Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$5,085,164

Total expenses

$5,292,946

Contributions and grants received

$5,083,628

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$0

Investment income

$669

Other revenue

$867

Total assets, end of year

$323,916

Total liabilities, end of year

$517,450

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

-$193,534

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$4,293,897

Management and general expenses

$499,583

Fundraising expenses

$499,466

Program service expenses (Part III)

$4,293,897

Program services were 81.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2023

• GAMES FOR CHANGE LEARNSTUDENT CHALLENGEGAMES FOR CHANGE LEARN'S FLAGSHIP PROGRAM, THE GAMES FOR CHANGE STUDENT CHALLENGE, IS A NATIONAL GAME DESIGN COMPETITION THAT INVITES YOUTH TO CREATE DIGITAL GAMES ABOUT ISSUES IMPACTING THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE PROGRAM USES YOUTH INTEREST IN VIDEO GAMES TO DEVELOP CODING AND DIGITAL DESIGN SKILLS, AS WELL AS PROBLEM SOLVING, COLLABORATION, CREATIVITY, AND OTHER CRITICAL 21ST CENTURY SKILLS. THE CHALLENGE IS ALSO A PLATFORM FOR AMPLIFYING STUDENT VOICES, EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE TO IMAGINE CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS, AND TO SEE THEMSELVES AS ENGAGED CITIZENS AND CHANGEMAKERS. SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN 2015, THE CHALLENGE HAS TO DATE BENEFITED OVER 900 EDUCATORS AND 50,000 YOUTH, PRIMARILY STUDENTS IN TITLE I PUBLIC SCHOOLS SERVING LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES. ALMOST HALF OF PARTICIPATING STUDENTS ARE FEMALE, MORE THAN 60% ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR, AND MANY ARE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS.GAME PLANGAME PLAN IS AN INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE FOR MUSEUM AND STEM EDUCATORS FOCUSED ON ADDING MORE GAME-LIKE LEARNING EXPERIENCES TO OUT-OF-SCHOOL-TIME PROGRAMS. EDUCATORS IN MUSEUMS ACROSS THE U.S. ARE NOW ADAPTING WHAT THEY LEARN INTO THEIR CURRICULA IN INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE WAYS AND ARE FORGING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AS THEY COLLABORATE ON NEW PROGRAMS. GAME EXCHANGEGAME EXCHANGE IS A STATE DEPARTMENT-FUNDED VIRTUAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM THAT USES GLOBAL YOUTH INTEREST IN VIDEO GAMES TO CONNECT TEENS IN THE U.S., BAHRAIN, ISRAEL, AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. WITH THE HELP OF THEIR TEACHERS, TEENS FORM INTERNATIONAL "GAME STUDIOS," COLLABORATE TO DESIGN GAMES BASED ON THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

  Expenses $1,592,054 · Revenue $2,029,476

• EVENTSFESTIVALTHE ORGANIZATION PRODUCES THE GAMES FOR CHANGE FESTIVAL (THE "FESTIVAL"), WHICH IS THE BIGGEST GAMING EVENT IN NEW YORK CITY. IT BRINGS TOGETHER LEADERS FROM GOVERNMENT, CORPORATIONS, CIVIL SOCIETY, MEDIA, ACADEMIA AND THE GAMING INDUSTRY TO EXPLORE THE INCREASING REAL-WORLD IMPACT OF DIGITAL GAMES AS AN AGENT FOR SOCIAL CHANGE. THE FESTIVAL IS ALSO A SHOWCASE FOR SOME OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE NEW GAMES IN PRODUCTION.

  Expenses $1,977,860 · Revenue $1,430,275

• XR FOR CHANGEON THE MORNING YOU WAKETHIS IS A VIRTUAL REALITY DOCUMENTARY THAT CAPTURES THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED THE REAL AND IMMINENT THREAT OF ANNIHILATION FROM NUCLEAR WEAPONS AS EXPERIENCED IN HAWAII IN JANUARY 2019. AS THEY ARE FORCED TO CONFRONT THE REALITY OF TODAY'S URGENT NUCLEAR THREAT, ON THE MORNING YOU WAKE RECREATES THEIR EXPERIENCE IN A LONG-FORMAT, FULLY IMMERSIVE, ROOM-SCALE VR EXPERIENCE USING UNPRECEDENTED INNOVATIONS IN VIRTUAL REALITY. THE ORGANIZATION ENGAGED IN A SOCIAL IMPACT CAMPAIGN THAT TOOK THE EXPERIENCE AROUND THE WORLD TO DIFFERENT VENUES TO RESEARCH THE WAYS IMMERSIVE MEDIA CAN HAVE DIRECT SOCIAL IMPACT.

  Expenses $306,099 · Revenue $516,920

• OTHER PROJECTS & PROGRAMSCONSULTING AND WORKSHOPSTHE ORGANIZATION OFFERS A SUITE OF SERVICES TO GUIDE ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ACTIVELY PURSUING COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES TO FURTHER THEIR PUBLIC, PHILANTHROPIC OR ACADEMIC MISSION. THE SERVICES SEEK TO LIFT UP THE FIELD OF SOCIAL IMPACT GAMES AND CAN RANGE FROM THE MODEST TO THE COMPREHENSIVE VIA A CONCEPT CONSULTATION AND WORKSHOP TO PLAN AND SCOPE GAME RELATED PROJECTS.RAISING GOOD GAMERSRAISING GOOD GAMERS (RGG) IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN GAMES FOR CHANGE AND TAKE THIS THAT EMPOWERS YOUNG PEOPLE TO SHAPE THE CULTURE OF ONLINE GAME COMMUNITIES, CREATING PROSOCIAL SPACES THAT ARE INCLUSIVE, HEALTHY, AND THAT COUNTER ONLINE TOXICITY. THE GOAL OF RGG IS TO DEVELOP A CROSS-SECTOR RESEARCH AND PRACTICE COMMUNITY WITH YOUTH AT THE CENTER, IN ORDER TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE MOVEMENT THAT CAN CHANGE THE CULTURE OF ONLINE GAMING FOR EVERYONE.

  Expenses $417,884 · Revenue $503,147

• GAME PLANGAME PLAN (FORMERLY THE STUDENT CHALLENGE MUSEUM PROGRAM) IS AN INTENSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE FOR MUSEUM EDUCATORS FOCUSED ON ADDING MORE GAME-LIKE LEARNING EXPERIENCES TO OUT-OF-SCHOOL-TIME PROGRAMS. EDUCATORS IN MUSEUMS ACROSS THE U.S. ARE NOW ADAPTING WHAT THEY LEARN INTO THEIR CURRICULA IN INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE WAYS, AND ARE FORGING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AS THEY COLLABORATE ON NEW PROGRAMS. THIS PROGRAM IS NOW EXPANDING TO REACH OTHER COHORTS OF TEACHERS.

• XR HACKATHONSTHE GAMES FOR CHANGE STUDENT XR HACKATHON PROGRAM IS AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM THAT INVITES STUDENTS TO VISUALIZE THE FUTURE OF 5G TECHNOLOGY THROUGH CREATIVE AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL REALITY PROJECTS. THE PROGRAM IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE VERIZON FOUNDATION, VERIZON INNOVATIVE LEARNING SCHOOLS AND GAMES FORCHANGE THAT DEMONSTRATES HOW 5G TECHNOLOGY WILL IMPROVE OUR LIVES, EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITIES AND DRIVE REAL-WORLD CHANGE. ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS JOIN HANDS-ON, IMMERSIVE WORKSHOPS TO LEARN AR/VR TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES, WHILE GAINING CRITICAL STEAM AND 21ST-CENTURY SKILLS.

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

13 November 2024

IRS schema version

2023v5.1

Source object

202433199349302413

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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