Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is a Washington, DC-based public charity that advocates for the U.S. video game industry. Its 2023 filing describes work in public affairs, ratings and certification, intellectual property protection, and advertising review.
Entertainment Software Association at a glance
In short: Entertainment Software Association gave $310K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), top state District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $310,200
- +21.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $31,020
- +9.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $59,313,598
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (26% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Entertainment Software Association
- Invitation Only
-
The ESA Foundation awards organizational grants by invitation only. Its website does not provide an application process or materials for unsolicited organizational applications.
- Contact
Mailing address: 601 Massachusetts Avenue Nw 300W, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 223-2400
Website: https://theesa.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Entertainment Software Association
Computer and Video Game Arts Scholarship
Entertainment Software Association
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
ESA Foundation esports Scholarship
Entertainment Software Association
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Gay Gaming Professionals Scholarship (ESA Foundation Partnership)
Entertainment Software Association
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Entertainment Software Association funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Conference of Western Attornys General ($75K). Together the top 10 received $310K.
Grant Size Distribution
27 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 20 grants of 27 (74%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The ESA Foundation describes its organizational grants as supporting U.S.-based programs. In 2025, ESA’s grant dollars went to recipients in DC (26%), California (24%), Massachusetts (19%), New York (13%), and Colorado (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Entertainment Software Association gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $35K (2020) to $532K (2019). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $310K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Conference of Western Attornys General Elk Grove, CA | Attorney General Alliance Yearly Dues | $75,000 |
| State Legislative Leaders Foundation Marstons Mills, MA | Annual Membership and Event Support | $60,200 |
| Senate Presidents' Forum Hastings on Hudson, NY | 2025 Senate Presidents Forum Educational Programming | $40,000 |
| National Conference of State Legislatures Denver, CO | Platinum Sponsorship | $30,000 |
| Americans for Tax Reform Washington, DC | Americans for Tax Reform 2025 Dues | $25,000 |
| Center Forward McLean, VA | Annual Program Membership | $25,000 |
| The Congressional Award Foundation Washington, DC | Congressional Award Foundation Fy 25 Membership | $25,000 |
| Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation Washington, DC | FCBA Foundation College Scholarship Contribution | $10,000 |
| Future of Privacy Forum Washington, DC | Future of Privacy Forum | $10,000 |
| Women's High-Tech Coalition Washington, DC | Women's High Tech Coalition 2025 Sponsorship | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Entertainment Software Association?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $59,313,598 | $40,733,857 | $35,510,258 | $310,200 | 10 | $3,376,245 |
| 2024 | $55,591,967 | $36,153,336 | $34,902,280 | $255,000 | 9 | $1,822,470 |
| 2023 | $48,093,920 | $38,588,407 | $33,358,333 | $230,000 | 3 | $454,164 |
| 2022 | $37,670,266 | $39,894,859 | $37,797,969 | $170,000 | 3 | $593,286 |
| 2021 | $40,507,353 | $30,106,457 | $30,380,876 | $165,000 | 2 | $1,749,744 |
| 2020 | $37,679,023 | $40,483,926 | $42,652,672 | $35,000 | 2 | $391,942 |
| 2019 | $46,075,214 | $40,486,304 | $40,343,854 | $531,503 | Total only | $969,892 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
ESA’s mission, as stated in its 2023 filing, is to serve as the voice and advocate for the video game industry, expand and protect the worldwide marketplace for video games, and enhance public trust in the industry. The filing describes its work as including advocacy before policymakers and courts, administration of age and content ratings and privacy certification, protection of members’ intellectual property, and review of interactive entertainment advertising.
The ESA Foundation says it supports programs that positively affect the lives of young people in the United States, including geographically diverse programs serving students of all genders, races, and backgrounds. Its stated grant areas include STEAM initiatives, programs using video game technology to develop learner skills, and programs teaching next-generation technology skills.
Some 2025 recipients describe their own missions as follows: Center Forward works to give centrist allies information and support to develop and advance solutions; Americans for Tax Reform focuses on public awareness of government size and regulation and support for lower taxes and smaller government; and the Future of Privacy Forum advances principled data practices related to emerging technologies.
Grantmaking
ESA reported 10 grants totaling $310,200 in filing year 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $75,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest awards included $75,000 to the Conference of Western Attorneys General for yearly dues, $60,200 to the State Legislative Leaders Foundation for membership and event support, $40,000 to the Senate Presidents’ Forum for educational programming, and $30,000 to the National Conference of State Legislatures for a platinum sponsorship.
Other 2025 grants included $25,000 each to Americans for Tax Reform, Center Forward, and The Congressional Award Foundation; and $10,000 each to the Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation, Future of Privacy Forum, and Women’s High-Tech Coalition.
The ESA Foundation also describes scholarship programs for individual students pursuing video-game-related degrees and for collegiate esports participants. These provide support to scholarship recipients rather than grants to outside organizations. Its website says organizational grants are by invitation only. A 2023 filing describes grant oversight as including a seat on the recipient organization’s board, quarterly financial review by ESA’s CFO to approve additional grant money, and, generally, support for specific events attended by ESA personnel.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists the following ESA officers and directors: Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO; Patricia Vance, President - ESRB; Gina Vetere, SVP & General Counsel (to January 2025); Aubrey Quinn, SVP, Communications & Public Affairs; Christianna Barnhart, SVP, Government Affairs; Michael Lewis, VP, Associate General Counsel; David Kassack, SV, Finance & Administration; Julie Kitt, SVP, General Council; Michael Williams, CFO; and Melissa Foxman, VP, Federal Government Affairs.
The ESA Foundation’s website lists Sue Madden as its leader.
Entertainment Software Association is led by Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO since 2020 (on filings since 2019); 11 of 24 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Stanley Pierre-Louis
President & CEO
General Counsel & Senior Vice President → President & CEO, 2020
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$637K (2019) → $1.7M (2025)
Patricia Vance
President - Esrb
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$870K (2019) → $1.2M (2025)
Douglas Bowser
Chairman
Board Member → Vice Chairman, 2022
Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julie Kitt
Senior Vice President & General Council
Associate General Counsel → Senior Vice President & General Council, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$253K (2019) → $338K (2025)
Gina Vetere
Senior Vice President & General Counsel
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$143K (2020) → $761K (2025)
Michael Lewis
Vice President & Associate General Counsel
Chief Counsel, Ip & Cybersecurity → Vice President, Ip Protection & Security, 2022
Vice President, Ip Protection & Security → Vice President & Associate General Counsel, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$275K (2020) → $394K (2025)
Aubrey Quinn
Senior Vice President, Comms & Public Affairs
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$441K (2024) → $568K (2025)
Melissa Foxman
Vice President & Federal Government Affairs
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$266K (2024) → $283K (2025)
Michael Williams
CFO
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$108K (2024) → $355K (2025)
Allyson Quesada
Chief People Officer
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$206K (2025)
Christianna Barnhart
Senior Vice President & Government Affairs
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$573K (2025)
David Kassack
Sv, Finance & Administration
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$376K (2025)
David Haddad
Board Member
Board Member → Chairman, 2021
Chairman → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jacob Schatz
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laurent Detoc
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sean Shoptaw
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Strauss Zelnick
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adam Sussman
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Bond
Board Member
Board Member From → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yuta Kose
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Heinecke
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Philip Rosenberg
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Hartmann
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shinichi Yoshida
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (27)
- Former: Ana Molina (2019–2024) — CFO
- Former: Owen Mahoney (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Warnecke (2021–2024) — Chief Counsel, Ip & Legal
- Former: Hiro Tachibana (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Tara Ryan (2022–2024) — Vice President & State Gov Affairs
- Former: Jeb Boatman (2023–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Ann Chavez (2024) — Senior Director & Government Affairs
- Former: Yoshida Shinichi (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Andrew Bowins (2019–2023) — Senior Vice President, Communications & Public Relations
- Former: Philip Rogers (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Michael O'Leary (2021–2023) — Senior Vice President & Federal Government Affairs
- Former: Fran Townsend (2022–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Phil Rosenberg (2022–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Chris Walther (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Kiichiro Urata (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Phil Spencer (2019–2022) — Vice Chairman
- Former: Takayuki Kubo (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Riley Russell (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Robert Altman (2019–2021) — Chairman
- Former: Benjamin Golant (2019–2020) — Chief Counsel, Ip & Legal Policy
- Former: Michael Gallagher (2019–2020) — Former President & CEO
- Former: Paul Meegan (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Shawn Layden (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Thomas Foulkes (2019–2020) — Vice President & State Government Affai
- Former: Erik V Huey (2019) — Senior Vice President & Government Affairs
- Former: Kyle Laughlin (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Reggie Fils-Aime (2019) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $1.7M, to Stanley Pierre-Louis (President & CEO). 11 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Entertainment Software Association
How much does Entertainment Software Association give each year?
Entertainment Software Association gave $310K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $255K across 9 grants.
What is Entertainment Software Association's typical grant size?
Entertainment Software Association's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $31,020, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Entertainment Software Association give grants?
Entertainment Software Association's top state is District of Columbia, with 26% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were California (24%) and Massachusetts (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (5 grants).
Does Entertainment Software Association give general operating support?
Yes: 10% of Entertainment Software Association's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Entertainment Software Association's largest grantees?
Entertainment Software Association's largest 2025 grantees include Conference of Western Attornys General ($75,000), State Legislative Leaders Foundation ($60,200) and Senate Presidents' Forum ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Entertainment Software Association?
Entertainment Software Association reported $59.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $40.7M.
What does Entertainment Software Association fund?
ESA’s mission, as stated in its 2023 filing, is to serve as the voice and advocate for the video game industry, expand and protect the worldwide marketplace for video games, and enhance public trust in the industry. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Entertainment Software Association?
The ESA Foundation awards organizational grants by invitation only. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Entertainment Software Association's EIN?
Entertainment Software Association's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3768378. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Entertainment Software Association's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Entertainment Software Association funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/entertainment-software-association-morg_db148c2159094c9ea3beb03376f93977
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133768378_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Entertainment Software Association funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/entertainment-software-association-morg_db148c2159094c9ea3beb03376f93977},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Entertainment Software Association's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Entertainment Software Association down — hundreds of funders to go?