In 2024 and 2025, the LEGO Foundation approved 171 grants, worth €438 million in committed funding. Most beneficiaries were located in Europe and North America, with each typically receiving less than €1 million. In this article, we provide a quantitative analysis of the annual grantmaking of one of the most well-known foundations in the development sector.
The LEGO Foundation was created in 1986 by the family who established the LEGO company – a popular worldwide brand, which generated a €2.5 billion profit in 2024.
Today, the foundation owns 25% of the LEGO Group and uses part of those profits to support projects worldwide that align with its mission of promoting healthy childhoods through the power of learning.
For this article, we analyzed the grantmaking records from 2024 and 2025 to draw key insights into the funding priorities, regional allocation, and typical grant amounts of the LEGO Foundation.
Insight #1: Europe and North America received 78% of grants
Between 2024 and 2025, Europe topped the committed grant charts of the LEGO Foundation, with 79 projects approved for funding representing 46% of all the grants awarded during this period. North America followed, with 55 projects being financed. Africa, Oceania and Asia-based grants were also given but represented only a small percentage of the total funding. Five global initiatives also received funding.
It is of note that South America did not secure any funds from the LEGO Foundation during the timeframe being analyzed.
Figure 1 – Number of grants, per region, committed by The LEGO Foundation in 2024 and 2025. This data was retrieved directly from Appendix 2 of the LEGO Foundation’s annual report for 2024 and the LEGO Foundation’s annual report for 2025.
Insight #2: Children’s Learning and Development secured the most funding
The LEGO Foundation has four priority intervention areas:
- Children’s Learning and Development: supporting education through play approaches
- Children on the Move: similar to the above but targeting children in humanitarian and crisis contexts.
- Children’s Wellbeing: learning-through-play projects for children with special needs.
- LEGO Ecosystem: leveraging the world-renowned brand to reach children for education through play activities.
In the period analyzed, children’s learning and development projects received €230 million and was the highest priority topic. Grants focusing on displaced children followed, with €82 million in funding.
Table I – Funding priority areas of The LEGO Foundation during 2024 and 2025, as determined by the number and amount of committed grants. This data was retrieved directly from Appendix 2 of the LEGO Foundation’s annual report for 2024 and the LEGO Foundation’s annual report for 2025.
Insight #3: Most grants were for less than €1M
The majority of the projects approved by the LEGO Foundation – 72% to be precise – were assigned grant amounts of under €1 million.
The average funding per grant is therefore less than those of other donors we have previously analyzed, such as the IKEA Foundation, but the number of grantees is quite interesting: in 2024 and 2025, the LEGO Foundation supported more projects than the IKEA Foundation.
Figure 2 – Distribution of funding amount per grant conceded by the LEGO Foundation in 2024 and 2025. This data was retrieved directly from Appendix 2 of the LEGO Foundation’s annual report for 2024 and the LEGO Foundation’s annual report for 2025.
Insight #4: BRAC International secured the highest funding in a single grant
The three organizations that secured the highest awards from the LEGO Foundation during 2024-2025 were:
1. BRAC International – €42.8M grant
BRAC International is a nonprofit organization established in 1972 that aims to fight social injustice, poverty and hunger by addressing the root causes of these problems. The funds provided were intended to scale its learn-through-play project for children in fragile contexts in Bangladesh and Uganda.
2. Ole Kirk’s Fond – €29.5M grant
The Ole Kirk’s Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Denmark, established in 1964 in memory of Ole Kirk Kristiansen, the founder of LEGO. The organization works towards improving the quality of life for children and their families.
3. Co-Impact Philanthropic Funds – €25.7M grant
Co-Impact Philanthropic Funds bridge the gap between local changemakers and funders from around the world by providing large, flexible grants and strategic support. The organization focuses on strengthening health, education, and economic systems, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The financial support was awarded to improve the well-being and education of children affected by conflict and crisis in Kenya and Nigeria.
Most of the remaining top 10 (Table II) were NGOs, but also included a football body, an education institution, and a municipality association.
Table II – Top 10 grantees of the LEGO Foundation in 2024 and 2025, as determined by the highest funding amount awarded in a single grant. This data was retrieved directly from Appendix 2 of the LEGO Foundation’s annual report for 2024 and the LEGO Foundation’s annual report for 2025.
Insight #5: More funding to be disbursed for research between 2027-2029
Earlier in June 2026, the LEGO Foundation announced the launch of a new initiative: a research fellowship that will support up to 10 early- and mid-career researchers conducting research into childhood. Each fellowship will last up to three years, beginning in 2027.
Why do we provide these donor insights?
Staying informed about funding priorities helps applicants to allocate their time and resources more strategically. Specifically, knowing which donors favor certain regions and areas of interest is of extreme importance when selecting appropriate grant calls to maximize the chance of a successful proposal. This is why DevelopmentAid provides these insights and other near-real-time information on the development sector. Consider becoming a member to take advantage of our advanced filtering tools for grants and subscribe to our development news digest.
Read our previous donor insights: