Google awards two Nigerian firms, others N25m to empower women, girls

Two Nigeria organisations -ImpactHer and Women’s World Banking- have been selected to receive funding from Google to execute their projects as part of the Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls.

In total, Google selected 34 funding recipients around the world to help women and girls reach their full economic potential and strengthen the well-being of communities recovering from COVID-19.

The $25 million global philanthropy challenge was launched in March 2021 and called for gender equity-focused organizations to submit their boldest and most innovative ideas to create a more equitable economic reality for women and girls.

Google.org partnered with a women-led panel of experts – including leaders like Rigoberta Menchu, Naomi Osaka, Shakira, Susan Wojcicki, and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka – and gender equity-focused organizations Vital Voices and Project Everyone to evaluate proposals based on four key criteria: innovation, impact, feasibility, and scalability.

The selected organizations have outlined projects that will help women and girls, especially those in geographically, economically or socially marginalized populations, reach their full economic potential.

In addition to funding of up to $1 million each, recipients will participate in a four-month accelerator program led by Google’s Accelerator and Women Techmakers communities, in partnership with Vital Voices to move their projects forward. Select organizations will also receive a Google.org Fellowship and dedicated Ad Grants to promote their mission.

“Globally, women have been nearly twice as likely to lose their jobs during COVID-19 as men.  It’s vital that we elevate and support work that empowers women and girls to reach their full economic potential, especially in marginalized communities,” says Jacquelline Fuller, President of Google.org. “The pandemic recovery must be an inclusive one, and we know that when we invest in women and girls, we all benefit.”

Google.org received 7,800 applications; the most ever received for a Google.org Impact Challenge.

“The world is watching how quickly crises can roll back progress made toward gender equality. Women’s voices, participation, and leadership across every sector of society is more critical than ever,” says Alyse Nelson, President and CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership. “At Vital Voices, we are thrilled to partner with Google.org as they invest in projects with strong roots in community, bold ideas that bridge divides,  and a strong commitment to paying it forward.”

“At Project Everyone we know that achieving gender equality is at the heart of achieving all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, so we were excited to partner with Google.org and Vital Voices on this powerful initiative,” says  Kate Garvey, Co-founder at Project Everyone.

“The Impact Challenge is an example of how cross-sector collaborations can accelerate progress towards the Goals and demonstrates how we can all play our part in solving the world’s greatest problems.”

In addition to the Impact Challenge, Google.org will continue support through $15M in donated Google Search Ads for organizations focused on gender equity; including $10million to UN Women.

The donated ads will connect the public via Google Search with in-depth, authoritative information on gender equity and connect underserved women with the resources they need. Each funded organization will also receive full-time digital marketing support from a Google Ads expert for three months.

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