Google has pledged an additional $200m (£160m) in advertising grants for not-for-profit organisations that tackle “pressing” issues such as responding to coronavirus and racial injustice.
The move takes the amount committed to Google’s annual ad grants programme to $1bn (£800m) in 2020 and has been put forward in response to charities shifting their services online to “survive the hit taken” during the crisis.
Google said qualifying not-for-profit organisations would be able to access $10,000 (£8,000) a month in in-kind Google ads to promote their organisations and reach new audiences.
To make it easier for ?qualified UK charities to receive and use the scheme, Google said it had reduced the ?application process from 14 steps to two and introduced a virtual training session.
Michelle Hurtado, head of Google Ad Grants, said in a statement: “The increased funding will go toward non-profits tackling pressing issues like Covid-19 response and recovery, especially in hard-hit developing economies, and fighting racial injustice around the world.”