Right To Play
Right To Play is an international non-profit founded in 1994 that uses play-based learning to protect, educate, and empower children facing adversity, operating programs across 14 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Canada, and funded by government grants, foundation grants, and individual donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Right To Play does
Right To Play is an international charitable organization founded in 1994 by Norwegian Olympic speed skater Johann Olav Koss and officially launched in 2000. Headquartered in Toronto with a UK-registered charity entity and national fundraising offices in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, the organization operates programs in 14 countries across West, East, and Southern Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and Indigenous communities in Canada. The organization's mission is to protect, educate, and empower children to rise above adversity using the power of play, and it reaches millions of children annually through trained coaches, teachers, and youth leaders in schools and community settings.
The portfolio is organized around four core program areas — Early Childhood Care & Education (ages 3-6), Primary Education, Gender Equality & Girls' Well-Being, and Emotional Well-Being (psychosocial support) — alongside specialized multi-year programs: SHARE (Sexual Health and Reproductive Education, 2021-2026, in Ghana, Mozambique, and Uganda with FAWE, FHI 360, and WaterAid), the NORAD-funded EQIE Programme (2020-2025, five countries), the Global Affairs Canada-funded GREAT Programme (Ghana, Rwanda, Mozambique since 2018), Play to Grow, My Education My Future, Girls' Clubs, Sports for Development, and the Children's Emergency Fund for rapid crisis response. Methodologies integrate socio-emotional learning, physical activities, games, drama, music, and sports to develop cognitive, physical, academic, and socio-emotional skills, with reported impacts including 2.5x literacy proficiency in Tanzania, 70% distress reduction among refugee children in Lebanon following music-based intervention, and a 67% to 36% reduction in self-reported corporal punishment of girls in Pakistan.
Right To Play has no commercial pricing model. Revenue is sourced from individual donations via national offices and digital fundraising channels, government grants (notably Global Affairs Canada and NORAD), foundation grants (including The Slaight Family Foundation and LEGO Foundation), and corporate partnerships. The Go-to-market motion is community-led, with programs delivered through direct partnerships with national and local governments, schools, and community organizations, and a recent $4.5 million Community Sport for All Initiative award from the Government of Canada signals a new channel into Canadian national sport bodies.
Right To Play firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Right To Play
- Legal name
- Right To Play
- Website
- https://righttoplay.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Right To Play is an international non-profit founded in 1994 that uses play-based learning to protect, educate, and empower children facing adversity, operating programs across 14 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Canada, and funded by government grants, foundation grants, and individual donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Right To Play industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development and Humanitarian Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)
Keywords
Where Right To Play is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Right To Play business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Donations from individual supporters worldwide, facilitated through the organization's national offices and website donation portals.
- Government Grants: Funding from governments including the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, NORAD, and others for specific programs and initiatives.
- Foundation Grants: Major grants from foundations such as The Slaight Family Foundation ($1 million for Game Changers program) and LEGO Foundation.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with corporations for program funding and implementation support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Right To Play product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Right To Play is a registered charitable organization that delivers play-based learning programmes to children in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Canada. The organization trains local Coaches and Teachers to run structured play sessions in schools and communities that build literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional, and protective skills for children affected by poverty, conflict, and inequality.
Product overview
Right To Play is a global charitable organization that operates as a portfolio of interconnected humanitarian and development programmes rather than a traditional software product. The organization delivers four core programme areas: Early Childhood Care & Education (ages 3-6), Primary Education (literacy and life skills), Gender Equality & Girls' Well-Being, and Emotional Well-Being (psychosocial support). These core areas are supported by specialized initiatives including the SHARE Project (sexual and reproductive health education in Ghana, Mozambique, Uganda), the EQIE Programme (inclusive education across 5 countries), My Education, My Future (back-to-school campaigns), Play to Grow (parent-child bonding), Girls' Clubs (leadership empowerment), the GREAT Programme (gender-responsive education), Sports for Development, and the Children's Emergency Fund for crisis response. All programmes use play-based methodologies to protect, educate, and empower children to rise above adversity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SHARE: Sexual Health and Reproductive Education project - a five-year initiative (2021-2026) implemented in partnership with FAWE, FHI 360, and WaterAid to advance gender equality by improving access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and gender-responsive care for young people.
- Children's Emergency Fund
- EQIE
Products and services
- Quality Education Program Play-based learning program that supports children's literacy, numeracy, and school participation through structured play sessions delivered by trained Coaches and Teachers in schools and community settings. Intended for children affected by poverty, conflict, and inequality in Right To Play's 14 program countries.
- Gender Equality Program Play-based program that promotes gender equality by engaging girls and boys, parents, teachers, and communities through structured play to challenge gender barriers and improve girls' participation and learning outcomes. Designed for delivery in schools and community settings in Right To Play's program countries.
- Health & Wellbeing Program Play-based program supporting children's physical and mental health, including psychosocial wellbeing, delivered through structured play activities by local Coaches and Teachers. Targets children in communities affected by adversity across Right To Play's 14 program countries.
- Child Protection Program Play-based program that works with children, families, schools, and communities to reduce children's exposure to violence, exploitation, and abuse and to strengthen protective environments. Delivered in Right To Play's program countries through trained local Coaches, Teachers, and community structures.
- Play-Based Psychosocial Support Intervention (Music Programme) Music-based play intervention used by Right To Play to deliver psychosocial support to refugee and displaced children, designed to reduce distress and build resilience through structured musical play activities. Delivered to children in displacement and crisis-affected settings.
Quantifiable outcome
- Children in supported schools were 2.5x more likely to be proficient readers than children in non-supported schools (Tanzania)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Right To Play
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Right To Play technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Right To Play partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationalists)corePan-African NGO that promotes girls' and women's education. FAWE focuses on advocacy and policy engagement to ensure adolescents' sexual and reproductive health rights become a reality. Partner in the SHARE project.
- FHI 360coreNon-profit human development organization that develops training materials, trains health system actors, and conducts and disseminates research. Provides technical assistance for the SHARE project.
- WaterAidcoreOrganization with 40 years of experience in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs. Leads activities related to WASH, menstrual health and hygiene management, and health infrastructure rehabilitation in SHARE project countries.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Right To Play competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- War Child: International NGO that uses play, arts, and music to support children affected by conflict - the closest methodological peer to Right To Play, with overlapping geographies and a similar play-based psychosocial support offering for refugee and crisis-affected children.
- Room to Read: International nonprofit focused on literacy and girls' education in low-income countries; comparable in education-programme focus and evidence-driven operating model, and competes for similar foundation and corporate funding.
- Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Global foundation that funds sport-for-development programmes for children; uses sport and play as development tools in a manner directly analogous to Right To Play's methodology, and supports many of the same beneficiary populations.
- Plan International: Global NGO focused on child rights and girls' equality with national fundraising offices in many of the same donor countries; overlaps directly with Right To Play's gender equality, child protection, and education programming.
Broad incumbents
- International Rescue Committee (IRC): Humanitarian organization delivering education and child protection in conflict-affected countries; operates in several Right To Play countries and is a comparable restricted-grant competitor.
- Save the Children: One of the world's largest child-focused NGOs delivering education, child protection, and emergency response at a much larger scale than Right To Play; competes for the same restricted grants and individual-donor fundraising.
- BRAC: Large international development organization with extensive education and youth programmes across Africa and Asia; overlaps with Right To Play's geographies and competes for some of the same multilateral and government funding.
- UNICEF: The dominant global agency for child welfare, rights, and education; an institutional counterpart that Right To Play often implements programmes alongside (with Global Affairs Canada, NORAD, etc.) rather than competes with directly, but which sets the funding landscape.
- Concern Worldwide: International humanitarian NGO with education and child-focused programming in many of the same fragile states where Right To Play operates; competes for Irish/UK government and individual donor support.
Emerging players
- Street Child: Smaller UK-based NGO focused on education access and enrollment in fragile states; a comparable, more focused peer that competes for similar institutional grant funding on cost-per-child metrics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Right To Play social profiles
Digital presenceRight To Play financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Right To Play leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Right To Play funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Right To Play 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 Right To Play
What does Right To Play do?
Right To Play is a registered charitable organization that delivers play-based learning programmes to children in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Canada. The organization trains local Coaches and Teachers to run structured play sessions in schools and communities that build literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional, and protective skills for children affected by poverty, conflict, and inequality.
Is Right To Play a public or private company?
Right To Play is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Right To Play founded?
Right To Play was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Right To Play based?
Right To Play is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Right To Play make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are government Grants, foundation Grants and corporate Partnerships.
Who are Right To Play's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are War Child, Room to Read, Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and Plan International. Broad incumbents are International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children, BRAC, UNICEF and Concern Worldwide. Street Child is listed as an emerging player.
Does Right To Play have an API?
No public API is recorded for Right To Play.
What industry is Right To Play in?
Right To Play's product category is International Development and Humanitarian Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAGAG, Child Rights & Protection, with a secondary code of EDAJALAM, After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs). Its NAICS code is 624110 and its SIC code is 8200.