Google.org

Google.org, founded in October 2005, is the charitable arm of Google, a multinational technology company. The organization has committed roughly US$100 million in investments and grants to nonprofits annually. The organization is noted for several significant grants to nonprofits using technology and data in innovative ways to support racial justice, educational opportunity, crisis response after health epidemics and natural disasters, and issues affecting the San Francisco Bay Area community where it is headquartered. It also hosts regular challenges around the world to stimulate innovative uses of technologies to address local challenges. The mission and approach of Google.org has seen multiple iterations over the years, an approach that mirrors other divisions within Google in its effort to reallocate resources towards the most significant and effective methods. The organization's general strategy involves funding the use of technology, data, and user-centered design to make a better world, faster. Google.org is considered a part of Google, as opposed to an Alphabet organization, under the formation of the Alphabet parent company in 2016. To fund the organization, Google granted three million shares during their initial public offering (IPO). In 2014, the corporation stated on its website that it donates$100,000,000 in grants, 200,000 hours, and $1 billion in products each year. As of 2016, Google has focused a majority of its efforts on a few key topics, based upon a premise of equality and opportunity. Racial Justice. It is the first major corporate philanthropy organization to allocate funding to combat against racial inequality in the United States, and has funded organizations such as Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative, the ACLU, the Ella Baker Center, and Beyond12. In 2017, Google pledged$11 million in grants to several organizations in connection with racial bias. Education and Digital Skills. In addition, Google.org funds education, economic development, and digital literacy related projects in a number of regions.