At Google.org, we bring the best of Google to help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges - combining funding, innovation, and technical expertise to support underserved communities and provide opportunity for everyone.
Our COVID-19 commitment
We’re committing $100M and technical expertise to support and scale solutions for immediate relief, long term recovery, and future preparedness. We are focusing our efforts in areas where our resources and people can have the most impact - health and science, economic relief and recovery, and distance learning.
Health and Science
With the number of COVID-19 cases growing worldwide, we are supporting the people and organizations on the frontlines battling this disease.
Immediate humanitarian relief
We’ve committed up to $10.5M to benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization (through the UN Foundation) and Center for Disaster Philanthropy to support preparedness, containment, response and recovery efforts.
Data tracking for disease spread
Data is critical to understanding and managing a pandemic’s spread. We’re supporting efforts by Médecins Sans Frontières and Boston Children’s Hospital’s HealthMap through grants and Google.org Fellows to develop new epidemiological models to monitor the spread of COVID-19 and provide real-time information to governments and healthcare systems.
Economic Relief and Recovery
Millions of people around the world have been laid off as businesses close their doors. These closures are likely to hit small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) hardest1 along with households that live paycheck to paycheck.
Small business lending
In addition to a $200M investment that Google has committed to provide SMBs access to low-interest loans, Google.org is giving $15M in cash grants to Opportunity Finance Network, Youth Business International, and Common Future to support underserved SMBs.
Direct cash assistance
Direct cash transfers are one of the most effective ways to give relief during a crisis. We’re supporting nonprofits like GiveDirectly, Family Independence Initiative, and GiveIndia which deliver cash directly to vulnerable families.
Distance Learning
At the peak of COVID-19, more than a billion students were out of school.2 Teachers, parents, and schools are responding through a massive shift to online education. We announced a $10M Distance Learning Fund, to support organizations around the globe that help educators and parents access resources needed to provide high quality learning opportunities to children.
Scaled global learning platforms
We made a $1M grant to Khan Academy, who will reach over 18M learners a month with new COVID-19 specific resources for parents and teachers in over 20 languages.
Local education efforts
We’re granting $2.5M to INCO to accelerate grassroots nonprofits across Europe and Asia that support families of children who are at risk for severe learning disruption. INCO will distribute sub-grants and provide tailored coaching on high quality distance learning to parents.
Google.org Fellows in action
The Google.org Fellowship enables Google employees to complete up to six months of full-time pro bono work to accelerate the social impact of nonprofits and civic entities. Fellows use their expertise in product management, user experience research and design, software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, and more to help nonprofits and civic entities solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges.
Helping Boston Children’s Hospital improve data modeling and visualization
A team of 10 Google.org Fellows is supporting the Boston Children’s Hospital in building an epidemiological data modeling platform that aggregates and tracks the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
Supporting direct cash transfers with National Domestic Workers Alliance
In collaboration with the National Domestic Workers Alliance, seven Google.org Fellows are expanding their benefits tool to distribute a “Stay Home” Emergency Fund for domestic workers who have seen a decline in their earnings as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Helping the State of New York evaluate and solve technical challenges
10 Google.org Fellows are supporting Governor Cuomo’s Technology SWAT Team to help New York residents find and access critical COVID-19 related information.
