Our Social Impact work exists to amplify the positive effect that our technology & products have in public space, across exercise, exploration, and engagement.
Our impact transcends communities around the world: when people play our games they get moving, they make friends, they explore parks, local historical sites, public art, street fairs, and community events. We're working to connect people to one another and to the places around them.
Learn more about how we are working to Enhance Public Space, Empower People, & Create Community.
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Every April during our annual Sustainability campaign, Niantic Explorers care for their local communities. In the past few years, thousands of players across 41 countries and 6 continents have collected and responsibly disposed of nearly 200 tons of trash.
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Alongside Pure Earth, our players in the Philippines joined their community for an educational workshop, creating eco-bricks out of trash to use as insulation and build durable walls
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To help provide 4th grade students the opportunity to explore their public lands and connect with nature, we support Open Outdoors for Kids created by our partners at the National Park Foundation. Through our partnership, Niantic players explore hundreds of National Parks, Trails, and Rivers every year.
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We are partnering with the UNWTO to encourage global exploration and travel in a sustainable and universally accessible manner
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In partnership with Escuelas Sustentables, local governments, and Niantic Explorers, we are rehabilitating public parks across four states in Mexico to create beautiful public spaces for everyone to enjoy.
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47% of Pokémon GO players feel motivated to connect with others, and over 500 million friendship connections have been made through Pokémon GO and Harry Potter:Wizards Unite
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38 billion kilometers have been walked by Niantic players and growing every day
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We enabled 17,000 people to curate over 120 points of interest in the 2000 year old city of Chester, England with Big Heritage.
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In response to the challenges of the pandemic, we have supported over 1000 small businesses through the Local Business Recovery Initiative.
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In 2020 we donated 7 million dollars to hyperlocal nonprofits focused on supporting Black communities in the United States. You can view the full list of donees here.
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Since the social impact team launched, 190,000+ players have participated in over 700 Niantic Impact Events to support local charities & communities
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In collaboration with the Knight Foundation, we hosted a symposium called "Augmenting Cities: A Playful Path to Community", bringing together 150 attendees of diverse backgrounds and disciplines to reflect on how the future of people, cities, and technology will be shaped and evolve through AR.
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Students rewrote their community’s historic locations in a more meaningful way at our at our AR Stories Hack Day in Boston.
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Our inaugural group of Niantic/Knight Fellows in four cities across the US found creative ways to increase civic engagement and positively impact their local communities through real-world events.
We are actively looking for partners around the world who are interested in finding ways to make a positive impact through storytelling, community engagement, and Augmented Reality in public space.
If you’re a city government, nonprofit, or foundation looking to engage in new ways, please reach out to us at social-impact@nianticlabs.com.
Each month, we work with players, local city governments, and nonprofits to help support existing fundraisers, festivals, and more. Since 2017 we have supported hundreds of impact events around the world and we are always looking to promote new and diverse ways to create meaningful engagement and positive impact in communities.
If you’re hosting a community event with Niantic players, be sure to let us know by tagging @NianticLabs on social media!
If you are the organizer of a community event and are interested in partnering with Niantic, please fill out this form to tell us about what you are planning.
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+ - What is a Niantic Impact Event?An Impact Event is an occasion where community members are encouraged to come together for a specific cause. Some of our most successful examples include environmental clean-ups, fundraising initiatives, and festivals such as:
- Autumn Lights Festival in Oakland, CA - read about our history with this community garden and the 2018 event here
- Long Night of the Museums in Hamburg, Germany - watch a video of the event
- VivaCalleSJ in San Jose, CA - read about one of our first impact events in 2017 through the eyes of the Recreation Superintendent
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+ - Who is eligible to host a Niantic Impact Event?No specific eligibility requirements, we only ask that you:
- Plan and execute the event independently (Niantic can’t help with logistics)
- Have an explicit social impact or civic engagement focus
- Submit a fully completed application at least 6 weeks prior to the event date
- Are inclusive of all Niantic players and products
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+ - What will I receive if my Impact Event is accepted?If your Impact Event is accepted, you will receive the following support:
- Use of the Niantic logo for promoting the integrations in your event
- Reshares on our NianticLabs social media pages to highlight the work you’re doing for the community
- Special event waypoints in Niantic products during your event
- Package of Niantic and game-related swag including posters and stickers
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+ - Can I have an event for one game, such as a Pokémon GO festival?Niantic Impact Events are designed to engage members of our entire Niantic community, which includes players of all of our games. While we understand that you might be a player of only one, we encourage inclusion by asking that you invite players from all Niantic games while planning and promoting your event.
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+ - Can I request customized game changes?For Niantic Impact events, we offer the support listed above. In an attempt to equally support many community events around the world, we are not able to offer any special customization at this time.
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+ - Are there limits geographically for where I can host these events?We will happily accept requests for any location on planet Earth! Our players represent diverse communities all over the world and we would like to expand our reach to communities of every type in every corner of the globe.