AWARD YEAR: 2024

GIRLS MAKE GAMES SCHOLARSHIP FUND

DIRECTOR: LAILA SHABIR

PROJECT TITLE: GIRLS MAKE GAMES SUMMER CAMPS: PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY STEM EDUCATION FOR LOW-INCOME GIRLS THROUGH VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT

Girls Make Games Scholarship Fund respectfully requests a three-year, $180,000 grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to support our novel STEM-focused summer camp, through which we coach girls and nonbinary students in designing, developing, and marketing a video game of their own. Each summer (2025-2027), 50 participants from Title I schools in North Carolina will experience a safe, fun learning environment, working alongside peers as they meet industry experts, benefit from the mentorship of highly-trained and passionate camp counselors, and see their visions come to life over the course of this incredible three-week experience. GMG’s turnkey summer camp curriculum was developed in partnership with professional educational game developers and has gone through constant iteration and testing in the decade since it was launched, evolving alongside the industry. Our camp is designed to encourage exploration of game-making tools in a safe, collaborative setting. GMG Camps are open to female and nonbinary students ages 8-18. Over the course of the grant period, Girls Make Games Scholarship Fund will provide 90 hours of instruction to 50 female and nonbinary students ages 8-18 per year, for a total of 150 students served over the 3-year grant period. Participants will receive high-quality instruction in video game design, covering a range of related topics and subjects including coding, art, music, marketing, story writing. By the end of the program, participants will report increased understanding of potential courses of study (college majors) and career paths related to video game design, hear from at least 14 top professionals in the industry, and develop and publish their own game—all while building confidence, creativity, and interpersonal skills.

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