Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, has announced a $25 million in funding to social enterprises and NGOs working to advance the economic empowerment of women and girls.
In a virtual event commemorating International Women’s Day on Monday, March 8, 2021, Google Africa made the announcement of the Global Impact Challenge (GIC) for Women and Girls.
Selected creatives will receive between $300,000 and $2million in cash grants, as well as opportunities for mentorship and additional support from Google to bring their ideas to fruition.
Mojola Aderemi-Makinde who leads Google’s Brand and Reputation efforts in Sub-saharan Africa said that the first Impact Challenge in sub-Saharan Africa in 2018 saw 36 organizations across the continent receive $6 million from Google.org.
Aderemi-Makinde further explained that “It’s not just about the numbers but also the impact: 60% of the people trained have recorded a direct impact on finding jobs, growing their careers and growing their businesses.”
The call for submission of applications is open up until Friday, April 9 2021 after which an all-female panel will review submissions and select the ideas with the greatest potential for impact. Winners will be announced later in the year.
Among the panellists are women leaders from more than 15 countries across the world. They include Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women; Victoria Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, senior special assistant to the president of Nigeria on SDGs; Graça Machel, founder of the Graça Machel Trust; and Kenyan information technology entrepreneur Juliana Rotich.
The Impact Challenge comes after similar initiatives like the 2019 Africa launch of Women Will. Google’s initiative to create opportunities for women, and Google’s #IamRemarkable workshop series set to celebrate the giant strides of women and girls.