Place to Play

Grant Program

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Place to Play Grant Program supports live-action roleplay (LARP) events by providing funding for venue rental and related facility costs. Grants are awarded on an annual basis during the grant cycle to eligible organizers and organizations hosting LARP events that are open to the public. The grant range will cover $500-5,000 requests, depending on availability of funds in that cycle year.

What costs are eligible?

  • Eligible venue costs include:

    • Rental of indoor or outdoor event space or tent

    • Facility deposits, liability fees, or required venue insurance

    • Venue-related rental costs such as AV & tech, staging, seating, linens etc.

    • Portable sanitation or utility hookup costs (if venue-required)

    •  Accessibility accommodations at the venue (ramps, seating, etc.)

    • Venue security

  • Ineligible costs include:

    •  Props, costumes, or game materials

    • Staffing, volunteer stipends, or organizer compensation

    • Food, catering, or entertainment (exception given if venue cost is per-head based on catering, at a maximum of 50% of per-head cost)

    • Travel or lodging (not part of a venue)

    •  Any capital expenses

Eligibility and Submission Requirements

WHAT QUALIFIES AS AN ELIGIBLE LARP/EXPERIENCE

Types of work supported

  • Live-action roleplay experiences with the following characteristics:

    • Ticket-holders explicitly play agentic characters within the world

    • Player costumes required (or encouraged)

    • Immersive physical set/environment or blackbox

    • Narrative in format (as opposed to sport-first or historical re-enactment).

    • Abstract narrative counts.

    • Single event (or new event). If an event repeats, cannot reapply. 

    • US-Based

What this grant does not cover

  • Larp conventions and festivals

  • Campaign larps of any format

  • TTRPGs or boardgames in immersive environment

SUBMISSION CRITERIA  

  • Grants are available to Sole Proprietors, LLCs, or nonprofit organizations. We strongly recommend having a fiscal entity that protects you from legal liability, such as a 501(c)(3) or an LLC. If you are in need of a fiscal entity to sponsor you, consider Playable Theatre membership. 

  • Eligible larps must abide by the values and mission of Playable Theatre, https://www.playabletheatre.org/about 

  • Eligible larps must be "open to the public", meaning they are ticketed and marketed to any/all who wish to participate, with exceptions for banned/restricted players. 

  • In addition to the application form with specified fields, applicants must submit a production-ready budget that details their expenses and revenues. You can use this Template Budget. 

Grant Cycle Timeline

  • September 10, 2026 - Grant Program Announced 

  • November 2, 2026 - Applications Close

  • December 31, 2026 - Donations Close

  • January 15, 2027 - Recipients announced, awards distributed

    • Awardees must run their game between Jan 15, 2027 and Jan 15, 2028

    • Events after Jan 15, 2028 must apply during 2027

APPLY

APPLY NOW

DONATE

  • Donors wishing to support the program can do so for a tax deduction. Donations are not advised.

  • You will receive an email receipt for your donation.

DONATE NOW

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes! Donations to the grant program are tax deductible and you will receive an email receipt right away.

  • No, the grant committee decides how donations are distributed among applicants.

  • Funds are transferred via ACH. Recipients will be required to provide ACH banking details to receive funds.

  • Please reach out to Vivien via the Playable Theatre Discord if you have questions.

  • GRANT BOARD - REVIEW COMMITTEE

    The Grant Board reviews each application in detail, and votes on which projects will receive an award and in what amount. The board consists of seven voting members in addition to and one non-voting member who advises on finances. 


    Board President of the Playable Theatre 501(c)3 will serve on the review board by default, and can hand their seat over to another acting staff or board member. The other roles should have at least 5 years of experience. They will be appointed by the Grant Board Coordinator. The review board will meet thrice annually; once for a general meeting, once for a long grant review meeting, and once for grant follow-up and compliance. The Grant Coordinator will track progress on the grants awarded and report to the group. At any meeting, a vote of no confidence may be called, requiring a simple majority to replace the Coordinator.

    • General Meeting - September

    • Review Meeting - Nov-Dec

    • Follow-up/Compliance - July

    Grant Board members will have a max term of 3 years each. Projects Grant Board members are leading are ineligible for funding. Projects they are collaborating on, they must recuse themselves from voting on.

    Grant Board Coordinator: 

    • Vivien "Grimm" Lasken (non-voting member)

    Review Board Members: 

    • Cameron Betts

    • Sharang Biswas

    • Jason Cox

    • Elisa Ford

    • Ryan Hart

    • Kat Jones

    • Yeonsoo Kim

    Budgetary Review: 

    • Caro Murphy (non-voting member, advises the committee on financial plan)

    Preliminary Review: 

    Grant Board Coordinator will do an initial vetting of the submissions. If a submission doesn’t fulfill the criteria for submission, it will be culled and the reasoning will be provided to the board when they meet. 


    Post-Grant Evaluations:

    When possible, the board will provide short write-ups about rejection rationale for the participant.


    Playable Theatre Executive Board Review:

    Playable Theatre Executive Board will review the chosen proposals at a board meeting and give a pro forma vote to distribute funds.