Schools in Brabant that want to green their schoolyards can again apply from April 1, 2026, for the Schoolyards of the Future scheme. Together with the North Brabant Cultural Fund and the water boards Aa en Maas, De Dommel, and Brabantse Delta, we are making €250,000 available this year. The scheme is explicitly not only for primary schools but also for secondary schools and vocational education institutions.
The scheme offers primary, secondary, and vocational schools the opportunity to transform their outdoor spaces into places where learning, playing, and nature come together. Green schoolyards contribute to biodiversity (The variety of life in a particular area), reduce heat stress and water nuisance, and provide an attractive and healthy outdoor environment for pupils and students, as well as less bullying.
Hagar Roijackers, deputy for Nature and Environment of the Province of North Brabant: “A green schoolyard is much more than a nice playground. It is a learning environment where children and young people experience daily how nature, climate, and health are interconnected. By investing in this, we directly contribute to their future and to a resilient Brabant.”
Funds for greening and education
Schools with a well-founded plan for construction, maintenance, and educational embedding can apply for a contribution up to 70 percent of the costs, with a maximum of €10,000 per project. The scheme explicitly also offers space for secondary schools that want to green part of their grounds, for example for outdoor lessons, relaxation, or meeting.
Powerful learning environments
Green schoolyards are powerful, practice-oriented learning environments for pupils and vocational students, especially when they are involved in design, construction, and maintenance themselves. This way, they learn about climate adaptation and biodiversity and gain experience working with companies and parties in the area. Green-blue elements such as swales and planting show how water is naturally collected and slowly discharged, reducing heat stress and water nuisance. At the same time, these yards offer space for play, movement, and rest.
Over 400 green schoolyards
The Schoolyards of the Future scheme has had a demonstrable effect in recent years. In North Brabant, 416 schoolyards have now been greened; from paved yards to natural outdoor spaces where climate adaptation and well-being go hand in hand.
Jan Speelman, North Brabant Cultural Fund: “The impact of green schoolyards is enormous. They make nature visible and tangible in the daily lives of pupils. That so many schools have taken this step in recent years shows how great the need is. With this new opening, we again give a strong impulse to healthy and future-proof learning environments.”
Applications from April 1, 2026
Applications can be submitted from April 1 to November 3, 2026, until the available budget is exhausted.
View the conditions and apply for a subsidy
In addition to financial support, the Schoolyards of the Future program also offers advice and practical tools for greening schoolyards. For more information, visit schoolpleinvandetoekomst.nl (links to another website).
About the Cultural Fund
The Cultural Fund invests 50 million euros annually in culture and nature. This money is used for more than 4,000 projects in the Netherlands, the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, and Suriname. With support from the Friends Lottery, Dutch Lottery, donors, and partners, the fund enables various initiatives. Foundations, associations, cultural institutions, nature organizations, and individual artists can apply for financial support. The North Brabant Cultural Fund is one of 12 provincial departments. Read more about the North Brabant Cultural Fund (links to another website)