We are proud to share that this week, Zynga has been honored as a 2022 Top Supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions by the deans of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)-accredited HBCU engineering programs and the Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) corporate-academic alliance. This distinction is a result of the annual editorial survey conducted by US Black Engineer and Information Technology (USBE&IT) magazine.

Zynga’s support of HBCUs has been made possible by our $25 million social impact fund, which was launched in 2020 with the mission to invest in underserved communities globally toward increasing diversity and inclusion within Zynga and the games industry. Zynga Scholars, which is a product of the social impact fund, is an initiative that supports and empowers talented Black college students in computer science and related disciplines. 

“We believe that our games are only as good as the teams that develop them, and that our teams need to be as diverse as the world around us,” said Jethro DiMeo, Senior Director of Talent at Zynga. “This is why we are investing in programs like Zynga Scholars to reach and support diverse talent as they navigate their path into the gaming industry.”

Zynga Scholars provides scholarship support, programmatic investments and mentorship to support students interested in pursuing careers in gaming. We are currently working with North Carolina A&T State University and Spelman College, where Zynga has funded the Zynga Gaming Lab. The lab guides Spelman College students through the process of creating game theory, design and development through immersive storytelling, 3D modeling and other aspects of interactive media.

“We are proud to receive this honor and are excited to continue our work with our partners to bring more talented students into gaming,” added DiMeo.