Event Dates
Mar 27 - Apr 6, 2026
On Steam
After the success of our inaugural fundraiser (we raised over $40,000 🎉), we’re bringing it back even bigger and we would love to include your games in 2026.
This initiative celebrates the power of games to make a difference, and we’d love for your studio to be part of it. If you choose to participate, we ask you to contribute a percentage of your Steam sales during the event in exchange for increased game visibility and elevated placement across Steam’s event promotions.
Why Join?
- Gain additional premium Steam visibility for your games - studios reported uplifts (vs their baseline for the time period) of between 5-13x!
- Your games will be included in our streaming and social media campaigns, boosting exposure throughout the event.
- Help fund programs that empower developers worldwide, from sending underrepresented creators to international industry events to creating programming that amplifies the global voice of gaming.
Testimonials
Early sign-ups help us secure the best placement possible on Steam, and we appreciate you joining this fundraising initiative soon.
Event Details
Dates: March 27 – April 6, 2026 (immediately following Steam’s Spring Sale - allowing games to extend their sales cycles with increased visibility).
Eligibility: Premium Games or paid DLC
Suggested donation: 5% minimum (20% encouraged)
Sign-up deadline: February 20, 2026
FAQ Section
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Participating games will be featured on a dedicated event page on Steam, with potential for front-page visibility. The IGDA Foundation will also promote the event and participating games through our social media channels and network.
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We encourage developers to donate 20% of their revenue during the event period to maximize our collective impact. However, we understand that every studio's situation is unique. We suggest a minimum donation of 5%, but any contribution makes a difference in supporting our mission for a more inclusive games industry.
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Any developer or publisher with a game on Steam that has either a purchase price or paid DLC is eligible to participate.
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Donations will be processed after the event concludes. We'll provide detailed instructions for submitting donations, including options for PayPal and wire transfers. All donations are considered charitable contributions, as the IGDA Foundation is a U.S-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This means your donation may be tax-deductible, depending on your local tax laws. We’ll provide receipts for all contributions to ensure proper documentation for tax purposes.
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The accounting for the DLC event is very straightforward and uses the tools easily accessible in Steamworks. After the event:
Studios run a standard Steam sales report for the DLC event dates (March 27 – April 6, 2026) and note the net revenue for the participating game(s). If your game is on sale during the preceding Steam Spring Sales event, that discount can continue throughout our event dates.
Studio applies your donation percentage (we would love 20% - the % is up to you) to that net revenue to calculate your donation amount.
When Steam pays out those March/April sales (in late April, late May respectively) we ask you to send that amount to the IGDA Foundation as a charitable donation in early- to mid-June - just one donation for the event.
No special setup is required in Steam, and there’s no need to track individual DLC event transactions. It’s one report, one calculation, and one outbound payment. Since IGDA Foundation is a US 501(c)(3), US companies can usually treat this as a tax‑deductible charitable contribution rather than a complex revenue‑share arrangement.
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Yes, as long as your game will be available for purchase or have purchasable DLC during the event dates (March 27 – April 6, 2026).
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For additional questions, please contact us at dlc@igdafoundation.org or join our Discord community at https://discord.com/invite/aN9DdkF37v.