Gamasutra’s Alissa McAloon spread the good word about the IGDA Foundation‘s Diverse Game Developers Fund launch along with valuable info about what it aims to do for the games industry.

The IGDA Foundation, the charitable arm of the International Game Developers Association, has teamed up with Grant for the Web to launch a $300,000 fund that aims to empower marginalized developers and students.

It’s pitched as a multifaceted program; the Diverse Game Developers Fund aims to back game devs and students with funding and scholarships, but also wants to encourage developers to explore different monetization methods within games built using its funding.

According to the IGDA Foundation’s application, diverse developers around the world are eligible for up to $25,000 to help fund prototypes that explore monetization that, according to a press release, has global applicability rather than “traditional models of revenue generation built by and for a western audience.”

“Grant for the Web and the IGDA Foundation both seek to empower devs and users in the realm of technology,” reads a statement from IGDA-F executive director Nika Nour. “In a world where traditional investment funding isn’t equally available to all, this initiative will allow us to support marginalized game developers around the globe while educating the community on alternative monetization models they may not have considered.”

More info on how to apply for either prototype funding or academic scholarships can be found here, while the IGDA Foundations says that details on that game jam will be announced at a later date. 

For more information about the IGDA Foundation, please visit the official website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.