Google has announced a $800 million donation package that will help a range of charities and support initiatives that aim to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

THE DETAILS 

The e-giant’s donations will go to various charities, including $250 million in advertising grants/credits to the World Health Organization and other health agencies in a bid to help deliver critical information that could assist in slowing the spread of the virus.

Google will donate $200 million towards a support program for NGOs and financial institutions and $340 million in ad credits will be offered to SMEs that have had active Google Ad accounts over the past 12 months.

A further $20 million in Google Cloud credits will be given to academic institutions and researchers as they use Google technology in order to “study potential therapies and vaccines, track critical data, and identify new ways to combat COVID-19.”

Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, said, “As the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen around the world, it’s taking a devastating toll on lives and communities. To help address some of these challenges, today we’re announcing a new $800+ million commitment to support small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), health organizations and governments, and health workers on the frontline of this global pandemic.”

THEY WHY?

 Google follows in the footsteps of other tech giants, such as Facebook, TikTok and Twitter, which have also offered large donations to help support those tackling the coronavirus outbreak.