Toy Libraries Australia are a

not-for-profit organisation A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and non-profit organizations (NPO ...

which serves as the

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

for volunteer-run toy libraries within

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Toy Libraries Australia started in 1977 as the Toy Libraries Association of Victoria, uniting five

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

toy libraries. The name was changed to Toy Libraries Victoria in 2000, and then to Toy Libraries Australia in 2012. TLA supports over 280 toy libraries in Australia, 130 of which are in Melbourne. In 2020, toy library memberships in toy libraries supported by TLA was over 130,000 families. In 2024, the

Australian Federal Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Executive (government), executive government of Australia, a federalism, federal Parliamentary system, parliamentary con ...

provided AU$2.3million of funding to Toy Libraries Australia. However, government funding is not continuous and the main stable income comes from membership fees. Toy Libraries Australia is primarily volunteer run, with two paid staff members. Toy Libraries Australia won the

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

Sustainability Award in the "parenting" category in 2024. In March 2025, TLA announced

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the U ...

for toy libraries to support them in being more accessible for children with disabilities, in particular

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

and

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

. The grants are intended to help toy libraries run as low-sensory sessions, increase volunteer and staff training, buy specialised toys, and set up a mobile toy library in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

References

{{reflist Non-profit organisations based in Australia Libraries in Australia Toy culture Toy collecting