The unprecedented gift will support the endowment’s ongoing efforts to deliver low-cost, high-value job placement services to military veterans.
The Call of Duty Endowment has a lot to celebrate this Military Appreciation Month: a milestone anniversary of 15 years finding veterans meaningful employment; an unprecedented $2.5 million donation from Kenneth C. Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst; and a new in-game challenge and pack.
Kenneth Griffin’s generous gift marks the largest private donation in the endowment’s history and will support the placement of more than 4,000 veterans into high-quality, well-paying jobs. This continues the endowment’s support of veterans: since its inception, the Call of Duty Endowment has successfully placed over 125,000 veterans into jobs, generating more than $7 billion in economic value for veterans and their families through salaries.
Mr. Griffin is a longtime supporter of organizations that assist service members, veterans, and their families. With his gift, Mr. Griffin expressed his admiration for the men and women who have dedicated years of their lives to defending American freedom: “I am proud to support our military veterans who have given years of their lives to defend America and our freedoms. These men and women represent the very best of our country’s enduring values.”
Griffin Catalyst, Mr. Griffin's civic engagement initiative, partners with high-impact organizations to develop innovative, data-driven solutions to critical challenges. In this way, the Call of Duty Endowment's approach to placing veterans into high-quality roles aligns with Griffin Catalyst's strategic vision to scale impact.
To further support the endowment's mission, Activision Blizzard is launching the Call of Duty Endowment Knight Recon: Tracer Pack in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III; Call of Duty®: Warzone™; and Call of Duty®: Warzone™ Mobile. The pack features exclusive operator skins, tracer weapon blueprints, and more.
Additionally, the first endowment pack for Call of Duty: Mobile, the Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Regulator Pack, has been released, featuring the endowment's pioneering female operator, Splicer. 100% of proceeds from these in-game packs will support the endowment's mission to place veterans into high-quality jobs. (How’s that for creative fundraising?!)
The endowment, in collaboration with USAA, is also introducing the "U Assist Veterans" challenge in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III (including Zombies) and Call of Duty®: Warzone™. Players completed the challenge to help veterans navigate their career search while earning in-game rewards from May 8th to 22nd. During the challenge, Activision Blizzard pledged a $1 million donation to the endowment as part of this initiative.
As the Call of Duty Endowment celebrates its 15th anniversary, it aims to place more than 15,500 veterans into jobs through its fundraising efforts this year. The endowment partners with the most effective nonprofit veterans organizations to deliver low-cost, high-value job placement services, the most requested assistance by veterans. In 2023, the average cost for one of the endowment's grantees to place a veteran in a job was $618, approximately 1/13th the cost per placement of the U.S. government's efforts.
With the support of generous donors like Kenneth C. Griffin and the gaming community at large, the Call of Duty Endowment is poised to place more than 15,500 veterans into jobs through their fundraising efforts this year.
Happy 15 years to you, Call of Duty Endowment!
