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GAMES FOR CHANGE INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 262623362 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE W70 · Public & Societal Benefit · Medium ($1M-$10M) · gamesforchange.org
revenue
$4.4M
expenses
$4.6M
net assets
$-359K
employees
15
program ratio
79%
mission · from form 990

TO EMPOWER GAME CREATORS AND SOCIAL INNOVATORS TO DRIVE REAL-WORLD CHANGE BY USING GAMES THAT HELP PEOPLE TO LEARN, IMPROVE THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING THE WORLD A MORE EQUITABLE PLACE.

profile · synthesized from sources

Games for Change empowers game creators, educators, and youth to drive real-world impact through digital games focused on social and educational change. The organization runs programs that develop youth skills in game design around global issues like the UN Sustainable Development Goals, supports educators with curriculum and training, and produces the annual Games for Change Festival in New York City. It operates globally through regional chapters in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Türkiye.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $1.26M
    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.
  2. #2 $1.21M
    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.
named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

G4C Student Challenge
International game design competition for youth centered on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, offering curriculum, mentorship, and prizes to students and educators.
Game Exchange
Program connecting students and educators across countries including the U.S., Bahrain, UAE, and Israel to collaborate on game design and build cross-cultural understanding.
Game Plan
Professional development series for educators to integrate game-based learning into schools and community programs using G4C’s curriculum.
Games for Change Festival
Annual event in New York City convening leaders from government, industry, and civil society to explore the social impact of games and showcase innovative projects.
Raising Good Gamers
Initiative with Take This to empower youth to create inclusive, prosocial online gaming communities and counter toxicity in digital spaces.
XR for Change
Immersive media program using virtual reality experiences like "On the Morning You Wake" for social impact campaigns on issues such as nuclear threat awareness.
activities · 4 groups

What they do

  • Game Design and Development Education 6 activities
    • Delivers educational programs for youth and educators
      Provides workshops, fellowships, game jams, and challenges using a signature game design curriculum that integrates computer science, STEAM, and social-emotional learning; offers professional development, curriculum guides, and training for educators to implement game-based learning in schools and communities.
    • Develops and distributes impact-focused games and immersive media
      Designs, produces, and releases video games and virtual reality experiences with social impact narratives, including "Concrete Genie," "Arise: A Simple Story," and the VR documentary "On the Morning You Wake," which explores nuclear threat through immersive storytelling.
    • Facilitates partnerships and collaborations
      Develops programs and content in collaboration with universities, nonprofit organizations, industry groups, and companies like Unity Technologies to expand the reach and effectiveness of games for social impact, including co-leading the Raising Good Gamers initiative with Take This.
    • Produces game design challenges and collaborative programs
      Creates themed design challenges in partnership with organizations to generate games addressing social impact topics such as climate change, STEM, and cross-cultural understanding; includes initiatives like the Game Exchange program, which engaged students from Bahrain, UAE, Israel, and the US in collaborative game design.
    • Provides executive production and consulting services
      Offers end-to-end production support—including design, development, evaluation, and distribution—for impact-focused games and campaigns; also provides consulting and workshop services to help organizations plan and scope game-related projects for public, philanthropic, or academic missions.
    • Runs the Games for Change Student Challenge
      A national game design competition for youth that includes curriculum-based learning, mentorship, and workshops; students submit original games addressing social issues and compete for scholarships, technology, and industry recognition. Engaged over 750 educators and 40,000 youth, primarily from Title I public schools.
  • Game Community Events & Expos 2 activities
    • Hosts annual Games for Change Festival
      Convenes social innovators, changemakers, and leaders across gaming, tech, and education sectors for talks, workshops, and networking focused on the social impact of digital games; recognized as the largest gaming event in New York City.
    • Organizes summits and events to advance games for social impact
      Hosts targeted events such as the Games & Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit in Nairobi and the Next-Gen Summit to support student developers and promote global collaboration around gaming for change.
  • Annual Impact and Evaluation Reporting 1 activity
    • Conducts research and publishes impact reports
      Produces and disseminates an annual Impact Report documenting education initiatives and infrastructure development; conducts research on the social impact of immersive media, including global campaigns tied to VR content.
  • Regional Chapter Network Support 1 activity
    • Operates regional chapters globally
      Runs regional chapters in Latin America (since 2010), Asia-Pacific (since 2020), Africa (since 2021), Türkiye (since 2024), Korea, India, and Hong Kong to promote games for education, health, social progress, and economic growth; supports local communities through tailored programming and movement-building.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$4.41M
Contributions & grants$2.03M46%
Program service revenue$2.36M54%
Investment income$6070%
Other revenue$16K
expenses
Total expenses$4.57M
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$1.77M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$367K
Cash$270K
Investments$6K
Liabilities$727K
Net assets$-359K
Liquid reserves0.7 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -13.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 5
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
SUSANNA POLLACK PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR 40 $220K
ARANA SHAPIRO MANAGING DIRECTOR 40 $177K
LEAH BETH HIRSCH SNR DIRECTOR PROGRAMS 40 $123K
KIMBERLY THOMPSON-ALMANZOR SNR DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT 40 $122K
TANIA HACK SNR DIRECTOR PROGRAMS 40 $112K
board members · 14
  • ALAN LEWIS — DIRECTOR
  • AMY MORHAIME — DIRECTOR
  • ASI BURAK — CHAIRMAN
  • BENJAMIN GOLANT — DIRECTOR
  • BRUCE HACK — DIRECTOR
  • DAN AYOUB — DIRECTOR
  • ERIK HUEY — DIRECTOR
  • LEO OLEBE — INTERIM SECRETARY & DIRECTOR
  • MARK STANLEY — DIRECTOR
  • MATTHEW EVERITT — TREASURER & DIRECTOR
  • SAMIR AGILI — DIRECTOR
  • STANLEY PIERRE-LOUIS — DIRECTOR
  • STEPHANIE LO — DIRECTOR
  • TRACY FULLERTON — DIRECTOR
relationships · 31

Who they work with

  • AARP Partner — Collaborates with Games for Change to create developer design challenges focused on social impact themes.
  • American Express Partner — Collaborates with Games for Change to create developer design challenges focused on social impact themes.
  • Arizona State University Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Carnegie Mellon University Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Connected Learning Lab Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Endless Partner — Collaborates with Games for Change to create developer design challenges focused on social impact themes.
  • Epic Games Partner — Partner organization that collaborates with Games for Change on events, programs, and access to the gaming and impact community.
  • Games for Change Africa Network — Regional chapter established in 2021 to drive social impact and economic growth through games in Africa
  • Games for Change Asia-Pacific Network — Regional chapter established in 2020 to promote games for education, health, and social progress in Asia-Pacific
  • Games for Change Festival Partner — Flagship annual event convening changemakers in social impact gaming and immersive media.
  • Games for Change Latin America Network — Regional chapter established in 2010 to foster social innovation, sustainability, and education through games in South America
  • Games for Change Türkiye Network — Regional chapter established in 2024 to promote games for social change in Türkiye
  • Global Game Jam Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Museum of the Moving Image Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • New Georgia Project Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Playcrafting Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Stanley Center for Peace and Security Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • State Department Government — Government partner that collaborates with Games for Change on events, programs, and impact campaigns.
  • Take This Partner — Collaborates with Games for Change on the Raising Good Gamers initiative to empower youth to create inclusive and healthy online gaming communities.
  • Take This Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Times Square Arts Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Two Bit Circus Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • UN Partner — Creates partnerships that advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Understood Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
  • Unity Partner — Collaborates with Unity to support student game development challenges and summits.
  • Unity Partner — Partner organization that collaborates with Games for Change on events, programs, and access to the gaming and impact community.
  • Unity Technologies Partner — Partners with Games for Change to deliver workshops for educators on using Unity for game development in social impact contexts.
  • University of California, Irvine Partner — Collaborative partner in advancing games for social change
+ 1 more
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Cross-Sector Collaboration to Scale Impact
    methodology: cross-sector_collaboration
    By partnering with academic, nonprofit, and industry stakeholders, the organization co-develops programs and amplifies reach, because leveraging diverse expertise and networks increases innovation and real-world applicability of game-based solutions.
  • Game-Based Learning for Skill and Civic Development
    methodology: game-based_learning
    By using game design and gameplay as educational tools, the organization builds technical, STEAM, and social-emotional skills in youth while fostering civic engagement and changemaking identities, because interactive and motivating formats increase agency and participation.
  • Narrative-Driven Gameplay to Foster Empathy and Reflection
    methodology: narrative-driven_gameplay
    By embedding social issues within emotionally engaging stories where players have agency, the organization cultivates empathy and personal reflection, because experiential storytelling enables deeper connection than passive content.
  • Youth-Led Social Change Through Game Design
    methodology: design-thinking_for_social_change
    By involving youth in designing games that address community challenges, the organization strengthens their identity as change agents and promotes prosocial norms in digital spaces, because creative ownership and peer leadership drive cultural influence and sustained engagement.