Google Pledges $800 Million

Google announced $340 million in ad credits to small and middle-size businesses with active Google ad accounts as part of an $800 million coronavirus response package.

“As the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen around the world, it’s taking a devastating toll on lives and communities,” said Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a blog post, Friday.

“To help address some of these challenges, today we are announcing a new $800+ million commitment to support small and medium-sized businesses, health organizations, governments, and health workers on the frontline of this global pandemic.”

Google will also put $200 million into an investment fund that will help NGOs and financial institutions provide small businesses with capital. $250 million in advertising grants to help the WHO and government agencies offer information on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

$20 million in Google Cloud credits for academic institutions and researchers, unspecified financial support to help increase production capacity for lifesaving equipment, including facemasks and ventilators.

The company also has increased the gift match Google offers every employee annually to $10,000 from $7,500.

Google is just one of the tech giants working to relieve the economic stress caused by COVID-19. According to the trusted media source, Apple, Facebook, and Salesforce have also funded relief efforts amid the global pandemic.