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Sony donates $3m to USC Games' Gerald A. Lawson Endowment Fund

The investment will go towards securing over 60 scholarships for Indigenous and Black students

Today USC Games announced that Sony Interactive Entertainment has donated $3 million to its Gerald A. Lawson Endowment Fund.

The endowment, which was established in partnership with Take-Two, launched in 2021 and aims to increase the representation of Black and Indigenous people in the games and tech industries.

Sony's contribution will go on to fund over 60 student scholarships. USC Games and Sony also released an announcement video for the new donation.

"Because he was such an unsung hero and he hadn't really gotten his due from a publicity perspective," USC Interactive Media & Games' Professor Jim Huntley said.

"We wanted to anchor our fund to his name."

In the 1970s, Gerry Lawson was one of the first few Black engineers of the industry, who invented the interchangeable ROM cartridges used in one of the earliest gaming consoles, the Fairchild Channel F.

During August of last year, Microsoft contributed to the foundation as well.

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Jeffrey Rousseau avatar
Jeffrey Rousseau: Jeffrey joined GamesIndustry.biz in March 2021. Based in Florida, his work focused on the intersectionality of games and media. He enjoys reading, podcasts, staying informed, and learning how people are tackling issues.
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