Make your picks —
Make a change
Pick your city. Back a local charity. Join your favorite sport.
Make your picks, battle friends and neighbors, and turn every matchup into more money for the charity you’re playing for.
You play. Charities win.
The standings, leaderboards and dedications below are Philadelphia’s.
City vs city
Example — the real race starts when the first season opensBattle local fans. Back local charities. Keep the money in your city.
Then, when a rivalry battle comes up, your city gets a chance to steal a bigger share from another city’s total — all while competing to see which city can raise the most for home.
Philadelphia
LeadingPhiladelphia and South Jersey
$6,417.50
banked for Philadelphia charities
- Fans playing
- 174
- Per fan
- $36.88
Pittsburgh
Western Pennsylvania
$4,863.00
banked for Pittsburgh charities
- Fans playing
- 118
- Per fan
- $41.21
- Philadelphia: $6,417.50
- Pittsburgh: $4,863.00
- Combined: $11,280.50 for local charities
Philadelphia leads on the total, but Pittsburgh fans bank more each ($41.21 per fan). Bring more fans and the total follows.
Not in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh? You can still play: pick the city you want to raise money for.
Philadelphia leaderboards
Example — real leaderboards start when the first season opensTop fans: banked for their charity
| # | Fan | Playing for | Banked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BroadStreetBettyCity Youth Sports | City Youth Sports | $210.50 |
| 2 | SnapCountSamRiverfront Food Bank | Riverfront Food Bank | $174.30 |
| 3 | HurryUpHarrietShelter Pets Rescue | Shelter Pets Rescue | $151.20 |
| 4 | ScreenPassSeanNeighbors in Need | Neighbors in Need | $136.00 |
| 5 | OnsideOliviaCity Youth Sports | City Youth Sports | $122.40 |
| 6 | PlayActionPaulLiteracy Now | Literacy Now | $104.75 |
| 7 | ThirdDownTinaRiverfront Food Bank | Riverfront Food Bank | $90.60 |
| 8 | CheesesteakChuckNeighbors in Need | Neighbors in Need | $83.30 |
Top Philadelphia charities
| # | Charity | Fans | Banked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City Youth Sports | 48 | $1,965.40 |
| 2 | Riverfront Food Bank | 42 | $1,712.20 |
| 3 | Neighbors in Need | 35 | $1,428.70 |
| 4 | Shelter Pets Rescue | 26 | $836.90 |
| 5 | Literacy Now | 23 | $474.30 |
How it works
- 1
Pick your city and your charity
Start local. Choose your city, then pick one of the participating charities you want to represent.
- 2
Make your picks
Fill out your bracket or make all your picks for the upcoming stretch at once. Change them anytime before they lock, and if you miss one, your backup rule has you covered.
- 3
Bring your people
Create a group and invite friends and family. Everyone plays in the same local competition, gets matched round by round, and can come back together for the next season.
- 4
Make your donation
Choose any whole-dollar amount starting at $20. A portion is secured for your charity as soon as your picks lock, no matter what happens next.
- 5
Battle for your charity
Each round, you go head-to-head with another fan from your city. Make the better picks and you take that round’s stake for your charity — the better you do, the more your charity gets.
What this looks like in season
The data below is for demonstration only. All names, charities, matchups, donations, and results are fictional and are shown only to illustrate how the experience works.
Every round is a new battle
Each round, you face one other fan. Pick more games correctly and you take a bigger share of the round for your charity. Then the slate resets, the matchups change, and you battle someone new.
- Round 1new opponent
- Round 2new opponent
- Round 3new opponent
- Round 4new opponent
- Round 5new opponent
Round 1, Philadelphia
Made-up exampleBlitzForGood
Won the roundPlaying for Hometown Food Pantry
Correct picks
24
Stake
$20.00
SteelCitySteve
Lost the roundPlaying for Kids' Hospital Fund
Correct picks
19
Stake
$20.00
BlitzForGood picked more games right, so the two stakes of $20.00 come together as $40.00:
$28.00
banked for Hometown Food Pantry
Guaranteed. It can never be lost again.
$12.00
carried into round 2
BlitzForGood starts the next round with more at stake.
SteelCitySteve keeps every dollar already banked for Kids' Hospital Fund, and still has a stake waiting in rounds 2 to 5.
Level on correct picks? We look at your score across every round so far, then at who called the games fewer fans got right. If you are still inseparable it is a genuine tie, and each of you keeps your own stake — split the same way a win is, so you both carry something into the next round. In the last round there is no next round, so it is all banked.
Who do you battle?
Your friends, in a group
Start a group, send the link by email or text, and you are matched inside your group first. It is the office pool, except the bragging rights come with donations.
- Set your own buy-in for the group, at or above the $20 minimum.
- Four ready members and your group plays on its own.
- Friends in another city can join and you all battle each other — each of you still playing for a charity where you live.
Your city, in the open pool
No group? You are matched with another fan from your city. Different charities battling each other is the whole point, so the money moves around the city rather than in a circle.
- Matched with someone who gave a similar amount, so it stays fair.
- We avoid pairing you with the same charity, or the same opponent twice.
- Odd number of fans? Three of you battle, and the top score takes both stakes.
Where a $100 donation goes
When the tournament starts, your donation gets put to work. Some is locked in for your charity right away, some is set aside for each battle round, and a small portion helps keep Mad4Change running.
Then the fun starts. Each round gives you a chance to steal a bigger share of the money for your charity. Lose one battle? No problem. You’re back the next round with a new opponent and another shot to take more for your cause.
An example of how a stretch like this one splits. Each stretch carries its own figures, and you will see them before you donate to it.
| Block | Share | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| At stake in Round 1 (64 teams) | 20% | $20.00 |
| At stake in Round 2 (32 teams) | 20% | $20.00 |
| At stake in Round 3 (16 teams) | 20% | $20.00 |
| At stake in Round 4 (8 teams) | 10% | $10.00 |
| At stake in Round 5 (semifinals and championship) | 10% | $10.00 |
| Banked for your charity right away | 10% | $10.00 |
| Mad4Change operational expenses | 10% | $10.00 |
Win a round and you take your opponent's stake for it: a percentage is banked for your charity and the rest carries into your next round. The last round banks everything.
What if I win every round?
Assuming each opponent staked the same as you. This is the best case, not a promise.
| Round | You stake | Round total | Banked | Carried |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banked at the start | — | — | $10.00 | — |
| Round 1 (64 teams) | $20.00 | $40.00 | $28.00 | $12.00 |
| Round 2 (32 teams) | $32.00 | $64.00 | $44.80 | $19.20 |
| Round 3 (16 teams) | $39.20 | $78.40 | $54.88 | $23.52 |
| Round 4 (8 teams) | $33.52 | $67.04 | $46.93 | $20.11 |
| Round 5 (semifinals and championship) | $30.11 | $60.22 | $60.22 | — |
| Total for your charity | $244.83 | |||
Lose every round instead and your charity still keeps the $10.00 banked at the start, while your stakes bank for other fans' charities. Either way, 90% of every dollar reaches a charity.
Charities are the only winners
Players never receive money or prizes. Winning a battle moves money to your charity, not to you.
Never miss a pick
Pick ahead, get reminders by email or text, and a backup rule fills anything you forget.
Every cent tracked
Follow your donation from the moment you give to the charity it's paid to.
Badges, lots of them
Perfect rounds, big upsets called, clean sweeps and more. Recognition only, never prizes.