Child's Play
Play Games, Feel Better.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Hospitals are unfamiliar and can be stressful for kids. Games are a great tool to help normalize their stay to reduce fear, pain and anxiety. It provides and outlet to patients to connect with friends creating necessary distractions for healing.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Annual Toy Drive
Child's Play has over 140 partner hospitals worldwide and distributes an annual gift (part in-kind and part in the form of a check in the US, and as a check to our international hospitals) to these partners since 2003. We also provide equipment grants to smaller facilities.
Domestic Violence Shelter Support
Child's Play partners with Domestic Violence Shelters to send gaming systems and games with the aim to help normalize life in a traumatic situation. These games can also allow consolers an icebreaker with kids.
Where we work
Awards
G4C Award 2022
Games for Change
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Child's Play has two grant cycles Q1 and Q2 with a focus on capacity building in Q1 and equipment and distraction technology in Q2. These grants are in addition to our annual hospital gift each year.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Child's Play seeks to improve the lives of children through the kindness of the game industry and community, and with power of play. We support pediatric healthcare facilities, domestic violence shelters, and other child welfare programs by providing age-appropriate entertainment and distraction from the traumas and challenges these children face. We also seek to inform healthcare providers and educators about the positive impact appropriate gameplay can have on children.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Child's Play prioritizes impact and efficiency in our programs. We work to provide modern, effective entertainment that will help children recover and cope with the challenges of being hospitalized or confined to domestic violence shelters. We maintain a low overhead and work closely with the community to integrate new facilities into our network.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have been proudly working closely with the game community since our founding in 2003 to fundraise and integrate new beneficiaries into our program. The grassroots nature of our fundraising methods allows us to keep our overhead low, which means increased support to the children we support.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Child's Play was founded with the goal of uniting gamers to support children in hospitals and that mission is being accomplished around the world every day. There is always more good that can be done, and we seek to continue supporting and educating the community in regards to how games can positively change kids' lives.
Significant Accomplishments
Since 2017 we have funded 18 Pediatric Gaming and Technology Specialists.
A 100% conversion rate for all of the positions that have moved past the funded grant period.
In 2018 we funded the first ever Medical Director of Child Life at Children’s Colorado.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital hiring a Pediatric Gaming and Technology Specialist without our grant support.
Six of the capacity building grants related to the PGTS positions have become operational after the grant concluded. (all other programs are still within grant funding timelines)
Funding the first Medical Director of Child Life at Colorado Children's Hospital. Dr. Joe Albietz is also an avid gamer and is propelling gaming for therapeutic use inside the hospital daily.
Partnering with Colorado Children's Hospital to conduct key research surrounding augmented and virtual reality programs.
Since the program's inception in 2017, Child’s Play has funded 18 Pediatric Gaming Technology Specialists including two positions internationally.
Programmatic support of the PGTS positions through weekly calls, slack channels and our game stat program.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Child's Play
Board of directorsas of 03/14/2023
Elaine Chase
Wizards of the Coast
Term: 2018 - 2021
Michael Hayes
Penny Arcade
Michael Krahulik
Penny Arcade
Asher Marks
Yale NewYaven Childrens
Mateo Masina
Talon Beesch
Meta
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Not applicable -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/28/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.