Activision's Call of Duty Endowment charity, which helps place military veterans in jobs after they leave the service, had a big year in 2021--it broke a number of records during the year.
In a blog post, the charity shared some 2021 stats, including how it placed 16,138 veterans in jobs in 2021, which is up from 15,446 in 2020. The Endowment's goal is to have placed a total of 100,000 veterans in new jobs by 2024. Additionally, the average salary of the Endowment's job placement for former service members in 2021 was $64,163, which is the highest in the group's 12-year history. The average salary for a job placement from the Endowment in 2020 was $61,050.
"Every veteran matters, and the Endowment is proud to support traditionally under-represented populations as part of our work. Last year, 20% of the veterans we placed in meaningful employment were Black, as compared to the 12% of the veteran population. Women also saw success--19% of our placements were women, as compared to 10% of the total veteran population," The Endowment said.
The Endowment also thanked its grantees, including the American Corporate Partners, which won the Endowment's 2021 Seal of Distinction. ACP received a $30,000 unrestricted grant for this achievement.
Additionally, the Endowment paid $8.6 million in grants in 2021 to a dozen other US and UK-based groups that help find jobs for military veterans. According to Activision, the Endowment can place a veteran in a new job for about $547, while the US government spends on average $4,998 to do so.
The Endowment is funded also in part by fans who buy digital content for Activision's games. In 2021, Treyarch released a DLC pack inspired by former Army medic Tim Hobbs, with proceeds going in part to the Endowment. There was also the Revival Challenge in Call of Duty Warzone for Military Appreciation Month that raised month for the Endowment. "Our first-party partners at Microsoft and Sony had a huge impact on our ability to sell these packs, and we thank them for their support," Activision said.
It was a big year for the Call of Duty EndowmentThanks to digital content packs alone, the Endowment placed more than 5,500 military veterans in jobs, Activision said. The Endowment also got help from corporate partners in 2021, including GameStop, Pilot Company, USAA, and Humble Bundle in the US alone, as well as Jingle Jam, Amazon, and Papa John's in the UK.
"We're so grateful for your support and the tireless efforts of our grantees. We know, as you do, that veterans can and should be a vital part of our country's workforce and our communities. The Endowment will continue to make that happen in 2022," it said.
Check out the full blog post to see a rundown of the Endowment's accomplishments in 2021.
It is not immediately clear what impact, if any, Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard could have on the Endowment. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
The Call of Duty series continues this year with a new game from Infinity Ward, which is rumored to be Modern Warfare 2.
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