Digital gaming platform Roblox has unveiled a US$10-million Roblox Community Fund (RCF) in a strategic move to build out its educational offering.

The initial investment is designed to support education partners that integrate Roblox Studio, the company’s free online game/virtual world building tool, into STEM-focused curriculum and educational games for kids ages eight and up.

Roblox Studio lets users create games that can be made available for others to play. More than eight million creators have developed and launched experiences for the platform to date.

Among the first RCF funding recipients are non-profit robotics community FIRST and educational game developer Filament Games, which are partnering on a new virtual robotics title based on Filament’s sandbox game RoboCo. Their game will incorporate open-ended play, problem-based challenges and competitive virtual tournaments inspired by eSports.

The Museum of Science also received a grant, and will integrate Roblox into a space-themed journey that allows middle to high school students to explore the International Space Station and plan a Mars landing (pictured below).

A third grant was awarded to non-profit Project Lead the Way, which will launch STEM educational learning experiences in spring 2022 for more than 250,000 pre-K to grade 12 students in the US.

How much funding each organization received was not disclosed.

Since expanding into education in 2015, Roblox has launched several of its own initiatives (such as Build It, Play It), as well as partnering with dozens of STEM instructional organizations, including ID Tech and Code Ninjas. Roblox Education’s long-term goal is to support 100 million students learning on Roblox by 2030.

More information about RCF is available on Roblox’s education site, and proposals can be sent to education@roblox.com.