Google Will Hand £3.2 Million To UK Charities

Peter Judge,

Malaria, homelessness and divorce disputes come under attack from the winners of Google’s Impact Challenge awards

Google has announced ten British charities which will receive £200,000 form its Impact Challenge awards, to develop ideas that could “change the world”. From this shortlist, four winners will be chosen to have their award increased to £500,000.

The list includes a bid by Kew Gardens to tackle malaria-carrying mosquitos, and an online app to resolve divorce disputes from Relate. One of the £500,000 winners will be picked by an online vote at the Google Impact Challenge site, with the other three winners chosen by a panel of judges including Jimmy Wales.

Google moneyTaking the challenge

Google Impact Challenge is run by Google Giving, the search giant’s charity arm, which donates $50 million a year to beneficial projects. The Challenge was launched in the UK in 2013, and the company has since run contests in India, Brazil, and San Francisco.

Last year’s UK winners included SolarAid, for a proposal to replace kerosene lamps in the developing world, Integrity Action with a community building programme for war-torn areas, and the Zoological Society’s project to protect rhinos with remote sensors.

This year, Google is working with innovation charity Nesta, and has picked the following ten projects.

We Are What We Do which proposes videogames that impr0ve wellbeing for young people, by training them in breathing regulation.

Relate will make an online platform where parents who are separating can settle disputes that involve their children.

WeFarm, a peer-to-peer resource for farmers created by fairtrade body the Cafedirect Producers Association.

St Giles Trust, for an online hub to help young offenders to get back into normal life.

Centrepoint, the youth homelessness charity will be using Big Data analytics to keep young people off the streets.

Catch22, for the Can.Do social action app which gets young people involved in social projects.

Carr Gomm  is building an app to enable those dependent on social support to take charge of their own care.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, for a project which uses crowdsourcing to prevent malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.

RNIB, the charity for blind people, which is developing smart glasses to make the best use of the remaining vision of partially sighted people.

The Virunga Foundation, which is using crowdsourcing to protect wildlife in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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