Nova Games Foundation Launches With Six-Figure Grants for 20 Designers Each Year
The university-affiliated fellowship will offer $100,000 grants to 20 recent graduates from 13 game programs across eight countries, with applications for its 2026 to 2027 class opening in December.
Nova Games Foundation has launched a fellowship program that will give 20 young game designers $100,000 grants each year. Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PlayStation 5, founded the university-affiliated initiative with Geoff Keighley, host of The Game Awards.
Designed for recent game design graduates, Nova will draw applicants from 13 college programs across eight countries. Every fellow will retain full ownership of their project while receiving financial room to develop original work.
Nova Games Foundation will support 20 designers annually
The $100,000 grants are intended to help emerging creators build their careers without giving the foundation an ownership stake in their work or placing a repayment demand on the recipients. Nova is structured as philanthropy rather than a commercial investment.
Beyond the yearly grants, the most promising projects could qualify for up to another $500,000 in support. Nova also plans to connect teams with publishers and help market their games, while leaving recipients free to choose which publishers they work with and which platforms their games support.
Applications will begin in December for the 2026 to 2027 class. The participating programs include New York University, the University of Southern California, Scotland’s Abertay University, France’s Cnam-Enjmin, Germany’s TH Köln, and Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
John Maconga has been appointed executive director, while Ashley Corrigan, the former director of the Game Developers Conference, will serve as head of grants. Their roles will help establish the foundation’s fellowship and manage its grant program.
Cerny and Keighley are funding the foundation themselves
Cerny and Keighley each made multi-million-dollar donations to establish Nova and intend to keep contributing. The pair also hopes other supporters will join the effort as the program expands.
In an interview with Stephen Totilo of Game File, Cerny said he believes he is nearing the end of his career and wants to “pay it forward.” Nova gives him and Keighley a way to direct that support toward people at the start of their work in game design.
Keighley said he has never owned stock in a game company or taken a financial stake in a game. He described Nova plainly, saying, “Nova is philanthropy: we aren’t taking equity or looking to recoup the grants.”
Cerny began working in games in 1982. He believes today’s graduates have stronger training and tools than the previous generation had, but they still face a difficult path to finding a place in the industry. Nova’s first grants are intended to give some of those developers the time and backing needed to take their ideas further.
Josef Fares is among Nova’s early supporters
Josef Fares, lead designer at Hazelight Studios, has already joined Nova’s effort. The studio is known for It Takes Two and Split Fiction, and Fares said the foundation gives new creators room to develop their ideas and bring them to life.
Keighley said dozens of leading game directors have already shown interest in supporting the foundation. Cerny hopes Nova can continue growing over the next 10 or 20 years, creating a long-term source of funding and industry support for graduates trying to get their first projects off the ground.
Cerny and Keighley also want Nova to create lasting support for future designers, team leaders, and other creative voices across the industry. Its international reach could give recent graduates more room to develop ambitious ideas before commercial pressure takes over.
Nova’s first application window is still ahead, and its long-term impact will depend on the games these teams create. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
