The LEGO Foundation is investing $20 million to drive innovation to support neurodivergent children

The LEGO Foundation is launching a new accelerator program – Play for All – designed to celebrate the strengths of neurodivergent children and ensure that all children have the right to play, learn and thrive.

To mark Autism Acceptance Month, the LEGO Foundation announces the launch of a new Accelerator grant: a fixed-term, equity-free funding and mentoring program for social enterprises, businesses and organizations looking to support autistic children and children with ADHD through play-based learning .

“When neurodivergent children are understood, valued and empowered, everyone benefits from their important and often extraordinary contributions,” notes Dr. Enter Maureen Dunne, senior advisor and expert in special educational needs and disabilities for the Play for All Accelerator. “Neurodivergent inventors, scientists and artists have reshaped entire industries. I'm thrilled that the LEGO Foundation has committed to investing in reshaping the world of play and learning, so that innovators, specialists and people with experience can work together to build a future that allows neurodivergent children's full participation in society supports.”

It is widely recognized that neurodiversity resources and support services are underfunded worldwide and education solutions and innovation are lacking. To date, investments have largely been focused on improving understanding of causes and diagnosis, and educational technology has tended to be adapted to, not developed for, neurodivergent children. This has created a funding gap between scientific research and innovation, meaning investments are not meeting some of the most critical and basic needs of neurodivergent children. Further investment is needed to encourage innovators to build products, services and platforms that elevate every neurodivergent child and the families and schools that support them. As such, the Play for All Accelerator hopes to discover, inspire and scale innovations that can help close this gap, address a lack of playful learning experiences in schools, homes and communities and provide all children with an equal opportunity to practice skills needed to thrive in the 21st century.

Children play together with LEGO sets

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one billion people or 15% of the world's population have some form of disability, with 1 in 160 children diagnosed with autism. Global estimates also suggest that 5% of the world's population has ADD (diagnosed and undiagnosed).

“We believe that more neurodivergent children need to experience the power to believe I can do it,” said Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, CEO of the LEGO Foundation. “By opening the Play for All Accelerator to organizations around the world, those who benefit from it can become a catalyst for future innovations. By working with partners, we aim to increase awareness, understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity and challenge the stigma of diagnoses around the world. Ultimately, play helps children find and hone their strengths, giving them the best possible chance to make friends, study in school, and position themselves to thrive in life.

The power of learning through play for this group of children is evident from the success of the work of LEGO Foundation partner Play Included™. Launched last year, the Brick-by-Brick™ program is designed to empower children to embrace how their brains are wired to communicate rather than pressuring them to present or communicate in a neurotypical way. Studies based on pilot study results have shown how much autistic children and children with ADD can benefit from fun, child-led activities that focus on learning through play. It is this success that is the inspiration for the Play for All Accelerator.

How it works

The Play for All Accelerator, with the first cohort of organizations ready to launch in April 2022, will provide up to $20 million in funding to 25 social enterprises, organizations and/or social enterprises from around the world. The inaugural program will run until February 2023 and will see participants complete a three-stage selection process, with funding, mentorship and learning through gaming expertise provided at each stage. To advance to Phase 2, organizations must pitch to a panel including the LEGO Foundation, venture capital experts and paid neurodivergent consultants and children. 12 successful candidates will progress to the final interview stage where ideas are tested and plans are finalized. Depending on the results, up to five organizations will become long-term partners of the LEGO Foundation; receive funding to scale their ideas and innovation and generate evidence for more neurodivergent children around the world. The LEGO Foundation encourages social enterprises, companies and organizations with an e