We applied for a Kaboom playground. All was great with an anticipated build date, then things fell through. The sponsoring company realized we were not in the county they thought we were in so they backed out. It was very frustrating.
Since then, we have been fundraising like crazy. We raised just over $30,000 in the last year. Monday we are writing the check and signing the playground contract. Our hopes were to get a corporate sponsor, but we worked hard and are doing it on our own. It isn't the huge dream playground we hoped for, but it is an awesome playground the kids are going to love.
The playground we chose was on sale which greatly reduced the price. Because we were familiar with the community model build, we were able to save about $6,000 on installation and opted for a professional supervision.
Most playground equipment companies have sales in autumn and spring. Good luck with your endeavor.
Lowes has Toolbox grants. Kaboom.org offers resources for grants and many other helpful ways for funding.
You can find grant information on the playground equipment companies websites. We are working with Playmore right now and they have a grant guide you can download. Hope this helps you out.