DonorsChoose, a US-based nonprofit organisation that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects, has announced it is continuing its partnership with Riot Games, the company behind various esports titles including League of Legends and VALORANT.
According to the official details, Riot will begin funding $500,000 worth of gaming and esports-related classroom resources for eligible projects submitted by teachers at public schools in California, Texas, and New York.
The money will be released in stages tied to the League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) tournament schedule. Funding tied to each location will become available as the tournament reaches that stage: the tournament begins with the play-ins on October 15 at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, continues through the Swiss stage, quarterfinals, and semifinals at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, and ends with the grand final on November 14 at the Barclays Center in New York.
After the tournament concludes, Riot plans to match nationwide donations for any teacher’s project focused on gaming or esports until remaining funds run out. This initiative will launch on GivingTuesday (December 1st), a US charitable giving day held the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Alix Guerrier, CEO of DonorsChoose, said, “Students thrive when learning taps into their passions. Riot Games continues to support public school teachers with resources to help students build peer connections and explore careers in STEM. This is a model for what it looks like to tap into a student’s potential.”
According to DonorsChoose, teachers use gaming and esports-related classroom materials for more than just making lessons more engaging. These resources are also used to connect gaming with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math), to help build students’ thinking and problem-solving skills, and to introduce students to potential careers in game design, esports, technology, and the gaming industry.
This isn’t Riot’s first time supporting the initiative. Since 2023, the company has funded more than $1 million in gaming and esports-related classroom resources for public school teachers through DonorsChoose.
