Riot Games’ $11 million to support underrepresented gaming communities

Riot Games has pledged to donate $1 million to fight against inequality and racism in North America, president Dylan Jadeja announced.

The Riot Games Social Impact Fund will make initial contributions to The Innocence Project and the American Civil Liberties Union. The Innocence Project works in favor of the wrongly convicted individuals by providing DNA testing and working of reforms for the criminal justice system. The ACLU protects the rights and liberties of individuals across North America. Riot Noir, Riot’s employee resource group for black employees, is at the forefront of these initiatives. The group is hoping to get every employee involved, no matter their ethnicity.

Riot looks to invest in the future games and communities

Part of the new initiative includes supporting startups and investments with founders from underrepresented communities. Riot will dedicate a total of $10 million to support small-scale developers and others who are eligible and working in the video game industry.

Riot established a partnership with Florida A&M University to develop a curriculum targeted at software engineers that wish to work in gaming. The developer will work with the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund to grant a $50,000 scholarship. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund represents black college communities in North America and supports them through scholarships and other resources.

The developer will continue to support programs like Girls Who Code, Urban TxT, Reboot Representation, and Code2040. These programs look to increase the presence of underrepresented groups like women, Native Americans, Latinos, and Black people in the tech industry.

Riot wants to educate its employees about race

On June 19, also known as Juneteeth, Riot is hosting a series of conversations about race to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in America. These conversations have educational purposes and aim to create a safe space for employees of different races to talk about their various experiences.

With all of these initiatives, Riot is putting its money where its mouth is. The company didn’t settle for outreach on social media, and instead created a plan to contribute with the marginalized communities in North America. Members of those communities will surely hope to see Riot continue to follow through on its promises of support.