Tag Archives: google.org

Critical information for those impacted by the war in Ukraine

Pictured above: David Miliband, CEO and President of the International Rescue Committee visited the Google office in Berlin today, where he met with United for Ukraine’s founders and Google executives.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a tragedy with a huge human cost. It’s heartbreaking to see all that the people of Ukraine are going through, and it weighs heavily across Europe, particularly for those with family, friends and colleagues in the region.

We’re committed to doing all we can to help. From the beginning of the war, our teams have been working around the clock to support the humanitarian effort, provide trustworthy information and promote cybersecurity.

United for Ukraine — providing critical information for refugees

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has estimated that more than 5 million refugees have already fled Ukraine into neighboring countries, with a further 13 million living in Ukrainian territory and in need of vital aid.

For those leaving Ukraine and settling for now in a new country, finding authoritative information and trusted services can be challenging and time-consuming. To help make it easier, Google.org is providing a $1.5 million grant to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), along with a team of Google.org Fellows, to expand access to critical information for those impacted by the war in Ukraine.

The money and expertise will help the IRC support unitedforukraine.org, an informative website and civil society effort that helps displaced people to find housing, legal aid and psychological support. The platform was launched by United for Ukraine, a non profit organization founded in February 2022 by two Ukrainian friends — Olga Hamama, CEO of venture development platform Planet FC, and Nina Levchuk, who happens to work for Google.

Gif of Ukraine

Unitedforukraine.org supports Ukrainian refugees through a network of over 400 legal experts and psychological support professionals from more than 30 countries. It will be part of the IRC’s Signpost Project, a global humanitarian technology program that helps refugees find resources to meet their urgent needs. Google has supported the IRC in its important work since 2015, providing $8 million in grant funding and more than 10,000 hours of pro bono support.

Over the course of six months, a Fellowship team of 13 Google employees will work full time and pro-bono with the IRC to help expand unitedforukraine.org and Signpost globally. The goal is to create a trusted place for displaced people to easily find both urgent support and long-term solutions, though of course we hope they will be able to return to a safe and secure Ukraine very soon.

Supporting frontline humanitarian work

This grant is the latest in our work to support humanitarian aid and refugee support groups in Ukraine and the surrounding countries.

Through Google.org and Googlers, we have already committed over $35 million in funding and in-kind support to aid relief efforts for those affected by the war in Ukraine. Many Googlers in the region are themselves hosting Ukrainian refugees in their homes, helping in local reception centers or at the border.

Tomorrow (5 May 2022), at the Donors Conference in Warsaw, I will announce a further commitment of $10 million in humanitarian support, which includes cash grants and in-kind donations, from Google.org and Google to help people in Ukraine. This will bring our total commitment from Google.org and Googlers to over $45 million in funding and in-kind support.

Helping through our products and tools

In times of war, accurate and timely information can save lives. We have been working to make our tools as helpful as possible to people affected by the war in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, we have worked closely with the government to send rapid air raid alerts to Android mobile phones in endangered areas, and feature information on shelter and aid points in Search and Maps.

We’re also working to protect those in the region against cyber attacks — increasing online protections for everyone, while Project Shield, our free protection against DDoS attacks, is already defending over 200 Ukrainian news, government and humanitarian organization websites. On top of this, Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has been closely monitoring cybersecurity activity in Eastern Europe, providing regular updates and sharing information to help others detect and respond to activity.

Globally, Google is elevating trusted news sources in response to searches about the war — and shutting down harmful content and misinformation. Since the war started, YouTube has removed more than 8,000 channels and 60,000 videos for misinformation, hate speech or graphic violence related to the war in Ukraine.

Throughout, we’ve worked to ensure that our efforts provide meaningful support to the people and businesses affected by the war – and we intend to keep focused on that goal, whatever the future may hold.

Helping Africans create their own opportunities

With African entrepreneurs raising more than $4 billion in funding in 2021, more than double the $1.5 billion raised in 2020, it’s clear investors around the globe are waking up to the continent’s potential. For some, like philanthropist Tony Elumelu, this growth is the validation of a long track record of backing African entrepreneurship.

Through the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), he has helped empower African entrepreneurs from across the continent. To date, TEF has distributed more than $85 million in grants for seed capital, and supported more than 1.5 million entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries through its proprietary digital platform, TEFConnect.net. Google is similarly enthusiastic about African startups and has supported them with funding, mentorship and skills development, among other things. That’s what makes it so exciting that TEF and Google’s paths are once again converging in 2022.

Last year, Google.org committed $3 million to the TEF to support an additional 500 female entrepreneurs across the continent. To further support the effort, this year, nine Google employees from Africa and Europe will devote six months of their time and expertise to TEF as part of the first Google.org Fellowship in Sub-Saharan Africa. Composed of engineers, user experience (UX) specialists and business and marketing managers, these Googlers will work with TEF full-time, pro bono, to build a new TEFConnect platform, equipped with new tools to help entrepreneurs access the resources they need to succeed.

We hope to support TEF in reaching one million more African entrepreneurs through the new TEFConnect, expected to launch later this year. The improved, more mobile-friendly TEFConnect platform will give those entrepreneurs access to a catalog of more curated educational resources, and more avenues for funding.

Additionally, as the world kicks off a month of celebration for International Women's Day, Google.org and The Tony Elumelu Foundation want to mark the occasion. As part of these collective celebrations, we will convene policymakers, private sector and entrepreneurs to engage in a discussion about entrepreneurship on the continent. We will hear from female entrepreneurs who have benefited from the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s support, as well as from notable leaders.

As the year 2022 progresses, we want to play a larger role in supporting the world's next generation of entrepreneurs. Africa's citizenry is youthful, optimistic and enterprising. There is so much to be gained by leveling the digital playing field and creating possibilities that will raise the ceiling for the continent’s population.

By bringing together people from the private and public sector and supporting entrepreneurs in areas that will make the most difference, we can go a long way to helping Africa’s entrepreneurs reach their full potential.

The Google.org grantee using AI to detect bushfire risks

From predicting floods to improving waste management, organizations and researchers across Asia Pacific are using technology to respond to the impact of climate change.

Supporting this important work is a priority for Google.org. At today’s Southeast Asia Development Symposium, we announced a $6 million Sustainability Seed Fund to help organizations dedicated to addressing some of the region’s most difficult sustainability challenges. We look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks, including how nonprofits can apply.

The new fund builds on the support Google.org has already provided — through grants, technology and Googlers’ time — for sustainability-focused organizations and researchers across Asia-Pacific over recent years. I recently had the chance to talk to one of those existing grantees, Professor Hamish McGrowan from the University of Queensland in Australia, who received $1 million in Google.org support in 2021. Professor McGrowan and his team are working on a world-first hazard detection system for bushfires. It’s a powerful example of technology’s potential to protect communities in the short term and inform planning over the long term. It's also part of Google’s Digital Future Initiative to propel Australian innovation and help Australians solve pressing problems.

Here’s what I learned from our conversation.

We know that bushfires have been a persistent issue in Australia. Could you give us a sense of the environmental challenges you're seeing and how big this issue is?

Tackling bushfires is a nationwide issue. The Australian landscape has always been subject to fire, including what we may term nowadays as catastrophic fires. For example, many of Australia's plants have evolved to require fire to germinate.

However, as the climate has changed in response to both natural and anthropogenic causes — and as urban areas expand into bushland — fire incidence has increased and arguably the scale and intensity of fires have too. One of the great challenges is managing and mitigating risk from bushfires in response to climate and land-use change and pollution pressures.

Professor Hamish McGrowan, wearing a blue polo shirt and gray trousers, crouches in an area of green-brown woodland inspecting a laptop, radar and other equipment set up to detect bushfire risks.

Professor Hamish testing out the solution

Could you share more about the solution you and your team have created to address the bushfires?

Over the past few years, my graduate students and I have developed a mobile weather radar capability with the support of generous industry organizations, including Google. Initially, the radar was used to study severe thunderstorms in southeast Queensland. We then tested the radar's ability to observe bushfires and their interactions with the atmosphere. With the assistance of the radar's manufacturer, Furuno Electric Co from Japan, we have now developed the capability to use the radar to identify and monitor meteorological hazards associated with severe bushfires — such as extreme winds, vortices, or burning embers. We are now developing this capacity further by applying artificial intelligence (AI) to near-real-time analysis of the radar data — so we can produce nowcasts of bushfire-related hazards.

I'm glad that through Google.org, we've been able to support the University of Queensland along the way. What do you hope to achieve with the new solution?

Our work ultimately aims to provide increased accuracy in forecasting bushfire movements and alerting community members and emergency responders before they spread. The $1 million grant from Google.org will enable our researchers to work on a new capability to identify and forewarn people in locations up to 30 kilometers downwind from the fire front that may come under attack from embers – sometimes in areas previously perceived as safe. Right now, we're in the process of preparing for our first season of data collection using the mobile radar and have appointed new staff to the project.

From your perspective, how important are partnerships and support from governments, businesses, and communities in developing technology solutions?

Extremely important! We’ve long worked closely with local governments and various other organizations in areas of research and development. There are plenty of opportunities for collaboration and it’s wonderful to hear that Google.org is launching a new fund to support this kind of work across Asia Pacific.

What do you aspire to achieve with this solution in the next 10 years?

We hope to have a new bushfire warning capability that can be applied globally to save lives, businesses, and the environment from the perils of extreme bushfires and their interactions with the atmosphere.

Using tech to make hiring more inclusive

Three years ago, Generation and Google.org joined forces to help jobseekers launch meaningful careers and change their lives. Enabled by $7.5M in grant funding from Google.org, and technical support from a team of Google.org Fellows, Generation has now helped to train and place more than 3,000 people in France, Italy, and Spain into entry-level technology sector professions, including digital customer care, full stack and java development, digital marketing, and robotic process automation.

Opening up access to today’s digital economy

At both Google and Generation, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in today's increasingly digital economy. Yet groups that are already underserved are still often underrepresented in jobs that require digital skills. Like Google’s Grow with Google initiatives, Generation’s programs seek to open access to education for those who have faced systemic barriers to accessing employment — 54% of learners at Generation are female, and most describe themselves as financially unstable before joining Generation, with 80% of learners unemployed.

Graduates from the Generation programs supported by Google.org have seen life-transforming outcomes, even in the midst of a pandemic labor market. Within six months of program completion, 75% of graduates were already placed in jobs. A year later, the majority of those remained employed.

A YouTube celebrating 50,000 lives transformed
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Seeing the impact of Generation’s work and hearing the stories of Generation graduates is deeply inspiring. Stories like that of David André, who started working after high school without a university degree. He had a series of low wage restaurant and retail jobs, and then spent a period of time unemployed, facing financial and family difficulties.

Around that time, he received an email from the French employment agency, Pôle Emploi, about the Generation Customer Care program. David André decided to apply, and was accepted. He invested himself fully in the program. At the end of the course, Generation connected him with a French startup, Doctolib — an online platform that facilitates virtual medical appointments. Within a few months, he was hired permanently. With his newfound work stability, he has moved into his own place, and has stepped into a sales support role as he continues to advance in his career.

Spotlighting skills on the Employer Portal

To help further accelerate Generation’s mission, Google recently provided additional support in the form of a Google.org Fellowship, where a team of Google data scientists and product managers worked full-time, pro bono alongside Generation for six months, to address the challenge of matching job seekers with employers. When employers are accustomed to focusing on resumes, not candidate skills, it can be difficult for jobseekers from underrepresented communities to get seen. To make it easier for recruiters to find the talent they need from its pool of graduates, Google.org Fellows helped Generation to develop and build a new Employer Portal, now being trialed in both Spain and France.

What differentiates the Portal from other job-matching platforms out there is that employers can search for talent based on the skill-set of the job seekers, which Generation helps validate beforehand. Focusing on the skills that candidates bring to the table, rather than data points like age, gender, and education, help to minimize hiring biases and unlock new talent pools for employers — breaking down barriers to employment for underrepresented populations. We’re looking forward to seeing what the Employer Portal can do to help more jobseekers find employment, and like David André, change their lives.

The nonprofit leaders to watch in 2022

For as long as Google.org has been around, we’ve supported big ideas to change the world by funding organizations led by dynamic individuals. We backed Sal Khan’s Khan Academy when he was creating it from his walk-in closet in 2010; today more than 70 million people have used the service to help improve their academic outcomes. Or GiveDirectly co-founders Michael Faye and Paul Niehaus, who’ve grown their initial idea for direct cash assistance from a private giving circle to one of the fastest-growing nonprofits of the decade.

So, we asked ourselves: Who are the nonprofit leaders of today who will help create a better tomorrow? The answer: These seven individuals from around the world who are driving real-world change in their communities and finding unexpected solutions to complex challenges across equity, education, health and sustainability. Take a look at Google.org’s Leaders to Watch for 2022.

  • Black and white sketch of Brandon.

    Brandon Nicholson, Ph. D., (he/him) Executive Director, The Hidden Genius Project, is Uplifting Black male youth to reach their highest potential.

  • Black and white sketch of Ananya

    Ananya Tiwari (she/her), Executive Director, SwaTaleem, is helping girls in rural India gain access to educational opportunities.

  • Black and white sketch of Engineer

    Engineer Bainomugisha (he/him), Associate Professor & Project Lead, AirQo, is envisioning a world with clean air for all African cities.

  • Black and white sketch of Mariana

    Mariana Costa (she/her), Co-founder & CEO, Laboratoria, is changing the face of tech in Latin America.

  • Black and white sketch of Clara

    Clara Rowe (she/her), CEO, Restor, is leading an open data platform that supports and connects ecological restoration projects globally.

  • Black and white sketch of Dr. Kraemer

    Dr. Moritz Kraemer (he/him), Co-founder, Global.health, is building a future in which we can better predict the spread of infectious diseases.

  • Black and white sketch of Dr. Scott.

    Dr. Allison Scott (she/her), CEO, Kapor Foundation, is fighting for racial equity in the tech sector.

We know firsthand the great work that these leaders do at their organizations; collectively their nonprofits have received millions in funding from Google.org over the past few years. Now we’re going beyond funding the organizations, to focus on supporting the development of individuals behind the work.

No two leaders are in the same stage of their career, so we’re giving them each a financial award of $30,000 to spend how they see fit. We’ve seen the power that direct cash assistance can have through our grantees (for example GiveDirectly) and believe that each leader will know best how to spend their award for their own development.

There is also great power in being able to exchange ideas with fellow leaders, so in addition to creating opportunities for the leaders to learn from each other, they will each also receive mentorship from directors and vice presidents at Google who will be able to provide coaching tailored to their needs. Mentors will include Engineering Director Mekka Okereke, and VP of Marketing in India, Sapna Chadha.

The work of these Leaders to Watch is inspiring, daring and optimistic, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the coming years.

Our new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund

Editor’s note:Today Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fundat an event with U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo and the CEOs of Social Finance, Merit America and Year Up. Below is an edited transcript of his remarks. Watch the event above.

One of the best parts of my job is visiting the communities where Google operates. These visits remind me that America is full of people who want to work hard and contribute to their communities.

That sense of purpose and optimism is what brought me to America nearly 30 years ago. And it’s what drew me to Google and its mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

We are a company of technology optimists. We believe in what people can do with technology to improve their lives and the lives of others.

That’s what inspired us to launch Grow with Google in 2017, to help all Americans access training to grow their skills, careers and businesses. What we’ve learned over the last five years is what can be accomplished when private-sector companies like ours come together with public-sector institutions and nonprofit partners. Our digital skills program is one example. Together we’ve helped train eight million Americans in all 50 states.

Another example is our Google Career Certificates. Seventy thousand Americans have now completed these certificates. They prepare people for high-paying, high-growth jobs in fields like data analytics, IT support, project management and user experience design. They are available to anyone, no college degree required. Seventy-five percent of graduates report seeing a positive impact on their career within six months, including a raise or a new job.

That includes Natalie Burns, who I met in 2019, and who is here with us today. Natalie earned her Google IT Support certificate while attending community college in Texas. She got a job in cybersecurity and — I’m told — a significant pay increase. Congrats, Natalie!

We want to help more people access these Certificates, especially in underserved communities.

That’s why I’m excited to announce a new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund. The goal is to enable Social Finance to reach more than 20,000 American workers. This investment in America’s future has the potential to drive $1 billion in wage gains.

This fund is a new kind of financing model. We’ll invest Google capital and Google.org grants and provide our Career Certificate program. Social Finance will provide funding to nonprofit partners like Merit America and Year Up, who in turn will provide services like career coaching, living stipends and job placement support. And we’ll connect students to an employer consortium of more than 150 companies who are looking to hire workers with these skills.

It’s all designed around student success. They will receive all of this at no upfront cost. And will only pay it back once they find a job earning at least $40,000 a year. Social Finance will then redistribute those repayments to future learners, making this model more sustainable.

It’s another promising example of how the entire ecosystem — from private companies to nonprofits — can work together to help more Americans access economic opportunities.

I’m excited to see all the ways this could be transformative for people, their families and their communities. Thank you to our partners again for their efforts and support.

Giving $2 billion to nonprofits since 2017

Five years ago, Google.org committed to contributing $1 billion to organizations around the world that are working to create opportunities for everyone. Today, thanks in part to the generosity of our employees, we’ve doubled that goal. Since 2017, we’ve provided more than $2 billion in cash grants and employee contributions to nonprofits, and Google employees have collectively volunteered the equivalent of 160 years worth of time with organizations they’re passionate about.

When we started Google.org in 2004, we wanted to use the best of Google to help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges. Today, our commitment to nonprofits goes beyond cash grants and volunteering to include access to our products and technical expertise.

In addition to grants and employee contributions, we’ve donated over $7 billion in Ad Grants since 2017. These donated ads help organizations connect with potential donors, recruit volunteers and inform people of their services — and do so at the moment when their services are needed most.

We know that magic happens when we pair funding with employee tech expertise through Google.org Fellowships, a pro bono program that matches Google employees with nonprofits and civic entities to work full time for up to six months on technical projects. Last year alone, Fellows worked on projects that included raising awareness about gaps in health equity, making it easier for people in Detroit to find affordable housing, using AI to stop pests devastating crops that feed communities across India, and more.

As we mark these milestones of nonprofit giving, we also want to look to the future and focus on where tech-driven philanthropy can have the most impact.

We believe in the importance of taking big bets on new ideas that can pay off in the long run. Take our grantee GiveDirectly for example. Back in 2012, they shared with us a new idea about giving cash directly to people in need, and we jumped on board to provide some of their first seed funding. Today, there are more than 300 studies on the effectiveness of direct cash transfers, and GiveDirectly has distributed more than $500 million, making them one of the fastest-growing nonprofits of the decade.

We also know that when solving global issues — whether it’s supporting vaccine roll-out or creating economic opportunity — equity and inclusion are critical. We’ll continue to advocate for the role technology can play in driving equitable outcomes in everything from health to racial justice.

Our grantees around the world inspire us every day, and we’re excited to continue this journey towards a better world, together.

Giving $2 billion to nonprofits since 2017

Five years ago, Google.org committed to contributing $1 billion to organizations around the world that are working to create opportunities for everyone. Today, thanks in part to the generosity of our employees, we’ve doubled that goal. Since 2017, we’ve provided more than $2 billion in cash grants and employee contributions to nonprofits, and Google employees have collectively volunteered the equivalent of 160 years worth of time with organizations they’re passionate about.

When we started Google.org in 2004, we wanted to use the best of Google to help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges. Today, our commitment to nonprofits goes beyond cash grants and volunteering to include access to our products and technical expertise.

In addition to grants and employee contributions, we’ve donated over $7 billion in Ad Grants since 2017. These donated ads help organizations connect with potential donors, recruit volunteers and inform people of their services — and do so at the moment when their services are needed most.

We know that magic happens when we pair funding with employee tech expertise through Google.org Fellowships, a pro bono program that matches Google employees with nonprofits and civic entities to work full time for up to six months on technical projects. Last year alone, Fellows worked on projects that included raising awareness about gaps in health equity, making it easier for people in Detroit to find affordable housing, using AI to stop pests devastating crops that feed communities across India, and more.

As we mark these milestones of nonprofit giving, we also want to look to the future and focus on where tech-driven philanthropy can have the most impact.

We believe in the importance of taking big bets on new ideas that can pay off in the long run. Take our grantee GiveDirectly for example. Back in 2012, they shared with us a new idea about giving cash directly to people in need, and we jumped on board to provide some of their first seed funding. Today, there are more than 300 studies on the effectiveness of direct cash transfers, and GiveDirectly has distributed more than $500 million, making them one of the fastest-growing nonprofits of the decade.

We also know that when solving global issues — whether it’s supporting vaccine roll-out or creating economic opportunity — equity and inclusion are critical. We’ll continue to advocate for the role technology can play in driving equitable outcomes in everything from health to racial justice.

Our grantees around the world inspire us every day, and we’re excited to continue this journey towards a better world, together.

€20 million to support the European social economy

Social entrepreneurs tackle big societal challenges that benefit people and the planet alike — with sustainable business models.

In Europe, there are an estimated 2.8 million social enterprises that employ 13.6 million people and contribute to a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable economy. However, the pandemic has exacerbated some of the challenges these social entrepreneurs face, including existing inequalities and access to resources.

Which is why today, we’re committing €20 million in cash funding through the Google.org Social Innovation Fund to support underserved social entrepreneurs across Europe.


Social entrepreneurs need more support

According to a study released today by ChangemakerXchange and The Possibilists and co-funded by Google.org, only 1 in 5 young social entrepreneurs can live off their venture and over 60% have experienced burnout. Entrepreneurs from underserved communities experience these challenges more acutely. In addition, research from Euclid Network shows that social enterprises face significant barriers to growing their business and scaling their impact. In particular, they lack access to capital and support from companies and governments.

Private companies need to play their part in helping the social economy. Today, the European Commission is setting out a strong policy agenda to support social enterprises in its EU Action Plan on the Social Economy, and calling on governments, funders and companies to do more to support the social economy. We’re committed to doing our part — and to building on our work at Google for Startups in Europe over the last ten years, our Google.org Impact Challenges and the more than €10 million in Google.org funding that we’ve awarded to social enterprises to support charitable projects over the last 3 years.

Paris-based social enterprise Chance (previously called YGeneration) knows first-hand how critical such support can be — now more than ever. In 2015 Google.org awarded them $200,000 to further their mission of using technology to help people from underserved communities access career guidance, digital coaching and the job market.

Seven years later — with the help of mentoring from Google volunteers and an additional $2 million in Google.org funding — they’ve helped 10,000 job seekers find roles and improve their careers. They also inspired additional funders to invest over €5 million, and will soon announce that they’ve attracted additional funding to reach even more people in French and English speaking countries.

We know there are more social entrepreneurs who could have a positive impact on their communities, if they could get more support.

  • An image of founder Deborah Choi next to a quote that reads "Deborah Choi, Founderland: “Our goal is to build a new inclusive and intersectional standard for entrepreneurs. The funding from Google.org will help us support women founders who’ve been historically left out and left behind, to become strong business leaders, grow sustainably and raise capital”
  • A picture of Anisa Morridadi, founder of Beatfreeks with a quote saying “Google.org has supported us for many years in our mission to offer insight and youth engagement to companies across the UK to help them embrace diverse ideas and talent, improve business and shape culture.”
  • A picture of Kristian Rönn, co-founder of Normative. A quote says “With the Google.org grant funding, we have accelerated our work to open free access to sector-specific insights data for SMEs available through the UN-backed SME Climate Hub. This has been transformational. Now that we have 12 Google employees assisting us full-time for 6 months as part of a Google.org Fellowship, we are looking forward to even greater impact”
  • A picture of Tia Taylor, founder of Colory. The quote says “ColorY* is a social media space created by and for second generation Italians. Google.org is helping us to amplify the voices of future generations, to create a reality where people can feel heard, seen, and recognised.”
  • A picture Ludovic de Gromard, founder of Chance. A quote says “Google.org’s funding and mentoring support has contributed to Chance being recognised today as leading one of the most advanced career guidance programs. The support has also opened many doors for us as a social enterprise, including new funding opportunities”

Supporting underserved entrepreneurs and social economy ecosystems

Today’s announcement will deepen our support, with €20 million in cash funding, as well as additional in-kind support through AdGrants.

€13 million will go toward strengthening local social economy ecosystems across Europe, and creating better access for underserved entrepreneurs. This funding will support leading social economy organizations to create and scale programs that help build the capacity of underserved entrepreneurs, and provide access to networks, upskilling and tools.

Our first grant will be €1 million to Fund 05 in Slovenia to help catalyze the country’s nascent social entrepreneurship sector. We’re also supporting the Euclid Network to gather social economy leaders so they can share insights, learnings and solutions across borders.

In addition, we’re giving a €7 million grant to INCO to provide access to capital and support for entrepreneurs from underserved communities in the form of cash grants between €25,000 - €100,000 each to scale up their enterprises. INCO will also help individuals who are just starting out turn their idea into a business, with funding of €4.000 - €10.000 alongside mentoring and incubation services.

To unlock the full potential of the social economy, we need to work together — that includes governments, companies, foundations, investors, nonprofits, cooperatives and social enterprises. That’s why we’re joining the World Economic Forum’s COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs.

As we work towards an inclusive economic recovery, the decisions that companies, funders, foundations and policymakers make now will determine what our economies of tomorrow will look like. We hope that social entrepreneurship — which truly puts purpose, people and planet at the center of business goals — can influence the economy going forward.

Unlocking human rights information with machine learning

Human rights defenders need information from many sources to do their work effectively. But as issues evolve and new precedents are set, finding the right information to defend a particular case can be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

For example, a human rights advocate campaigning for LGBTQ rights may want to know which countries have made the most progress and what resolutions they’ve passed. To do so, they have to manually sift through thousands of pages of dense documentation covering global laws and victims’ testimonies to find what they’re looking for.

The curation and cataloging of documents makes this process much easier, but still relies on the manual work of skilled experts. To help, the non-profit organization HURIDOCS looked to machine learning. With support from Google.org Fellows and grant funding, they’ve built new tools that can automatically tag human rights documents so they are searchable — making the curation process 13 times faster.

How machine learning can make information more accessible

Typically, non-governmental organizations collect and curate large bodies of human rights information, with the goal of making these collections useful for advocates. Manually processing these documents can take several days, particularly when they’re published in unfamiliar languages or in PDF format which is difficult to search through. As a result, many NGOs face a large backlog of documents that remain to be processed, and by the time they’re added to collections new documentation often supersedes them.

Based in Geneva, HURIDOCS has been developing tools to manage and analyze collections of human rights evidence, law and research for nearly four decades. In 2016, they had an idea: What if machine learning could skim through documents, make terms extractable, and classify the content to catalog documents more quickly?

HURIDOCS took their idea to the Google AI Impact Challenge and was selected for a $1 million grant from Google.org and six months of technical support from a team of seven full-time pro bono Google.org Fellows. As one of the Fellows, I helped train AI models and make sure that the tool was useful to human rights experts, not just machine learning experts.

Google.org grantee HURIDOCS is using machine learning to make it easier for human rights defenders to find the information they need, with help from a team of Google.org Fellows.
10:25

The curation process of human rights documents gets a boost

Since then, HURIDOCS has launched ML-powered features to improve platforms they’ve built with other NGO partners, and, earlier this year, they began integrating the technology into more of its tools, including their flagship application Uwazi. As a result, updating documents now takes one week instead of two to three months, and curators have been able to catch up on multi-year document backlogs.

In June, HURIDOCS won a CogX Award for its machine learning work, and now the organization is continuing to explore what else its machine learning models can do — from creating automatic tables of contents for documents to identifying references within text. With the power of artificial intelligence, HURIDOCS hopes to solve the trickiest challenges facing human rights defenders.