KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is a 501(c)(3) national non-profit founded in 1996 that builds kid-designed, community-led playspaces to end playspace inequity, serving underserved communities of color, municipalities, schools, and youth organizations across the United States through grant-funded playground construction and advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What KaBOOM! does
KaBOOM! is a 501(c)(3) national non-profit founded in 1996 by Darell Hammond and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, with a workforce of 51–100 employees. The organization's mission is to end playspace inequity by uniting with communities and diverse partners to build kid-designed, community-led playspaces in areas—predominantly underserved communities of color—that historically have had limited access to quality play environments. Over 30 years, KaBOOM! has built or transformed more than 17,000 playspaces, served 12 million+ children, and engaged 1.5 million+ community members.
Its core program offerings include Community-Built Playspaces (the flagship), Green Playspaces (climate-resilient design), Play Everywhere (innovative installations in non-traditional everyday spaces), and Disaster and Crisis Recovery. KaBOOM! has developed proprietary resources including the Nature Exploration Area Toolkit (launched September 2025 in collaboration with Children & Nature Network and National League of Cities) and the Early Childhood Playspace Design Toolkit (supporting ages 0–5), as well as a data-driven impact-measurement methodology using crowdsourced mobile GPS data through a partnership with CityData.ai. The 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity is an accelerated plan to transform parks and schoolyards across entire systems.
KaBOOM!'s revenue model is entirely grant- and donation-funded: services are provided to qualifying communities at no cost, with revenue sourced from individual donations, corporate and foundation grants (CarMax Foundation, DaVita, Ambetter/Centene, Walt Disney World, PepsiCo, L3Harris, AdventHealth, Smile Generation, Zbar), cause marketing and workplace giving, and municipal partnerships. Distribution is executed through direct engagement with municipalities, schools, charter networks, and Boys & Girls Clubs via regional field-operations teams. Lysa Ratliff serves as CEO; the board is chaired by Lynn M. Ross.
KaBOOM! firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KaBOOM!
- Legal name
- KABOOM!
- Website
- https://kaboom.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- KaBOOM! is a 501(c)(3) national non-profit founded in 1996 that builds kid-designed, community-led playspaces to end playspace inequity, serving underserved communities of color, municipalities, schools, and youth organizations across the United States through grant-funded playground construction and advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KaBOOM! industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Community Development - Playspace Equity
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (624110)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early Childhood & Playground Equipment (Play Structures, Soft Play, Safety Surfacing) (EDAEAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Outdoor / Nature-Based Nursery & Forest Playgroups (EDACACAH)
Keywords
Where KaBOOM! is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
KaBOOM! business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals to support the mission of ending playspace inequity.
- Corporate/Funding Partner Grants: Funding from corporations and foundations (e.g., CarMax Foundation, DaVita, Ambetter Health) who sponsor specific playground builds or contribute to the general operating fund.
- Cause Marketing / Workplace Giving: Corporate partnerships involving cause marketing campaigns and workplace giving programs where employees can donate.
- Municipal Partnerships: Partnerships with cities and municipalities who contribute funding or resources for playspace builds in their communities.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
KaBOOM! product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit that builds kid-designed, community-led playspaces across the United States to end playspace inequity. Its core offerings include constructing community-built and green playspaces, activating Play Everywhere pop-up play installations in everyday public spaces, providing disaster and crisis recovery playspaces, and offering free design toolkits (Nature Exploration Area Toolkit and Early Childhood Playspace Design Toolkit) for community groups. The organization partners with municipalities, schools, and corporations to identify and serve communities lacking adequate play infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community-Built Playspaces
Quantifiable outcome
- 17,000+ playspaces built or improved since 1996
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use KaBOOM!
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
KaBOOM! technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
KaBOOM! partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Orlando MagiccoreNBA team that joined nine Champions of the Community partners to build a playground at Boca Club Apartments serving 133 children. Partners included AdventHealth, City National Bank, Florida Blue, Gallagher, Kia, L3Harris Technologies, PepsiCo, ThreatLocker, Walt Disney World, and KABOOM!.
- Walt Disney WorldcoreOne of the Champions of the Community partners that joined the Orlando Magic playground build at Boca Club Apartments, contributing to community playspace for 133 children.
- AdventHealthcoreChampions of the Community partner in Orlando Magic playground build project for children at Boca Club Apartments.
- PepsiCocoreChampions of the Community partner in Orlando Magic playground build project for children at Boca Club Apartments.
- L3Harris TechnologiescoreChampions of the Community partner in Orlando Magic playground build project for children at Boca Club Apartments.
- City of HialeahcoreMunicipal partner with KABOOM! and Ambetter Health for Southeast Park playground build. Second collaboration following 2019 Bucky Dent Park project.
- Healthi Kids CoalitioncoreLocal partner hosting the Rochester playground build day with KABOOM! at Thomas P. Ryan Recreation Center. Arwyn began play advocacy through this group.
- LeChaseminorConstruction management firm that volunteered at Rochester playground build day and is serving as agency construction manager for ongoing renovation at the Center.
- Children & Nature NetworkcoreCollaborated with KABOOM! to develop the Nature Exploration Area Toolkit as part of the broader Nature Everywhere Communities initiative.
- National League of CitiescoreCollaborated with KABOOM! to develop the Nature Exploration Area Toolkit to help cities design nature-infused playspaces.
- ZbarcoreBrand partner with KABOOM! for second consecutive year to bring kids and families from across the country to meet with members of Congress about outdoor play and playspace accessibility.
- Boys & Girls Club of Central FloridacoreHost partner for the Eatonville playground at the Joe R. Lee Branch, where more than 100 kids attend daily. The Boys & Girls Club provides the community base for the new playspace.
- Orlando Neighborhood Improvement CorporationcorePartner in the Orlando Magic Champions of the Community playground build at Boca Club Apartments.
- Aspire Public SchoolscorePartner in kid-designed, community-built playground at Aspire Summit Charter Academy in Modesto, CA as part of nationwide effort to improve access to playspaces.
- CityData.aicoreTechnology partner providing anonymized crowdsourced mobile GPS data to help KABOOM! measure playground visitor counts and track usage trends before and after new builds.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
KaBOOM! competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- City Parks Alliance: Advocacy organization focused on urban parks and equitable park access — directly aligned with KaBOOM!'s playspace-equity policy work and shared municipal funder base.
- National Recreation and Park Association: Industry association for parks and recreation professionals and Certified Playground Safety Inspector credentialing body — a key adjacent organization in KaBOOM!'s ecosystem, with overlapping municipal partnerships and policy advocacy.
Direct peers
- Playworks: National nonprofit focused on improving play and recess in underserved schools, sharing KaBOOM!'s play-equity mission and direct-service model for children in low-income communities.
- Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that creates parks and protects public land in cities, especially in underserved communities — a close mission peer addressing park and play access inequity through public-private partnerships.
- Good Sports: Nonprofit that donates sports equipment, apparel, and footwear to youth in need — directly comparable to KaBOOM! in mission, donor-funded nonprofit model, and serving underserved youth through play infrastructure.
- Big Green: Nonprofit that builds learning gardens in under-resourced schools, comparable to KaBOOM! as a community-built, corporate-funded nonprofit creating outdoor experiential infrastructure for kids.
Broad incumbents
- Habitat for Humanity: Comparable national nonprofit operating model — community-led builds, corporate volunteer engagement, multi-decade brand recognition, federal advocacy, and CEO pipeline overlap (Lysa Ratliff was formerly at Habitat for Humanity).
- Save the Children: Large international children's-services nonprofit whose US programs overlap with KaBOOM!'s mission; comparable in scale of national child-wellness advocacy, federal-policy access, and large corporate donor base.
Emerging players
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-development nonprofit that has hosted KaBOOM! playground builds and shares the same donor and corporate partner ecosystem focused on serving children in underserved communities.
- Landscape Structures: Commercial playground-equipment manufacturer and industry partner/supplier in the same playspace category — comparable product category and overlapping customer base with KaBOOM!'s community-built playspaces.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
KaBOOM! social profiles
Digital presenceKaBOOM! financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KaBOOM! leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
KaBOOM! funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KaBOOM! M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about KaBOOM!
What does KaBOOM! do?
KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit that builds kid-designed, community-led playspaces across the United States to end playspace inequity. Its core offerings include constructing community-built and green playspaces, activating Play Everywhere pop-up play installations in everyday public spaces, providing disaster and crisis recovery playspaces, and offering free design toolkits (Nature Exploration Area Toolkit and Early Childhood Playspace Design Toolkit) for community groups. The organization partners with municipalities, schools, and corporations to identify and serve communities lacking adequate play infrastructure.
Is KaBOOM! a public or private company?
KaBOOM! is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was KaBOOM! founded?
KaBOOM! was founded in 1996. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is KaBOOM! based?
KaBOOM! is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does KaBOOM! make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate/Funding Partner Grants, cause Marketing / Workplace Giving and municipal Partnerships.
Who are KaBOOM!'s main competitors?
Others on record are City Parks Alliance and National Recreation and Park Association. Direct peers are Playworks, Trust for Public Land, Good Sports and Big Green. Broad incumbents are Habitat for Humanity and Save the Children. Emerging players are Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Landscape Structures.
Does KaBOOM! have an API?
No public API is recorded for KaBOOM!.
What industry is KaBOOM! in?
KaBOOM!'s product category is Nonprofit Community Development - Playspace Equity. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEAIAF, Early Childhood & Playground Equipment (Play Structures, Soft Play, Safety Surfacing), with a secondary code of EDACACAH, Outdoor / Nature-Based Nursery & Forest Playgroups. Its NAICS code is 624110 and its SIC code is 7900.