Entertainment Software Association Foundation
Contact information:
317 Madison Avenue, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 917-522-3250
Website: http://www.esafoundation.org/
Type of foundation: Foundation was created by a trade association.
Types of grants: Project, awards, scholarships.
Description: The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. The ESA established the ESA Foundation in 2000.
The ESA Foundation’s main grants program supports “positive programs and opportunities that make a difference in the lives of America’s youth.” Specifically, the Foundation supports programs and services that utilize technology and/or computer and video games to educate America’s youth and young adults (targeting ages 7-18). The Foundation makes grants nationwide and prioritizes projects that will be implemented nationwide or in more than one state.
In addition, in 2012, the Foundation is launching an Education Challenge Grant awards program. This new program is a partnership between the ESA Foundation, The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, the Federation of American Scientists, California Endowment and the Association for Middle Level Education.The Challenge Grant program is a competition designed to foster the incorporation of video games into the classroom environment. Proposals will be judged on their ability to utilize computer and video games to strengthen current curricular offerings and create new learning experiences for students. The Challenge will make a total of three awards in 2012. Proposals must be submitted by K-12 teachers, administrators or other educators and must be for projects that will be implemented in schools (public, private, charter, parochial).
Sample grants:
Foundation grant amounts were unspecified. Grants have gone to organizations including:
- Games for Change (G4C), the leading global advocate for making and supporting digital games for social impact, to expand the impact of its Games for Change Festival and Games for Change Awards (2012).
- iCivics, an organization dedicated to reinvigorating civic learning through interactive games for middle school students. The grant will enable iCivics to create a new version of its Do I Have a Right? game, which teaches the Bill of Rights. It will also produce CD-based game launchers for classrooms with limited Internet access and create improved assessments of iCivics games (2012).
- The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden to help fund the creation of a digital youth center to advance next generation learning. The center will inspire creativity and experimentation, from individual projects like website and game design to group projects such as large-scale video productions (2011).
- The Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) to create interactive web-based learning materials for Native American children to use in learning their Native languages (2010).
- WGBH to help develop online animations and games that teach tweens how to live sustainable lifestyles, which are the centerpiece of THE GREENS website (2009).
- One Economy Corporation, which uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people, for its Digital Connectors program (Chicago, New York City, Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose). The Digital Connectors program is the best practice, youth development movement that engages low-income teens and young adults, ages 14-21, in leadership development, digital education, life skills management and community service (2010).
Fit for public broadcasting: The Foundation’s main grant program offers opportunities for media organizations that are developing and using educational or other youth-serving digital media and games. The Education Challenge Grant program will make awards to educators for projects to be implemented in schools, but it is a great opportunity to leverage public media digital content in partnership with educators. As Michael Levine, executive director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center said, "The ESA Foundation is a natural partner for us in this effort, and grants like this support our core mission – preparing future generations of students for a highly digital 21st century."
Eligibility: To apply to the Foundation’s main grants program, applicants must:
- Have 501(c)(3) tax status or be a governmental unit exempt under Section 115 and described in Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- Be seeking funding for a specific project or program that is or will be implemented or available nationwide or at a minimum in two or more states in the United States.
- Serve American youth ages 7-18.
The ESA Foundation does not make grants for endowment, operating support, benefit and event fundraisers, annual fund appeals, indirect costs or research. In general, it will not make grants to organizations using fiscal agents.
Deadline:
- Applications for the Education Challenge Grant (award competition) program are due April 6, 2012.
- General grant applications must be received by May 15 for projects that will be implemented during the following calendar year. Proposals received after May 15 will be considered for the subsequent funding cycle. Applications are accepted year round and are reviewed annually in June/July. Final decisions are made in August.
How to apply: Grant Application Instructions (proposal guidelines and the application cover sheet) may be downloaded from this page. The Foundation prefers to receive applications via email. The application form for the Education Challenge Grant awards competition is available here.
Giving range:
- First-time grantees may receive grants of up to $50,000 from the Foundation’s main grants program.
- The Education Challenge Grant will make three awards in 2012: one $40,000, one $20,000 and one $15,000 for project implementation.
Assets: Unspecified.
Total giving: Unspecified.
