What PlayMatters does

PlayMatters is a non-profit education consortium initiative that works with governments, teachers, and communities to embed Learning through Play (LtP) methodologies into national education systems serving low-resource and crisis-affected contexts. The program is led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in partnership with Plan International and War Child Alliance, with supporting consortium members including The Behavioural Insights Team and Innovations for Poverty Action. Implementation spans Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and—under PlayMatters 3.0—South Sudan, with broader East Africa and Middle East ambitions signaled by the June 2026 framework partnership.

The core offering is the Learning through Play methodology—an active, hands-on teaching approach supporting children's literacy, numeracy, social-emotional skills, and wellbeing outcomes. The product surface comprises a Teacher Continuous Professional Development (TCPD) program, a School Community Engagement module, LtP edutainment content (including the "Dunga" socio-emotional learning show), Monitoring/Evaluation/Learning frameworks, an LtP in Emergencies Package, the TeamUp psychosocial intervention, and the Six Bricks toolkit. Delivery uses low-cost, locally available materials (bottle tops, clay, cardboard, recycled items) and is supported by the online Play Library, physical Teachers Resource Centers (e.g., Nyachenda in Tanzania's Kasulu District), and integration with national curricula via bodies such as the Tanzania Institute of Education. A randomized controlled trial in Ethiopia's Somali region validated improvements in teaching quality, student engagement, literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills, and demonstrated cost-effectiveness.

PlayMatters operates as a grant-funded initiative with no commercial pricing; the program is delivered free of charge to participating schools, teachers, and children. Go-to-market relies on consortium-led implementation working directly with Ministries of Education and regional education bureaus to embed LtP into existing national curricula and teacher training frameworks rather than introducing a parallel system. Since its 2020 launch, the program has reached more than 984,000 children across 950+ schools in Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, surpassing its 800,000-child initial target. Under PlayMatters 3.0 (launched June 2026), a new US$97 million five-year IRC-LEGO Foundation framework partnership aims to reach up to five million children and extends the geographic footprint to the Middle East.

Name

PlayMatters

Legal name

PlayMatters

Website

https://playmatters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PlayMatters is a non-profit education consortium led by the IRC with Plan International and War Child Alliance that embeds Learning through Play methodologies into national education systems in low-resource, crisis-affected East African contexts. It is funded by the LEGO Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Play-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL)

Keywords

• Learning through play
• Play-based learning
• Teacher training
• Refugee education
• Crisis-affected education

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding - LEGO Foundation: Primary funding from LEGO Foundation through IRC-LEGO Foundation Framework Partnership. The partnership includes a US$97 million commitment from LEGO Foundation supporting expansion of learning and wellbeing opportunities for children affected by conflict, displacement, and crisis.
2. Consortium Funding Model: Multi-partner consortium led by IRC with Plan International and War Child Alliance, funded primarily by LEGO Foundation. Implements Learning through Play programming across East Africa.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PlayMatters delivers Learning through Play (LtP) education programming to pre-primary and primary school children in crisis-affected contexts in East Africa. Implemented by a consortium of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Plan International, and War Child Alliance, and funded by the LEGO Foundation, the program works to embed play-based pedagogy into national education systems through teacher professional development, edutainment content, school-community engagement, and crisis-responsive programming across Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and South Sudan.

Product overview

PlayMatters is a multi-phase education consortium project led by the International Rescue Committee with Plan International and War Child Alliance, in partnership with the LEGO Foundation. The core offering is the Learning through Play (LtP) methodology - an active teaching and learning approach that strengthens learning, wellbeing, and inclusion in low-resource and crisis-affected contexts. The program operates across multiple integrated components including Teacher Continuous Professional Development, School Community Engagement, LtP Edutainment for Children, Monitoring/Evaluation/Learning, and an LtP in Emergencies Package. Supporting infrastructure includes the Play Library (online resource platform) and physical Teachers Resource Centers. The program has progressed through phases: PlayMatters 1.0, 2.0, and now 3.0, with implementation across Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and expanding to South Sudan. Additional program elements include TeamUp (psychosocial support through movement-based activities) and Edutainment shows for socio-emotional learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Learning through Play (LtP): An active teaching and learning method where children learn through guided, hands-on, meaningful, play-based interactions in safe and inclusive environments, supported by trained facilitators.
• TeamUp
• PlayMatters Emergency Response Mechanism (PM ERM)

Products and services

• Learning through Play (LtP) Program A consortium-led education program that integrates Learning through Play pedagogy into pre-primary and primary schooling for crisis-affected children in East Africa, encompassing teacher training, school-community engagement, edutainment, and monitoring, evaluation and learning components.
• TeamUp A structured, evidence-based psychosocial support program that uses movement, games, and relaxation activities to help children affected by crisis and conflict develop social-emotional skills and resilience.
• PlayMatters Emergency Response Mechanism (PM ERM) A crisis-responsive programming offering that supports continuity of Learning through Play for children and families when disruptions such as conflict, displacement, or disease outbreaks occur.
• Play Library An online resource platform that hosts Learning through Play resources, training materials, and tools for educators and practitioners working with children in crisis-affected contexts.
• Nyachenda Teachers Resource Center A physical resource hub in Tanzania that provides educators with hands-on access to Learning through Play teaching materials, models, and continuous professional development resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 984,000+ children reached, surpassing initial target of 800,000
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023Approved use of national TCPD framework to incorporate Learning through Play approaches. Co-created educator content including teacher resource book, teacher playful activity manual, and facilitator's guide.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRC serves as the lead implementing agency and consortium coordinator for PlayMatters, managing the overall program direction, partnerships with governments, and implementation across East Africa.
• Plan InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner implementing PlayMatters in Tanzania and Uganda, particularly focused on early childhood development centers and refugee settlements.
• War Child Alliance (War Child Holland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner leading implementation of TeamUp psychosocial support activities, structured movement-based play activities for children in refugee settlements.
• The Behavioural Insights TeamsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner providing behavioral insights expertise for program design and implementation.
• Innovations for Poverty ActionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner supporting research, evaluation, and impact measurement for PlayMatters programs.
• Ministry of Education - EthiopiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner working with PlayMatters to integrate Learning through Play into national education system, including collaboration with Regional Education Bureaus and Teachers and Educational Leaders Development.
• Ministry of Education and Sports - UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner collaborating on early childhood education investment and integration of Learning through Play approaches into national education frameworks.
• Ministry of Education - TanzaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner working with PlayMatters on System Actors workshops and policy integration, including collaboration through Tanzania Institute of Education.
• National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) - UgandasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on development and launch of Parents' Handbook for home learning among children aged 3-6, contributing PlayMatters experience from At Home Learning Program.
• Care for Education (CFE)supportingTechnology or IntegrationSouth Africa-based partner facilitating Six Bricks Learning through Play training for PlayMatters consortium staff and Ministry of Education officials.
• Kotebe University - EthiopiasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to host National Conference on Play-based Learning alongside International Day of Play, creating national platform for play-based learning advocacy.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Room to Read: Non-profit organization focused on literacy and gender equality in education across low-resource countries in Asia and Africa. Partially comparable to PlayMatters in mission (educational outcomes for underserved children), though methodology focuses more on literacy instruction and school libraries than play-based pedagogy.
• BRAC Education Programme: Large-scale non-profit education program reaching millions of children in low-resource settings across Bangladesh and other developing countries. Comparable in operating scale and focus on education access for underserved populations, though methodology and primary geography differ from PlayMatters' crisis-focused model.

Direct peers

• War Child UK: UK-registered charity delivering education and psychosocial support programs for children affected by war and conflict. Highly comparable to PlayMatters' War Child Alliance partner and the TeamUp methodology, sharing both target population (conflict-affected children) and approach combining education with structured psychosocial support.
• Plan International: Global non-profit advancing children's rights and equality for girls, with significant early childhood development and education programming in refugee settlements. PlayMatters consortium partner in Uganda and Tanzania but also operates independent comparable programs targeting similar populations with similar methods.
• Sesame Workshop: Global non-profit producing edutainment content (including Sesame Street in Communities) for vulnerable children, including refugees and crisis-affected populations. Closely comparable to PlayMatters' edutainment products such as the Dunga show, with similar focus on socio-emotional learning through entertainment in low-resource contexts.
• Right to Play: Global non-profit using play-based learning to improve educational outcomes, psychosocial wellbeing, and child protection for children affected by poverty, conflict, and disease. Directly comparable to PlayMatters in mission, methodology (play as a learning method), and target population (marginalized children in crisis-affected contexts).
• Save the Children (Education in Emergencies): Major international NGO with extensive education in emergencies programming reaching children in conflict and refugee contexts worldwide. Directly comparable to PlayMatters on target population (crisis-affected children), program type (formal education support), and scale of operations across multiple geographies.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Education: UN agency delivering education programs for children globally, including in humanitarian crises and conflict-affected countries. Comparable as a much larger incumbent with overlapping mission in education for crisis-affected children, though operating at a vastly different scale and with broader mandate beyond play-based methodologies.
• Education Cannot Wait: Global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, financing programs for crisis-affected children including in East Africa. Comparable as a broader ecosystem player funding similar programs to PlayMatters, representing a potential future funding source or strategic partner for the consortium.

Others

• International Rescue Committee (Education): Global humanitarian organization delivering emergency response and post-crisis recovery including education programs for refugees and conflict-affected populations. Related party as the lead consortium agency for PlayMatters and parent of the initiative, with comparable education programming but operating at much larger organizational scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PlayMatters