Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, founder of Binance, announced that a Giggle Academy scholarship has been launched for children of U.S. military families. He highlighted their resilience and the need to reimagine education for underserved youth.
"I've spent most of my life building platforms that scale. Giggle Academy is my attempt to build something that scales meaningfully—for kids who were never handed the starting line, let alone the finish line," said Zhao. "I chose to begin this scholarship program with the children of U.S. military families because these young people know what service looks like. They carry with them courage, discipline, and often, grief—but also a culture of selfless leadership. This isn't just about handing out checks. It's about handing over tools."
In a newly announced initiative, the American Legion Charities has partnered with Giggle Academy to launch a $2 million scholarship program aimed at children of fallen and disabled U.S. service members. According to the American Legion’s official site, this program seeks to blend traditional educational support with cutting-edge, AI-powered, gamified learning technologies developed by Giggle Academy. The collaboration addresses systemic education access issues facing military families, especially those affected by post-9/11 service-related trauma or loss. The scholarship provides up to $20,000 per student and is awarded through a creative competition focused on blockchain and AI-based problem-solving.
According to a 2023 report by the RAND Corporation, approximately 2.1 million U.S. children have a parent who served in the military after September 11, 2001, with many facing challenges related to parental disability, loss, or prolonged deployments. The same study revealed that children from military families often experience academic disruptions, higher rates of anxiety, and financial hardship. The new scholarship initiative directly addresses these educational inequities by offering targeted financial and learning support.
The American Legion said that the new partnership with Giggle Academy "allows us to take that commitment into the future—combining time-honored service with cutting edge access to education." The organization emphasized its century-long role supporting "the children of our Nation’s heroes" and framed the initiative as more than a tribute to sacrifice: "we’re building opportunity, one child at a time." Acknowledging that military families are "often overlooked, especially once the uniforms come off," it added: "to those who gave their life for our freedoms and to their children—you are not forgotten."
Zhao is also known as a prominent technology entrepreneur best recognized for founding Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. In 2024, he launched Giggle Academy to provide free adaptive education to underserved children through gamified AI-driven curricula. According to Giggle Academy’s official site, Zhao's vision for the platform is rooted in his belief that scalable technology should solve real-world inequities, especially for learners lacking access to formal schooling.