Google.org declares $25m grant for African women, girls

The philanthropic arm of Google, Google.org has declared a $25m grant as a portion of its new Global Impact Challenge for Women and Girls.

Google disclosed that the scheme would offer $25m cash grants in general to nonprofits and social firms, making avenues to wealth for women and girls.

The corporation in its International Women’s Day 2021 webinar held on Monday gave a public call for the grant funding applications, stating that the grantees would obtain finance beginning from $300,000 to $2m, also opportunities for mentorship and extra support from Google.

The Director of Google Nigeria in the country, Juliet Ehimuan, announced that empowering women and girls in Africa to succeed and arrive at their full economic potential was more critical now than ever as they  endured the worst part of the COVID-19 epidemic, as indicated by the Foresight Africa report 2021.

Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Google Country Manager in Nigeria

According to the report, it affirmed that the coronavirus had ‘exacerbated already-existing gender inequalities, laying bare serious fault lines in safety, physical and mental health, education, domestic responsibilities, and employment opportunities.’

Ehimuan further declared that job cuts, income losses and lack of education were not just the results of the epidemic, but ‘will negatively impact the economic strides made by women and girls for many years to come.’

She stated, “As economies and societies rebuild, we need bold new ideas that will propel us forward. We can’t afford to go back to the way things were, and we certainly can’t do it alone.

“When women and girls have the tools, resources and opportunities to turn their potential into power, it not only changes the trajectory of their individual lives, but also strengthens entire communities. If we lift up women and girls, the rest of the world will rise, too.”

Google.org disclosed that the nonprofit establishments had until April 2 to submit their applications, stating that an all-female board of expert Google directors and worldwide business leaders would manage the application audit and selection process as soon as applications ended.