Grant Highlights: Supporting Children’s Skills and Development

Grants from our DAF donors are helping children build critical skills and confidence across the globe, using play, arts, and storytelling as tools for empowerment and growth. Here are three recent examples of how grants from our donors have supported children in these areas:

Building life skills through play-based education

A series of grants totalling £17,000 supported a charity focused on play-based education programmes for over 560 children across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. These initiatives use the transformative power of play – such as sports and games – to empower children affected by war, poverty, and inequality. By fostering critical life skills, the charity aims to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of vulnerable children.

Healing and learning through theatre and play

Two grants totalling £10,000 supported participatory education and arts programmes in Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. These initiatives use theatre, choirs, and play-based training to help marginalised communities heal, build professional capacity, and develop social cohesion. Through these programmes, children and their communities gain skills, improve their well-being, and experience the transformative power of the arts.

Inspiring confidence through creative writing

A grant of £300 supported an organisation in east London to deliver creative writing and mentoring programmes for children in under-resourced communities. The charity inspires young people to unleash their imaginations through storytelling, helping them build confidence, self-respect, and communication skills. Delivered both in schools and at a dedicated writing centre, this work equips children with the tools to express themselves and succeed.

Through these grants, children worldwide are gaining opportunities to develop, grow, and thrive.

About the Author

John Canady, CEO of National Philanthropic Trust UK, has 25 years of experience working across the business, nonprofit and government sectors. He specializes in creating and managing philanthropic funds for donors and family offices around the world who wish to base their philanthropy from the UK.