Play & Recreation

Building Thriving Communities Through Play

A child’s development is profoundly shaped by access to play, recreation, and positive community engagement. The Pincus Family Foundation supports organizations that create these critical opportunities in communities where recreational facilities are limited, income levels are low, and programming options are scarce. We focus on play-based activities, inclusive competitive sports, and outdoor recreational experiences that develop social-emotional skills, increase physical activity, and reduce exposure to violence through positive engagement.

Our funding is guided by core values of inclusion, equity, and community connection. We prioritize organizations with strong local connections that can achieve community-wide impact.We emphasize programming that serves historically underserved populations—particularly girls, who drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys, and children with disabilities, who are significantly less active than their peers. We support programs that create mixed-ability opportunities and build children’s agency through leadership development and peer mentoring.

Through capacity building support including staff training, equipment improvements, and general operating funding, we strengthen organizational sustainability. Through fostering collaborative networks and cross-community exchanges among grantees, we amplify impact beyond what individual organizations could achieve alone, building sustainable models that strengthen individual skills while fostering community-wide connections.