The funds will benefit the nonprofit Call of Duty Endowment that helps unemployed veterans, including those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, return to the workforce.
Santa Monica-based video game company Activision Blizzard on Friday revealed a $2 million donation to the Call of Duty Endowment, a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 to assist unemployed veterans in returning to the workforce.
The donation coincides with National Military Appreciation Month, which recognizes and honors veterans of the United States Armed Forces for their service.
"We’ve seen a huge increase in veterans asking our partners for assistance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dan Goldenberg, executive director of the Call of Duty Endowment, and a 27-year Navy veteran, in a statement.
"We’ve been committed to helping veterans find meaningful employment for over 10 years, but we’ve never seen anything like this. Veterans will need our help more than ever, and through Activision Blizzard’s donation and support from the gaming community, we’re well positioned to provide that help."
Bobby Kotick, co-chairman of the Call of Duty Endowment, added, "Military veterans need our support more than ever. With unemployment rates at all-time highs, we know from past experience that veterans will be far more affected than ordinary citizens. With this donation to the Call of Duty Endowment, we hope to find jobs for at least 4,000 veterans."
The endowment operates by providing grants to charities that prepare veterans to compete for high-quality jobs. Since its inception, it has helped place more than 69,000 veterans in meaningful jobs and aims to place 100,000 veterans by the year 2024.
The month of May will welcome a series of events supporting the endowment, such as a downloadable content pack called the Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E) Fearless Pack for Activision Blizzard's first-person shooter titles including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the pack will go toward the endowment's mission to place veterans into secure jobs.
The donation also signals the beginning of the #CODEFearless Challenge, a social media campaign that invites followers to post photos of veterans or current military members in honor of their commitment to the country and cause.
More information about the endowment can be found here.
