Search engine titan Google awarded another round of multimillion grants to a number of organizations, raising its donation level to forward social justice causes to $32 million, to date.
Provided through Google’s foundation arm, Google.org, the grants have been awarded to nonprofit groups in California’s Bay Area (where Google was founded) that fight racial inequality. The groups use the funds to create data-driven solutions to combat inequality.
Google.org just announced a $4M donation to the Vera Institute of Justice—a nonprofit with the stated mission of tackling “the most pressing injustices of our day—from the causes and consequences of mass incarceration, racial disparities, and the loss of public trust in law enforcement, to the unmet needs of the vulnerable, the marginalized, and those harmed by crime and violence.” The group will use the funds to build a technology platform for insight into the effects of mass incarceration in rural areas.
The Leadership Conference, a civil and human rights coalition, also received $2 million to support its efforts in criminal justice reform and providing employment opportunities for the formerly incarcerated.
Other groups receiving the latest round of grant money include LatinoJustice, Center for Policing Equity (CPE), and R Street Institute’s Justice for Work Coalition.
From Google’s blog:
For many years, bold leaders across the U.S. have been using technology to foster a national dialogue on systemic inequity. Through painful moments like the Charleston church shooting, Googlers, like many others, asked what we could do to advance a more inclusive society. Two years ago, alongside our Black Googler Network and its allies, Google.org started a formal grant portfolio to advance racial and social justice in the United States.
In the year ahead, Google will continue to stand in solidarity with the fight for racial justice. We believe in a justice system based on equity for all, informed by data and supported by community-based solutions. We’re proud to support organizations tackling this complex and worthy challenge.