Google.org announces grants of $3M for Indian non-profits in education sector

This makes India the largest recipient of grants from Google's charitable arm. In 2017, Google.org had granted $8.4 million to four NGOs. 

Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, is stepping up its investments in India’s e-learning and digital education sector. Google.org has just announced a $3 million grant for two not-for-profits in India — The Central Square Foundation (CSF) and The Teacher App.

This makes India the biggest recipient of grants from Google.org. In 2017, it had invested $8.4 million across four Indian NGOs (Pratham Education Foundation, Pratham Books StoryWeaver, Learning Equality, and Million Sparks Foundation). Google revealed on its blog that its grants have helped these NGOs reach more than 800,000 students and teachers across the country.

Globally, Google.org has committed $50 million in investments.

As part of the latest grant, Delhi-based CSF will get $2 million, while The Teacher App will receive $1 million.

CSF will gain technical assistance from the YouTube Learning team to expand its video content. The grant will fund the creation of about 200 hours of quality learning content in science, technology, engineering, and maths across Hindi and multiple regional languages. About 20 content creators would be roped in for the purpose, and YouTube will popularise the videos.

The Teacher App, meanwhile, will utilise the grant to expand the reach of its free courses and classroom materials to over five lakh teachers in two years.

Nick Cain, Education Lead, Google.org said: 

“The success of our existing partners has given us the confidence to expand our efforts in India. We strongly believe that technology can play a powerful part in solving the learning gap in India, and we are expanding our investments in India to ensure that all teachers and students are able to benefit from it. These new funds will help contribute in building more locally relevant solutions and content for students and teachers.”

Google is partnering with local NGOs and leveraging YouTube’s popularity in India to expand its tech-based training and learning initiatives. 

Satya Raghavan, Head of YouTube Entertainment in India, said:

“With growing connectivity and affordable data, YouTube is emerging as a popular destination for learning in India. Globally, learning and educational content drives over a billion views a day and we believe there is a huge opportunity for creators in India to enhance education and learning through YouTube.”

With the additional grants, Google.org’s total grant to domestic non-profits in the e-learning and education sector stands at $11.4 million.