The Call of Duty Endowment, a programme designed to put veterans into employment, is expanding its operations to the UK.
The Endowment was initially established by Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision, to place 25,000 US veterans in jobs by the end of 2018.
That number was met two years early, and now aims to place 50,000 in employment by 2019.
“Our expansion to the UK was a natural move – with a long-standing ally whose armed forces have served so closely with those of the US,” said Dan Goldenberg, executive director of the Endowment.
This expansion seeks to identify and forge partnerships with a select group of UK charities, which are yet to be announced.
To fund UK endowment programmes, Activision today announced The Call of Duty Endowment Double Duty Calling Card for Call of Duty: Black Ops III, is available in the UK. This features an animated calling card in-game for players to show support, as well as three rare supply drops for players to get their hands on some nice in-game cosmetics and weapons.
All proceeds received by Activision from this will go straight towards Endowment programmes dedicated to finding veterans high-quality work.
Through its Seal of Distinction program, the Endowment evaluates veteran-serving non-profit organisations that connect recent military veterans with career opportunities.
Winners receive a £23,000 unrestricted grant that supports their organisation’s efforts to place veterans in meaningful jobs, followed by the opportunity to earn restricted grants that have historically averaged more than £450,000.
Last year, for the launch of Infinite Warfare, North American esports organisation OpTic Gaming streamed for four days straight to raise as much money as possible for the Endowment.
They raised $281,409 overall – enough to put 469 veterans into jobs.
Call of Duty Endowment launches in UK to help veterans find jobs
