United States Esports Association

What United States Esports Association does

The United States Esports Association is a 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(2) nonprofit association (EIN 83-1064062, WA UBI 604 272 995), founded in 2018 and headquartered in Spokane, Washington, that operates as a public-interest infrastructure provider for the U.S. esports ecosystem. It was established to address the absence of nonprofit organizational structures in recreational, amateur, and semi-professional esports, mirroring the role traditional sports federations play in their respective disciplines. The organization served as the U.S. national federation to the Global Esports Federation for 2020 and 2021 before pivoting to an expanded charitable purpose centered on accessibility, diversity, equity, inclusion, and public-private collaboration.

The organization's product surface is programmatic rather than commercial, comprising three core initiatives: (1) the National Esports Honors Society (NEHS), a four-module out-of-school-time collegiate enrichment program covering literacy, mentorship, civic engagement, and professional development, piloted AY 24-5 with broader launch targeted for AY 25-6; (2) esports.eco, a UNFCCC-aligned climate action initiative covering emissions reporting, offsetting, reduction, reuse, and recycling for esports venues and organizations, expanded in 2024 to include the Amateur Esports Association's member clubs; and (3) the Esports National Security Review and Thinkpieces publication series, producing long-form thought leadership on esports policy, geopolitics, and industry development. Core technology is not disclosed, and the organization operates primarily through its Wix-hosted website, Google Workspace tools, and direct digital access.

The revenue model is a mix of tax-deductible charitable contributions (501(c)(3) donations) and federal grant funding. The single documented grant is a $226,260 award from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (DHS-22-TTP-132-00-01) supporting NEHS. The organization maintains active memberships in the Extremism and Gaming Research Network and the Fair Play Alliance, and operates with a small staff (two named members: Eliot J. Oreskovic and Miguel Gil). The go-to-market motion is community-led, engaging collegiate programs, esports clubs, and industry stakeholders through public programs and public-private collaborations.

Name

United States Esports Association

Legal name

United States Esports Association

Website

https://esportsus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The United States Esports Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association founded in 2018 that provides public-interest infrastructure for the U.S. esports ecosystem, operating the National Esports Honors Society, esports.eco climate initiative, and policy research programs for recreational, collegiate, and amateur esports communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Esports Industry Development

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur/Grassroots Esports Leagues & Community Tournaments (MPAFADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Esports & Competitive Gaming Programs (EDALAIAO)

Keywords

• Esports industry development
• Nonprofit association services
• Collegiate esports programs
• Esports climate action
• Esports policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tax-Deductible Contributions (501(c)(3)): The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 83-1064062) and 509(a)(2) entity that accepts charitable contributions, which are tax-deductible. This is the primary revenue mechanism for sustaining operations and programs.
2. Federal Grant Funding (DHS): The organization receives grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including a $226,260 award for the National Esports Honors Society (NEHS) project (DHS-22-TTP-132-00-01) funded through the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships. Additional DHS grants for related programming totaled nearly $1.7 million across the esports sector in 2022, of which the organization received a portion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The United States Esports Association operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that advances domestic esports development through public-good programs rather than commercial products. Its offerings include the esports.eco climate action initiative, the National Esports Honors Society (NEHS) collegiate enrichment program, the Thinkpieces publication series (including the Esports National Security Review), and community convening around competition, development, and standardization priorities for the U.S. esports ecosystem.

Product overview

The United States Esports Association operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering multiple programs: esports.eco (a sustainability initiative for environmental impact tracking), Thinkpieces (a publication platform including the Esports National Security Review category), and the National Esports Honors Society (a collegiate enrichment program with four modules for literacy, mentorship, civic engagement, and professional development).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• esports.eco: Climate action initiative focused on reducing esports' environmental impact through reporting, offsetting, removal, reduction, reuse, and recycling programs. Committed to Sports for Climate Action Framework and Race to Zero initiative.
• Esports National Security Review
• National Esports Honors Society (NEHS)

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 emissions reduced 32% from 2020 to 2021, and 51% from 2021 to 2022, reaching 50% reduction target ahead of 2030 schedule
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Amateur Esports AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partneresports.eco is a collaboration between the United States Esports Association and the Amateur Esports Association, aligned by shared vision for a healthful and sustainable esports ecosystem. The partnership brings climate action to esports clubs throughout the country, coordinating industry around reporting, offsetting, removal, reduction, reuse, and recycling. The Amateur Esports Association's member clubs were formally included in esports.eco participation starting 2024.
• Global Esports FederationcoreOthersThe United States Esports Association served as the national federation representing the United States to the Global Esports Federation for the years 2020 and 2021. After this period, the organization pivoted from a strictly competitive focus to a charitable purpose.
• Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe United States Esports Association is a proud and active member of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network, a consortium of organizations pioneering research and praxis at the intersection of online gaming and terrorism. The EGRN encompasses governmental organizations, nonprofits, for-profits, and colleges and universities worldwide dedicated to creating and sharing knowledge and advancing best practice against online extremism.
• Fair Play Alliance (FPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe United States Esports Association is a proud and active member of the Fair Play Alliance, a coalition of game developers and gaming-adjacent organizations organized around pro-social 'fair play' in gaming. The FPA advances structural change in game design and the design and monitoring of gaming spaces to reduce toxicity and promote pro-social behavior.
• Sports for Climate Action Framework (UNFCCC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe United States Esports Association is the second esports organization globally to sign the Sports for Climate Action Framework, a UN Climate Change initiative (UNFCCC) that呼び不正 alignment of sports with the Paris Agreement goals. The organization commits to systematic greenhouse gas emissions reductions aligned with UN climate targets.
• Race to Zero (UNFCCC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe United States Esports Association is the first esports organization globally to join Race to Zero, a UNFCCC campaign mobilizing climate action from businesses, cities, regions, and investors. The organization is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040 as part of this global initiative.
• MicrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization's founding was inspired by a collaboration between Microsoft and the Washington Special Olympics in debuting the Xbox Adaptive Controller. The organization's founder, an Xbox project lead at Microsoft at the time, observed the unstructured state of esports and decided to found the organization.
• Washington Special OlympicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization's founding was inspired by a collaboration between Microsoft and the Washington Special Olympics in debuting the Xbox Adaptive Controller, which highlighted the need for accessible and structured esports programming.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ESports Foundation: A community-impact nonprofit in the esports ecosystem that channels charitable giving into gaming-related programs. It is comparable as a U.S. nonprofit operating in the same charitable/educational esports space with overlapping donor and program audiences.
• Amateur Esports Association: A grassroots club-based esports organization that is a formal USEA partner on esports.eco. It serves the same amateur and recreational esports community at the club level, making it a directly comparable peer in mission and target audience.
• National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE): A U.S.-based membership organization serving collegiate esports programs. NACE is the most direct competitor to USEA's National Esports Honors Society, already commanding partnerships with hundreds of colleges and running the standard college esports competitive circuit.
• North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF): A nonprofit that runs scholastic and collegiate esports programs across North America, including free curricula and competitions. NASEF directly competes with USEA's educational mission and benefits from established relationships with school districts and colleges.

Broad incumbents

• International Esports Federation (IESF): A global esports federation recognized by some national Olympic bodies, with national federation members from dozens of countries. It is a peer in the sense that USEA's discontinued national-federation role would have been inside IESF's competitive set.
• Global Esports Federation: A global federation that recognized USEA as the U.S. national federation from 2020-2021. It is a multi-nation incumbent in the same organizational niche (national federation representation), with broader global reach and IOC-adjacent positioning.
• National Federation of State High School Associations (Esports): The U.S. national body that oversees high school esports as an officially sanctioned activity. It is a direct functional peer for the scholastic layer of USEA's mission, with a much larger institutional footprint.
• Special Olympics Esports: The competitive gaming arm of the Special Olympics, which inspired USEA's founding. It is comparable as a large, established nonprofit running accessible, structured esports programming, with deeper resources and global brand recognition.

Emerging players

• Fair Play Alliance: A coalition of game developers and gaming-adjacent organizations that USEA is a member of. It is comparable as a nonprofit-coalition peer focused on pro-social gaming, with overlapping concern for toxicity, fair play, and community health.

Regional players

• British Esports Federation: The United Kingdom's national esports federation, a nonprofit association serving grassroots and national-team esports. It is the closest international counterpart to USEA in structure and mission, with comparable programs in education and community development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/official_USEA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/officialusea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United States Esports Association