Tag Archives: google.org

A Google.org grant to help Southeast Asia’s businesses

Noraeri, the breadwinner of her family, runs Chu Su Mo: a shop selling traditional clothes to her local community in the Baan Huay e-Khang village of Chiangmai, Thailand. For years, trade has been steady but now, with coronavirus restrictions in place, she’s having to find new ways to run her business—experimenting with online advertising to reach more customers.


Chu So Mo is one of the 64 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Southeast Asia that have been affected by the pandemic. Not only are these businesses integral to their communities--providing vital services and supporting jobs in the local economy—they’re also critical to the region’s economic growth. We want to help them get the right digital knowledge so they, like Noraeri, can adapt and ultimately rebuild.  


Through a $3.3 million grant from Google.org, we’re providing funding to help The Asia Foundation support its nonprofit partners as they extend digital skills training to 200,000 people in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The grant will fund training in marginalized communities, including programs for women, underemployed young people, and those with disabilities.


With the backing of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Coordinating Committee on MSMEs (ACCMSME)---and in partnership with organizations like Thai Fund Foundation in Thailand and Pusat Pengembagan Sumberdaya Wanita in Indonesia—The Asia Foundation’s programs will give business owners and workers in all 10 ASEAN countries the skills and tools they need for the internet economy. The programs will also provide specific guidance on how to withstand and recover from the economic impact of COVID-19—for example, by helping businesses understand the delivery options available in their area so they can ship their products to their customers no matter where they are.  


This new Google.org grant builds on our 2018 commitment to train three million SME workers across Southeast Asia.  It’s also part of our global efforts to support small businesses and others affected by COVID-19. In Southeast Asia in particular, the importance of digital skillscontinues to grow as millions of people gain access to the internet each year and traditional businesses move online. With the support of ACCMSME, The Asia Foundation and its partners, we hope more MSMEs will be able to succeed, grow, and create opportunity for their local economies and communities.


A Google.org grant to help Southeast Asia’s businesses

Noraeri, the breadwinner of her family, runs Chu Su Mo: a shop selling traditional clothes to her local community in the Baan Huay e-Khang village of Chiangmai, Thailand. For years, trade has been steady but now, with coronavirus restrictions in place, she’s having to find new ways to run her business—experimenting with online advertising to reach more customers.


Chu So Mo is one of the 64 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Southeast Asia that have been affected by the pandemic. Not only are these businesses integral to their communities--providing vital services and supporting jobs in the local economy—they’re also critical to the region’s economic growth. We want to help them get the right digital knowledge so they, like Noraeri, can adapt and ultimately rebuild.  


Through a $3.3 million grant from Google.org, we’re providing funding to help The Asia Foundation support its nonprofit partners as they extend digital skills training to 200,000 people in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The grant will fund training in marginalized communities, including programs for women, underemployed young people, and those with disabilities.


With the backing of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Coordinating Committee on MSMEs (ACCMSME)---and in partnership with organizations like Thai Fund Foundation in Thailand and Pusat Pengembagan Sumberdaya Wanita in Indonesia—The Asia Foundation’s programs will give business owners and workers in all 10 ASEAN countries the skills and tools they need for the internet economy. The programs will also provide specific guidance on how to withstand and recover from the economic impact of COVID-19—for example, by helping businesses understand the delivery options available in their area so they can ship their products to their customers no matter where they are.  


This new Google.org grant builds on our 2018 commitment to train three million SME workers across Southeast Asia.  It’s also part of our global efforts to support small businesses and others affected by COVID-19. In Southeast Asia in particular, the importance of digital skillscontinues to grow as millions of people gain access to the internet each year and traditional businesses move online. With the support of ACCMSME, The Asia Foundation and its partners, we hope more MSMEs will be able to succeed, grow, and create opportunity for their local economies and communities.


Supporting refugees and displaced people on World Refugee Day

More than 79 million were displaced at the end of last year as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations—29 million of which were refugees. 

Since 2015, we’ve given more than $30 million in Google.org grants to help provide emergency support and access to vital information and educational resources to more than one million refugees. Today, on World Refugee Day, we’re renewing our commitment to work together with nonprofits and find more long-term solutions. We’re supporting the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with $550,000 Google.org and YouTube grants to provide refugees with necessary materials to endure the pandemic, digital skills training series and updates to Google Search in affected countries so people have access to reliable information at all times. 

The global pandemic knows no borders and is affecting everyone—including refugees. Already, YouTube has donated $250,000 to UNHCR to help provide life-saving support, including water, medical care and hygiene materials to refugees and the communities who host them in affected countries.

Equipping refugees with digital skills for future opportunities

Refugees and internally displaced people around the world are facing job losses due to the pandemic’s restrictions. According to UNHCR, 47 percent of the refugee population in 2019 was between the ages 18 and 59 , and the unemployment rate in this demographic is expected to rise.

We’re announcing a $300,000 Google.org grant to help UNHCR further prepare refugees for the changing nature of work. The organization will host online training to help refugees and host community members in the MENA region including Algeria and Morocco learn digital skills throughout a course of a year.

Surfacing reliable information to refugees on Google Search

Often refugees struggle to access timely, trusted and accurate information on the web. Using Google Trends and UNHCR’s internal insights, we’ve identified the most common refugee related questions. Then we helped UNHCR navigate our developer platform to provide refugees with authoritative answers clearly displayed on Google Search to questions like “What happens during the Refugee Status Determination interview?” and “How to qualify for cash assistance?”

Google-EN.gif

 The new feature presents structured answers to refugee-related questions on Search.

AR Demo.gif

An example of a search query in Arabic with authoritative answers from UNHCR.

These results are already available in Arabic, English, Turkish and Farsi, to help refugees who are staying in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. These countries represent the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.   

The number of people forcibly displaced remains at a record high, and the effects of the crisis will go on for years. Nonprofits working alongside these affected communities need our help, and we’ll continue to support them through immediate relief and long-term recovery. 

For World Refugee Day 2020, we celebrate the refugees fighting on the frontlines of this pandemic, alongside their hosts and the aid workers supporting them.

Source: Search


Supporting refugees and displaced people on World Refugee Day

More than 79 million were displaced at the end of last year as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations—29 million of which were refugees. 

Since 2015, we’ve given more than $30 million in Google.org grants to help provide emergency support and access to vital information and educational resources to more than one million refugees. Today, on World Refugee Day, we’re renewing our commitment to work together with nonprofits and find more long-term solutions. We’re supporting the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with $550,000 Google.org and YouTube grants to provide refugees with necessary materials to endure the pandemic, digital skills training series and updates to Google Search in affected countries so people have access to reliable information at all times. 

The global pandemic knows no borders and is affecting everyone—including refugees. Already, YouTube has donated $250,000 to UNHCR to help provide life-saving support, including water, medical care and hygiene materials to refugees and the communities who host them in affected countries.

Equipping refugees with digital skills for future opportunities

Refugees and internally displaced people around the world are facing job losses due to the pandemic’s restrictions. According to UNHCR, 47 percent of the refugee population in 2019 was between the ages 18 and 59 , and the unemployment rate in this demographic is expected to rise.

We’re announcing a $300,000 Google.org grant to help UNHCR further prepare refugees for the changing nature of work. The organization will host online training to help refugees and host community members in the MENA region including Algeria and Morocco learn digital skills throughout a course of a year.

Surfacing reliable information to refugees on Google Search

Often refugees struggle to access timely, trusted and accurate information on the web. Using Google Trends and UNHCR’s internal insights, we’ve identified the most common refugee related questions. Then we helped UNHCR navigate our developer platform to provide refugees with authoritative answers clearly displayed on Google Search to questions like “What happens during the Refugee Status Determination interview?” and “How to qualify for cash assistance?”

Google-EN.gif

 The new feature presents structured answers to refugee-related questions on Search.

AR Demo.gif

An example of a search query in Arabic with authoritative answers from UNHCR.

These results are already available in Arabic, English, Turkish and Farsi, to help refugees who are staying in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. These countries represent the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.   

The number of people forcibly displaced remains at a record high, and the effects of the crisis will go on for years. Nonprofits working alongside these affected communities need our help, and we’ll continue to support them through immediate relief and long-term recovery. 

For World Refugee Day 2020, we celebrate the refugees fighting on the frontlines of this pandemic, alongside their hosts and the aid workers supporting them.

Supporting refugees and displaced people on World Refugee Day

More than 79 million were displaced at the end of last year as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations—29 million of which were refugees. 

Since 2015, we’ve given more than $30 million in Google.org grants to help provide emergency support and access to vital information and educational resources to more than one million refugees. Today, on World Refugee Day, we’re renewing our commitment to work together with nonprofits and find more long-term solutions. We’re supporting the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with $550,000 Google.org and YouTube grants to provide refugees with necessary materials to endure the pandemic, digital skills training series and updates to Google Search in affected countries so people have access to reliable information at all times. 

The global pandemic knows no borders and is affecting everyone—including refugees. Already, YouTube has donated $250,000 to UNHCR to help provide life-saving support, including water, medical care and hygiene materials to refugees and the communities who host them in affected countries.

Equipping refugees with digital skills for future opportunities

Refugees and internally displaced people around the world are facing job losses due to the pandemic’s restrictions. According to UNHCR, 47 percent of the refugee population in 2019 was between the ages 18 and 59 , and the unemployment rate in this demographic is expected to rise.

We’re announcing a $300,000 Google.org grant to help UNHCR further prepare refugees for the changing nature of work. The organization will host online training to help refugees and host community members in the MENA region including Algeria and Morocco learn digital skills throughout a course of a year.

Surfacing reliable information to refugees on Google Search

Often refugees struggle to access timely, trusted and accurate information on the web. Using Google Trends and UNHCR’s internal insights, we’ve identified the most common refugee related questions. Then we helped UNHCR navigate our developer platform to provide refugees with authoritative answers clearly displayed on Google Search to questions like “What happens during the Refugee Status Determination interview?” and “How to qualify for cash assistance?”

Google-EN.gif

 The new feature presents structured answers to refugee-related questions on Search.

AR Demo.gif

An example of a search query in Arabic with authoritative answers from UNHCR.

These results are already available in Arabic, English, Turkish and Farsi, to help refugees who are staying in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. These countries represent the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.   

The number of people forcibly displaced remains at a record high, and the effects of the crisis will go on for years. Nonprofits working alongside these affected communities need our help, and we’ll continue to support them through immediate relief and long-term recovery. 

For World Refugee Day 2020, we celebrate the refugees fighting on the frontlines of this pandemic, alongside their hosts and the aid workers supporting them.

Source: Search


Helping small businesses get access to capital

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been actively working on ways to support communities and small businesses in the United States and around the world. In March, we announced the $125 million Grow with Google Small Business Fund as one way to offer support. Through a partnership with Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), the fund provides low-interest loans to community development financial institutions (CDFI), who in turn provide loans to small businesses in underserved communities in the U.S. Google.org also made a $5 million grant to OFN to further support CDFIs as they grow their capital and build their capacity during this time of crisis. 

Earlier today, as part of our effort to support the Black community, our CEO Sundar Pichai announced that we are expanding the program by adding $45 million in loans to the fund and $5 million in Google.org grants to OFN, with a specific focus on Black communities. This brings Google’s total support for CDFIs and the small businesses they serve to $170 million in loans and $10 million in Google.org grants.

Today we’re announcing the first five CDFIs, which will receive a total of $15.5 million in financing from OFN. They will provide loans to small businesses to help them make rent, pay their employees and continue to serve their customers. This financing will enable OFN’s member CDFIs to improve access to capital for some of the most underserved small businesses: those owned by women and minorities. In addition, six CDFIs will each receive a $125,000 from OFN, made from the grant funds provided by Google.org.

Here are the CDFIs which will receive the first round of funding.

  • Grameen America ($5 million loan, $125,000 grant): With 23 branches across 15 cities, Grameen America focuses exclusively on providing loans to U.S. microenterprises owned by low-income women.

  • MoFi ($3 million loan): By providing financing and consulting, MoFi reaches small business owners across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. 

  • Opportunity Fund($5 million loan, $125,000 grant): Based in California, Opportunity Fund provides loans to small businesses throughout the U.S., focusing on minority-, women- and immigrant-owned businesses.

  • PeopleFund ($1.5 million loan, $125,000 grant): Operating across Texas, PeopleFund provides small-business loans, as well as business assistance and education, to people with otherwise limited access to such resources. 

  • Citizens Potawatomi Community Development Corporation (CPCDC)($1 million loan, $125,000 grant): One of the largest Native-owned CDFIs in the nation, CPCDC provides financial education, access to capital, business development services and community development initiatives to the Citizen Potawatomi National Tribal Community and other underserved Native populations. 

  • Pacific Community Ventures (PCV) ($125,000 grant): Based in California and supporting small businesses throughout the U.S., PCV’s integrated model provides diverse small businesses with affordable capital, free mentoring, impact evaluation and research.

  • Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif) ($125,000 grant): Wacif increases equity and economic opportunity in underserved communities by investing in low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs with a focus on minority- and women-owned businesses in financially underserved communities east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. and in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Although most CDFIs are not household names, they play a vital role for small businesses throughout the U.S., many of whom are overlooked by traditional lenders. According to OFN’s 2018 Member Survey, their over 300 member CDFIs serve 58 percent people of color, 85 percent people with low incomes, 26 percent people who live in rural areas, and 48 percent women. 

Since announcing the Grow with Google Small Business Fund, we’ve worked hand-in-hand with OFN to create a holistic program that includes low-interest loans, funding for cash grants, Ad Grants and digital skills training through Grow with Google, our economic opportunity initiative. Over the next year, Google and OFN will continue to work together to underwrite and fund loans to additional CDFIs, which will then lend to thousands of small businesses. Through this partnership and program, we hope we can do our part to make sure small businesses remain the heart of the U.S. economy.

How The Trevor Project is using AI to help prevent suicide

Suicide disproportionately affects LGBTQ+ youth. In the U.S. alone, more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 13 and 24 seriously consider suicide or experience a significant crisis each year. Additionally, LGBTQ+ youth are over four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, while up to 50 percent of all trans people have made a suicide attempt—most before the age of 25. Black LGBTQ+ young people are even more impacted as they hold multiple marginalized identities, and research shows that Black youth ages five to 12 are dying by suicide at roughly twice the rate of their white peers. 


To support this particularly vulnerable and diverse community, The Trevor Project takes an intersectional approach to crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The organization offers free and confidential crisis services that they provide 24/7 via phone, chat, and text. In this time of emotional stress, isolation and civil unrest, these services offer much needed support to LGBTQ youth experiencing fear, hopelessness, confusion, and race-based trauma. Sadly, the volume of callers sometimes outnumbers the available crisis counselors who are trained to assist. With support from Google.org, The Trevor Project is incorporating artificial intelligence into its crisis services to connect more people to the resources they need.  


Last year, Google.org provided The Trevor Project with $1.5 million and 11 Googlers from the Google.org Fellowship, a pro-bono program that matches teams of Googlers with Google.org grantees and civic entities for up to six months to work full-time on technical projects. Google.org Fellows assisted The Trevor Project in building an artificial intelligence system that could identify and prioritize high-risk contacts while simultaneously reaching more people. 


Here’s how it works. When someone first contacts The Trevor Project, they're asked a few intake questions like: "What's going on?” After that, they talk to a crisis counselor who assesses their risk using a clinical assessment model. Looking at anonymized historical data, the team used natural language processing (NLP) to train the system to learn which types of responses on the intake form were most likely linked to a particular diagnosis risk level. While some specific words or phrases are known to correlate with high risk, the NLP model interprets the entire sentence to determine risk level. Now if a person is identified as a high or imminent risk based on their initial intake questions, they are automatically placed in a priority queue and connected to a counselor sooner. 


To help accelerate this work, Google.org has committed an additional $1.2 million in grant funding and is planning to engage a new cohort of Google.org Fellows set to start in July to expand Trevor’s application of NLP to new contexts. This will include developing a conversation simulator to enhance and scale Trevor’s virtual counselor training program, and automating the moderation of TrevorSpace, the organization’s affirming international online community, to flag and address unsafe content. At the same time, Google.org is partnering with Google’s LGBTQ+ employee groups to build a pool of volunteer digital crisis counselors to help respond to Trevor’s increased need for crisis services due to COVID-19 impacts. More than fifty Googlers have signed up already. 


The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth. We’re honored to support their critical mission and stand with LGBTQ+ people of color, trans and non-binary communities, LGBTQ+ families, and so many more. 

Providing Google.org support to LGBTQ+ organizations worldwide

LGBTQ+ organizations around the world extend critical services to their communities every day. I’ve seen this firsthand in my work on the Google.org team, where I support organizations challenging bias and exclusion to advance social justice. As diverse as the local communities they serve, these organizations create cherished spaces to embrace our intersections and individuality, organize against injustice, and provide access to services. For the most vulnerable LGBTQ+ communities, including Black+ communities experiencing the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and racial injustice, these spaces and services are essential.

Today Google.org is donating more than $1.2 million to over 70 local LGBTQ+ organizations around the world—many of which are located in cities around the world where Google is proud to call home. Read on to learn how some of these grantees are meeting heightened health, social and economic risks impacting LGBTQ+ communities during this time, providing year round resources and support, and celebrating Pride.

Sheldon Darnell, Austin Black Pride, (Austin, Texas)
Our mission is to transform the living and social environments of LGBTQ+ people of color, with a focus on Black LGBTQ+ individuals. We focus on facilitating culturally-specific programs, policy, advocacy, and relationship building at the intersection of being both Black and LGBTQ+. While, this year, we had to cancel our annual Austin Black Pride celebration, we have been holding mental and spiritual wellness check-ins for our community to connect with licensed and trusted professionals. During a time where our community is on the frontline pushing for justice, it is important that we hold space to check in with ourselves and each other.

Rachel Kesley, Anaya Robinson, Marvyn Allen, Transformative Freedom Fund(Denver, Colorado)
Our mission is to support the authentic selves of transgender Coloradans by removing financial barriers to transition-related healthcare. COVID-19 has acutely impacted our community—gender-affirming surgeries have been rescheduled after years of waiting, and there are increased barriers to accessing necessary medical care or hormones. The isolation from COVID-19 is also particularly difficult because this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride March, led by trans women of color, including Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major. Though the loss of the march this year is devastating, we’ll engage with our community with unapologetic authenticity—the gift that makes our communities better, stronger and more beautiful.

Dameyon Bonson, Black Rainbow, (Australia)
At Black Rainbow, we provide advocacy and leadership to Indigenous Australians who identify as LGBQTI. We’re a virtual volunteer group with members located across the country. We work to identify, address and alleviate a range of health outcomes in the community, including the prevalence of suicide and non-suicidal self-harm. During this period of increased stress and isolation, we’re strengthening our response through a soon-to-be-circuited Indigenous LGBQTI+ survey related to the effects of COVID-19. The findings from this survey will be shared publicly to bolster the services that Indigenous LGBQTI+ people access.

Khuresha Ally, Pride of Africa(Johannesburg, South Africa)
Pride of Africa exists to liberate every LGBTQ+ African so they can live their most authentic life. One way we do this is hosting Johannesburg Pride, the oldest and biggest annual pride celebration in Africa. Pride is a place where Africans come to feel supported, hopeful, and seen. It also provides access through relevant partnerships for medical services that are often life sustaining for our community. But, right now, as the most reputable LGBTQ+ organization in Africa, we’re raising funds for food and housing accommodation during a time when many in our community are going hungry and losing their jobs due to COVID-19.

Gloria Careaga Pérez, Fundación Arcoiris(Mexico City, Mexico)
We educate and influence stakeholders on the importance of protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Mexico to achieve social justice and equality. In Mexico, there’s widespread discrimination and violence aimed at the LGBTQ+ community—which is why visibility and education are key to our mission of achieving equality. This year, we’re deepening our efforts to fight and report hate crimes and also planning a virtual parade for the city’s 42nd march. Celebrating Pride is an essential part of recognizing our historical struggles, and we’re using the opportunity to expand our reach beyond Mexico City and call for a fairer world for LGBTQ+ people.

Belle Haggett Silverman, Bisexual Resource Center(Boston, Massachusetts)
The BRC provides support to the bisexual+ community and raises public awareness about bisexuality, pansexuality, and other non-monosexual identities. Our office overlooks the plaza in Boston where Pride is held, and it’s tough to think about not celebrating in-person this year. Instead, we’ll engage with our community by holding virtual gatherings. We’re hopeful that even though this Pride will be different, we’ll find ways to be together. Anyone is welcome to send in their short videos honoring Pride, which we’ll share as a bisexual+ pride montage on social media.

Karyn Skultety, Openhouse(San Francisco, California)
At Openhouse, we provide housing, services, and community engagement for LGBTQ+ seniors, who are one of the most at-risk populations for COVID-19, and face detrimental effects from long-term isolation. We’re finding ways to connect these seniors with others, including over 1,000 support calls with every senior who has walked through our door and a socially-distanced drag show for residents to watch from their windows. It was amazing. Like other organizations, our annual Pride activities will look different this year, but we’re keeping important traditions like our intergenerational Trans March, which will be virtual this year.

This year, I will be honoring the tradition of Pride by remembering the Black+ queer leaders who stood up at Stonewall and reflecting on my role in advancing justice today. I hope everyone finds a way to honor Pride that is meaningful to them, representing the traditions, struggles, and joys of their community.

Honoring Pride, in solidarity

In August 1966, trans women, drag queens, and other members of the LGBTQ+ community fought for their rights and fair treatment outside Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Three years later on June 28, 1969, the LGBTQ+ community, once again, rose up against inequitable treatment and police misconduct at the Stonewall Inn. For both of these historic moments, LGBTQ+ people of color—and in particular Black trans women and trans women of color—helped lead the fight against hate and injustice. In many respects, the modern-day LGBTQ+ movement for equality was born from these rebellious acts and the many events preceding them. 

Pride should still be a protest. For those within the Black+ and LGBTQ+ community—especially Black+ trans women—the injustices we're seeing today are a reminder of past and present struggles for equity, justice, and equality under the law. We believe communities must show up for one another, and we stand in solidarity with the Black+ community across the world, honoring the longstanding Pride tradition of unity. 

We’re focusing on helping local organizations that create change for LGBTQ+ people of color, trans and non-binary communities, LGBTQ+ families, and many more. We’re also expanding access to mental health resources and bringing people together virtually. 

Local love: $1.2 million for LGBTQ+ organizations worldwide 

COVID-19 has shown us that vulnerable communities, including LGBTQ+, too often bear the brunt of any crisis. This means that local LGBTQ+ organizations are serving as a critical safety net for those in need, whether they're helping someone find a bed in a shelter, offering healthcare services, or advocating for more inclusive and equitable policies. Lives depend on these organizations. 

However, LGBTQ+ organizations are now figuring out how to do their work virtually—with increased demand and strapped financing—which is why Google.org is donating $1.2 million to over 70 organizations around the world. These organizations improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the cities where they operate. As the 2020 Pride Committee—a group of LGBTQ+ Googlers from all backgrounds and identities—we’re proud to support organizations in Googlers' hometowns, many of which have influenced our lives or our colleagues’ lives in some way.

An additional $1.2 million for The Trevor Project

In a physically distant world, grappling with inequities, isolation, and challenging situations at home can have devastating effects on LGBTQ+ people, especially those of color. Every year, an estimated 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth seriously consider suicide in the U.S., and the lifeline, text, and chat crisis services at The Trevor Project—a Google.org grantee—are experiencing their highest demand in 22 years. While Black LGBTQ+ youth have similar mental health disparities compared with all LGBTQ+ youth, they’re significantly less likely to receive professional mental health care, and Black children die by suicide at nearly twice the rate of their white peers. The Trevor Project’s continued targeted outreach to LGBTQ+ Black youth is incredibly important, and the organization offers resources to help allies be more supportive. 

The Trevor Project’s work is life-saving, which is why we’re providing $1.2 million to build on our existing work with them. In addition, a new cohort of Google.org Fellows will help The Trevor Project use natural language processing to automate the moderation of crisis content on its online forums and instruct counselors through a virtual conversation simulator training.

Together, virtually

This year, Pride will feel different for many of us. We’re finding ways to bring people together virtually, including a toolkit that helps organizations host remote Pride events, a collection of apps, shows, movies, and books about LGBTQ+ stories, and a YouTube "spotlight" channel to elevate LGBTQ+ voices. On Google Arts & Culture, you can explore the history of Pride, including new exhibits on the birth of the Pride march, and critical leaders of the movement like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. 

  • Marsha P. Johnson at the First Christopher Street Liberation Day March

    Marsha P. Johnson at the First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970 - Leonard Fink

  • marsha.png

    Marsha P. Johnson at the Second Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1972  - Leonard Fink

  • firstchristopher.png

    First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970 - Leonard Fink

  • Gay Activists Alliance Protest of New York City Board of Education

    Gay Activists Alliance Protest of New York City Board of Education, 1971 - Richard C. Wandel

  • Crowds gathered at the March on Albany

    Crowds gathered at the March on Albany, 1971 - Richard C Wandel

  • bandeira.png

    Levante a bandeira do orgulho LGBT [Raise the LGBT Pride flag], 2017 - Adriana de Maio

  • chiclete.png

    Chiclete do Amor [Love Bubblegum], 2017 - Janaína Leão

  • gira.png

    Deixa a gira do Orgulho LGBT+ girar [Let the LGBT+ Pride spin], 2017 - Adriana de Maio

  • beijo.png

    Beijo sob o bandeirão [Kiss under the big flag], 2015 - Carla Carniel

  • cores.png

    Todas as cores na Paulista [All colours in Paulista Avenue], 2015 - João Benz


While Pride is usually marked by jubilant marches and beautiful parade floats, it’s much more than that. For us, Pride is about the ongoing struggle for equity, visibility and acceptance. We’ll be spending Pride as allies to our Black+ community members, reflecting on the many LGBTQ+ people of color who started our liberation movement decades ago, and finding ways to remedy systemic injustices.

Standing with the Black community

Sundar sent the following email to Google employees today.

Hi Googlers,

I realize that nothing about this week feels like business as usual—and it shouldn’t. Our Black community is hurting, and many of us are searching for ways to stand up for what we believe, and reach out to people we love to show solidarity. Yesterday, I met with a group of our Black leaders to talk about where we go from here and how we can contribute as Google. We discussed many ideas, and we are working through where to put our energy and resources in the weeks and months ahead—I’ll share more on that below. 

In the meantime, I wanted to provide space for us to come together as a community. Today at 1:00pm PDT we’ll be standing together to honor the memories of Black lives lost in an 8 minute and 46 second moment of silence.  

The length of the moment of silence represents the amount of time George Floyd suffered before he was killed. It's meant to serve as a visceral reminder of the injustice inflicted on Mr. Floyd and so many others. We acknowledge that racism and violence may look different in different parts of the world, so please use this as a moment to reflect on those who have been lost in your own country or community at a time that works for you. If you would like to share this silent space with your fellow Googlers, join thelive stream at 1:00 pm PDT today. 

Coming together as a community and showing support is important, but it isn’t enough. So today, we are announcing a few initial commitments to meet the urgency of the moment. 

  • We’ll be giving $12 million in funding to organizations working to address racial inequities. Our first grants of $1 million each will go to our long-term partners at the Center for Policing Equity and the Equal Justice Initiative. And we’ll be providing technical support through ourGoogle.org Fellows program. This builds on the $32 million we havedonated to racial justice over the past five years. We’ll also offer $25 million in Ad Grants to help organizations fighting racial injustice provide critical information.

  • As a result of last week’s internal giving campaign, I‘m pleased to share that you all have contributed an additional $2.5 million in donations that we’re matching. This represents the largest Googler giving campaign in our company’s history, with both the largest amount raised by employees and the broadest participation.  

Supporting worthy organizations is a step in the right direction, but it is not a replacement for doing the harder work ahead both within and outside of Google. The events of the past few weeks reflect deep structural challenges. We’ll work closely with our Black community to develop initiatives and product ideas that support long-term solutions—and we’ll keep you updated. As part of this effort, we welcome your ideas on how to use our products and technology to improve access and opportunity.

-Sundar