Google is donating over $800 million in cash and ads to fight COVID-19

Google announced on Friday that it will donate more than $800 million in ads, cash, and more to international agencies' fight against the coronavirus. In a company blog post, Sundar Pichai noted that the sum would be divided into separate categories to meet the needs of "small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), health organizations and governments, and health workers on the frontline of this global pandemic."

This seems to be the biggest donation made by a tech firm so far. By offering such massive funding, Google has joined other organizations like the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in combating COVID-19.

Grants, investments, credit, and more — Here's what the breakdown of Google's offering looks like:

• Ad grants: Pichai notes that at least $250 million of the total sum will go to the World Health Organization and at least 100 government agencies to help with creating public service announcements that emphasize civic duties in limiting the spread of the virus. On top of this, Pichai says Google will give $25 million in ad grants to "community financial institutions and NGOs specifically to run public service announcements on relief funds and other resources for SMBs."
• Investment fund: International NGOs and financial institutions also get some financial reprieve during this time. According to Pichai, $200 million of the total funding will go to these firms to help with "access to capital." Google has already given $15 million in cash grants to nonprofits helping small- and medium-sized businesses weather the pandemic.
• Google Ad credits: Pichai says Google is also donating $340 million in Google Ad credits for companies that had active accounts in 2019.
• Google Cloud credits: For researchers and relevant institutions in the academic world, Google is giving $20 million in Google Cloud credits. This is particularly helpful for cloud computing analysis for researchers working on a possible vaccine for COVID-19, as well as for tracking positive cases and the potential for transmission in different parts of the world.

Boosting local COVID-19 responses — On top of this official funding, Pichai noted that Google has encouraged its employees to offer their expertise in the realm of healthcare, specifically in terms of coming up with engineering solutions to meet the dire shortage of ventilators in the United States.

"Together, we’ll continue to help our communities—including our businesses, educators, researchers and nonprofits—to navigate the challenges ahead," Pichai says.