Samasource, Inveneo Included in Google $40M Grants

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

In its biggest single-day contribution ever, Google (GOOG) on Wednesday announced it has handed out $40 million to battle slavery, promote education and make technology more accessible worldwide, with nearly a fourth of the money going to Bay Area organizations.

“The causes we are supporting are issues we’ve been committed to for a long time, particularly education,” said company spokeswoman Kate Hurowitz, noting that about $9 million is being awarded to a dozen Bay Area groups. “It’s really something the company cares a lot about from the top level.”

Altogether, she said, the search giant has contributed $115 million this year.

Part of the $40 million is to promote the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math, and especially to improve the educational levels of girls in developing nations. The rest is designed to empower people through technology and includes $11.5 million to groups working to curb slavery or other forms of human trafficking.

  • Inveneo in San Francisco — $2 million to spearhead rural broadband in Africa.
  • Samasource of San Francisco — $1.25 million to help workers in the developing world handle bigger and more types of jobs, so they can employ more people.

    • Source: MercuryNews.com (link opens in a new window)

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