Why Riot Games is leaning into DEI as other brands pull away

As some brands face pressure from conservative activists to curb their diversity and equity efforts, Riot Games is openly approaching its partnership with the nonprofit organization DonorsChoose as a social impact and DEI initiative.

Today, Sept. 4, Riot and DonorsChoose — which helps public school teachers solicit and collect donations for classroom materials — announced a one-year renewal of their official partnership, which kicked off last year. Riot has guaranteed that it will match up to $200,000 in donations to the platform, with a focus on allowing teachers to step up their gaming and esports projects in the 2024-2025 school year.

The renewed partnership between Riot Games and DonorsChoose will run for the coming school year, with Riot guaranteeing a match of up to $3,000 for every individual participating teacher. Although DonorsChoose is not inherently a diversity- and equity-focused platform, Riot views its partnership with the nonprofit as a DEI initiative due to its focus on expanding access to gaming and esports within lower-income classrooms that might not otherwise have dedicated gaming equipment. 

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