldn’t afford one, the Community Membership program was born.
To get a Community Membership, a family needs to be working with a social service provider who recommends them for the program. This Community Fund program is for families facing really serious challenges that make KidsPlay’s other access programs unsuitable for them.
Community Memberships are completely free to the families using them – meaning that they are entirely supported by donors. Community Members get the same core benefits as full-price KidsPlay Members, like unlimited free admission for the people on the membership, access to member-only times, and half off additional admissions if they want to bring friends.
Museums for All
Reduced-price tickets for income-eligible families
Museums for All allows income-eligible families to visit KidsPlay for a reduced price. In an average month, more than 300 visits to KidsPlay are made possible by this Community Fund program. Museums for All is a national program and all participating museums extend its benefits to families using SNAP, but seeing what the families in our community really needed, KidsPlay went a step further: KidsPlay also welcomes families with WIC cards and Foster Families to use Museums for All.
Museums for All is a nationwide initiative of the Association of Children’s Museums and the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Access Membership
Reduced-price six-month or twelve-month membership for income-eligible families
Access Membership builds on the Museums for All model to offer reduced-price membership for families who qualify for Museums for All admission (SNAP, WIC, and Foster Families). Up to four people can be on an Access Membership, and Access Memberships have the same core benefits as Community Memberships and other KidsPlay Memberships.
Agency and Provider Partnerships
Free admissions vouchers for social service partners
Through the Agency Partner and Provider Partner programs, partnering social service agencies and health care providers that work with children experiencing the traumatic effects of homelessness, food insecurity, or domestic violence distribute free admissions vouchers to clients who otherwise could not afford to come to KidsPlay but who may benefit from time spent together in a safe, supportive museum environment. These partners have identified KidsPlay as a safe space for their client families to share positive experiences and build resiliency during traumatic and unstable periods.
The Agency Partner program was made possible by the Northwest Community Bank Foundation in 2026. The Provider Partner was made possible by Hartford HealthCare Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in 2026.
Blue Star Museums
Free admissions for the families of active duty military personnel
Military families face a lot of challenges: moving often, financial strain, and sometimes the long-term absence of a parent. From Armed Forces Day to Labor Day, families of active duty military personnel can visit KidsPlay for free through Blue Star Museums. In 2026, we welcomed more than 200 visits from Blue Star families. All of those visits were possible thanks to the Community Fund.
Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of War and participating museums.
2026 Funders
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George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation
Give Local 2025 Donors
GivingTuesday 2025 Donors
McPhee Foundation
Northwest Community Bank Foundation
Peckham Family Foundation
Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation
Wickersham Charitable Foundation