Child’s Play is a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children and teens in children’s hospitals around the world. Child’s Play currently has a network of over 180 children’s hospitals worldwide as well as nearly 200 domestic violence shelters across the United States.
Child’s Play was born in 2003 after Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade, in response to how video games were portrayed negatively by the media, challenged their fans to help support Seattle Children’s Hospital. An Amazon Wishlist was set up and in less than one month, the charity raised over $250,000 in cash and toys for Seattle Children’s hospital.
Child’s Play supports our Network Hospitals in two ways. Our Amazon Wishlist program allows them to have a wishlist on Amazon where donors can purchase items and they be sent directly to the hospital. With the help of hospital staff, we set up wishlists by adding video games, toys, books, and other items needed by the Child Life department for their patients. By clicking on a hospital location on our map, you can view that hospital’s wish list and send a gift.
Child's Play supports the needs of our network hospitals by providing an annual monetary gift. This gift is designed to meet the unique needs of our children's hospitals helping them purchase games, toys, and technology that will enhance the patient experience.
We have a grant program that non-profit facilities can apply to as well. For more information about our programs, visit our About Us page.
Since every children’s hospital has different volunteer protocols, we recommend reaching out to your local children’s hospital for volunteer opportunities. If you live near Redmond, WA and would like to know about volunteer opportunities in our office, please contact us.
Gamers Give Back® is Child’s Play’s new year-long fundraising focus which fuels our mission to help children in hospitals around the world by getting them the tools they need to Play Games, Feel Better®! Gamers Give Back day is usually held in March. Keep an eye on our Twitter for information on how to sign up to be a Gamer who Gives Back!
Child's Play hosts a gala event for the geeky and nerdy community every December. People come from all over to attend this formal and fun celebration of their fandoms and raise money for a great cause. Tickets usually go on sale around September. If you want to donate an item to be auctioned at our event, please contact us.
You can apply, but we recommend involving your hospital foundation. They should create the profile using the correct EIN for donation/payment processing. Once set up, they can add you and other key contacts to the account.
There are many ways to donate, please visit our Get Involved for more details - to make an online gift visit our Donation page.
Child’s Play
PO Box 3693
Seattle, WA 98124
Absolutely! If you are donating an item via Amazon, each hospital’s charity tax ID number is included in the information section on its wish list. Use your confirmation email as a receipt. If you are making a cash donation, Child’s Play’s own tax ID number is 20-3584556. If you have any questions about how this works, please ask your tax adviser or visit the IRS website.
The short answer is no. Quoted from IRS.gov.
“If you receive a benefit because of your contribution such as merchandise, tickets to a ball game, or other goods and services, then you can deduct only the amount that exceeds the fair market value of the benefit received.”
Please visit the IRS website for more details. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/
If this is a digital transaction, you should have received an email receipt but if it needs to be reissued send us an email at [email protected]. If you mailed in your donation, send us a request for a receipt and we will email one ASAP.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept used items as donations. Hospitals don't accept them because of infection control precautions. eBay for Charities allows individuals to designate all or a portion of the sale of the item to their favorite charity. Learn more at https://www.ebayforcharity.org/
We recommend downloading our Fundraising Guide for more information. If you decide to have a fundraising event make sure to add it to our calendar on our Event Page.
If you are making your donation by check, make sure to note which facility you wish the donation to benefit. If you are making an online donation, make a note to what facility you would like your funds to benefit. Also, you can send an email to [email protected] to let us know.
There are many ways you can contribute without having an event. When you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to Child's Play if you make us your charity of choice. Once you sign up it does this automatically. Read more about Amazon Smile here.
We are also a Humble Bundle partner! Use this link to purchase games, ebooks, software, or other digital content and a portion of your purchase goes to us. To learn more visit the Humble Bundle website.
For other ways to help, make sure to check out our Fundraising Guide for ideas.
There are many ways your company can raise funds and awareness for Child’s Play Charity. Whether that is attending our annual dinner auction, an in-kind donation of goods, or a program more tailored that meets your business goals while raising funds to support our mission. We can create unique opportunities together. Please contact us for more information.
You can check our interactive map to see if your facility is part of our network or contact us.
To join Child’s Play as a partner hospital, complete the application in the Child’s Play Gifts and Grants System. You’ll be guided through questions about your hospital, foundation (if applicable), patient population, bed count, and EFT/ACH payment details. If you're not part of the foundation team, please involve them or have them apply with you. Required documents include a W-9, ACH/EFT info, and key hospital contacts—such as your foundation liaison, child life leader, PGTS, or anyone managing restricted gifts.
The minimum size to become a network facility is 20 pediatric patient beds. What if I do not have 20 inpatient beds, can our hospital still receive support? Yes. Your hospital is eligible to create an account within the Child’s Play Gifts and Grants System and apply for an equipment grant. Email [email protected]
Send us an email at [email protected] for help with setting up or updating your facility’s wish list.
Opportunities to apply for funding and report on your annual gift are done through the Child’s Play Gifts and Grants System. To request an account, please email [email protected]
In alignment with our IRS filing, Child’s Play provides funding to children’s hospitals and pediatric units inside hospitals.
Hospitals without a foundation can still apply, as long as they’re a registered 501(c)(3) and serve pediatric patients. If you do have a foundation, we recommend working with them to complete the application and set up your account.
You can apply, but we recommend involving your hospital foundation. They should create the profile using the correct EIN for donation/payment processing. Once set up, they can add you and other key contacts to the account.
For-profit hospitals are not eligible to be a part of the Child’s Play network hospital list or receive funding from Child’s Play through any of our grant processes unless you have a not-for-profit foundation associated with your hospital.
Your foundation will have the opportunity to create one account with the foundation EIN and link all hospitals supported by the foundation to that account. Hospitals with over 20 inpatient beds are eligible to become a partner hospital.
It depends. If your pediatric units have more than 20 inpatient hospital beds (excluding the ED & NICU), then yes, you are eligible to become a partner hospital. If you do not have more than 20 inpatient hospital beds, you are not eligible to be a partner hospital, but can apply for an equipment grant through Child’s Play Gifts and Grants System.
To be a partner hospital in good standing, there are two simple items to review and complete:
1. If you received an annual gift, do you have the proper documentation to share how those funds were spent? In the Child’s Play Gifts and Grants System, you will need to complete the Annual Gift Report.
2. Are you currently in a capacity-building or equipment grant? If so please check your follow-ups and ensure you have met all deadlines associated with these grants for reporting purposes.
You can check inside the Child’s Play Gifts and Grants System to see if you have any pending reports and their due dates, but you will always receive email notifications when you have upcoming reports due. The Annual Gift report will always be due towards the end of the year, and the Capacity Building and Equipment grant reports are typically due one year from payment disbursement.
Child’s Play Charity will review and award all reports and applications in the Child’s Play Gifts and Grants System. You will receive automated communication when you have been given a gift or grant. Funds are distributed via ACH details supplied to Child's Play when applying/reporting.
Yes, there will be email alerts to current eligible partners when each grant period opens and closes.
We love hearing from everyone on your team and recognize that many Child Life leaders and Child Life Specialists are needed bedside. To help streamline communication and reporting processes, we ask that you designate someone on your foundation team as the main point of contact. Don't worry, you will not be removed or left out of communications, due dates or impact requests. We will work hard to ensure all members listed in the Child’s Play Gifts and Grants System receive accurate and timely requests for information and updates on funding.
Please contact the Child’s Play team to help update your foundation's account. You may email [email protected]
No. If your hospital has not reported on previous donations being spent, your hospital is not eligible for additional funding.
Yes. However, you will not receive a gift until the following year.
After recognizing that many hospitals were not prepared to implement the position of a Patient Gaming Technology Specialist (PGTS) role effectively, Child’s Play now requires a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) before submitting a full application for a Capacity Building Grant.
To support your readiness, we have developed an assessment tool for key considerations. The assessment will help you evaluate infrastructure and technology readiness, stakeholder support and organizational buy-in, staff capacity and role clarity as well as financial and grant readiness.
We want to help ensure your hospital is ready for gaming growth and program expansion before applying. Our goal is to help ensure it is the right time to pursue this opportunity.
You must be a partner hospital to apply for a Capacity Building Grant.
No. That said, if you are a partner hospital, we encourage you to create a plan with your annual gift and if you have additional needs that are outside that gift total apply for an equipment grant. If you are not a partner hospital and applying for an equipment grant there are not minimum or maximum thresholds for applying. We do ask that your foundation team be mindful of the requested amount as smaller dollar amounts (under $2,500) require the same attention and reporting as larger requests.
Please send all online store/merch questions to [email protected]