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8 companies who are making the world a better place

September 15, 2021 in News | 8 min. read
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We’re proud to partner with organizations that are providing inclusive economic opportunity, helping the planet become more sustainable, and creating solutions for critical health and well-being issues.

At Unity, we believe the world is a better place with more creators in it. This philosophy is the beating heart of our company. It motivates each and every one of us to serve the global creator community - to help solve the toughest engineering, data, and operational problems so that digital creators can create and operate.

Black and white image of waves in the background and Unity Social Impact logo overlaid

It’s been a year since we introduced the Unity Social Impact division, aimed at empowering employees and creators of all backgrounds to foster a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world.

I’m so proud of the incredible impact we’ve made this year and grateful for this change-maker community.

We acknowledge and honor the hard work being done by individuals and companies, who are using technology to inspire and make change.

This is why, in the last year, we have awarded more than $2.5 million from the Unity Charitable Fund to support current and future creators who are building RT3D experiences that have a meaningful impact on society and the planet.

In my work as Vice President of Social Impact, I have the privilege of learning first-hand about the ways in which Unity’s technology is being used to power real-world change from thousands of nonprofits, schools, organizations, and corporations.

Here are just a few examples of the incredible organizations I have come across who are driving this important work.

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In the area of education and inclusive economic opportunity:

Urban Arts Partnership School of Interactive Arts (SIA) is a game design program that prepares students to consider and enroll in college programs to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM). SIA is a highly effective program, with 100% of students who complete the program enrolling in college to study game design and other digital arts, computer science, and engineering programs. Urban Arts Partnership was founded in 1991 with the mission to provide students from low-income communities with a quality 21st century education that is rooted in the arts and technology, preparing them for lifelong success. 

Games for Change (G4C) is the leading advocate of games and immersive media for social impact. Games for Change hosts the G4C Festival, one of the largest industry-facing events for social impact games and XR experiences in the world. Founded in 2004, Games for Change empowers game creators and social innovators to drive real-world change using games and immersive media. 

Code Coven is a fully female founded online games industry bootcamp focused on underrepresented developers. 70% of their participants are female and 71% are from underrepresented backgrounds. In 2020, Code Coven launched a scholarship for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic applicants to their “Intro to Unity course.” In only 3 days, they received 250+ applications from 25+ countries around the world, highlighting the need for this opportunity.

Black Public Media’s BPMplus comprises 7 programs: The Technically Brilliant Show, The MIT & Black Public Media Fellowship, XR Mixers, Pop-up VR Theaters, XR classes, the Nonso Christian Ugbode Fellowship, and the BPMplus Showcase. Black Public Media (formerly National Black Programming Consortium) was founded in 1979. In 2018, BPMplus was launched with the goal of increasing Black participation in emerging tech storytelling. Their programs serve Black artists, filmmakers, and creative technologists.

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In the area of sustainability:

Since 2018 we’ve proudly partnered with Humble Bundle to offer affordable assets and tools to game developers, while giving back to important charities. The two organizations that will be the recipients of Unity’s Humble Bundle charitable proceeds in September 2021 are both rooted in sustainability and really stood out to me. The proceeds from the Humble Bundle will be personally matched by Unity’s CEO, John Riccitiello, dollar for dollar. More on this below. The first bundle is now live and we’ll be launching a second bundle on Sept. 16th, which will run until Sept 30th. If you’re interested in learning more about it, check it out here.

The first of these organizations is Carbonfund.org, which supports carbon offset projects that play an important role in the fight against climate change. The projects that Carbonfund supports are third-party validated and verified to meet the highest standards.

The second is Oceana, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans on a global scale. Our oceans are home to most of the life on our planet and play a central role in the world's natural systems, like regulating our climate and absorbing carbon dioxide. Oceana was established by a group of leading foundations — The Pew Charitable Trusts, Oak Foundation, Marisla Foundation (formerly Homeland Foundation), Sandler Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in 2001, and is the largest international advocacy organization focused solely on ocean conservation.

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In the area of digital health and well-being:

AbleGamers is an organization creating opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The disabled are the largest minority in the US and are at a heightened risk for social isolation. AbleGamers was founded in 2004 and pushes the inclusive efforts of the gaming industry forward by training and consulting studios while connecting them directly with disabled players who can share their personal experiences to help make games more accessible. Their founder, Mark Barlet, received the Games For Change Vanguard Award in 2021. The organization worked with Microsoft to help develop the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

And lastly, New Story Charity is a non-profit organization that provides homes and 3D printed homes to people living with inadequate shelter. New Story is leveraging the power of Unity to show families their new homes for the first time.

I have been profoundly impacted by the inspirational work done by all of these organizations, and I know others at Unity have too. The work of Social Impact is near and dear to Unity’s CEO, John Riccitiello. When he learned of these groups and the meaningful work they’re doing to make the world a better place, he let me know that he would like to personally donate to each of them as well. I’m humbled and proud to say that John has donated $1M USD of his personal funds, which will be shared with each of these organizations.

My hope is that you all are as inspired as we are, and we all continue to support each other and this exceptional work in the ways we can, whether volunteering our time, technical expertise, or offering mentorship.

September 15, 2021 in News | 8 min. read

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