Google.org, the tech giant’s philanthropic arm, pledged $20 million Tuesday toward funding nonprofits that are using technology to increase independence for people with disabilities.
Google Impact Challenge:Disabilities launched Tuesday, an effort to raise $20 million for people with disabilities. /image from Google.org
Google.org issued an open call for proposals Tuesday through its Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities. The Google.org team will evaluate the proposals on a rolling basis.
On Tuesday, Google.org announced its first two grantees:
It awarded $600,000 to the Enable Community Foundation, which connects people who want prosthetics with volunteers who use 3-D printers to design, assemble, and fit them for free. The grant will go toward open-source, 3D-printed upper-limb prosthetics.
It awarded $500,000 to World Wide Hearing, a Canadian nonprofit that develops hearing aids for young people in developing countries. World Wide Hearing will use the grant “to develop, prototype, and test an extremely low-cost mobile toolkit for diagnosing hearing loss using widely available and affordable smartphone technology,” according to the nonprofit.
In a blog post Tuesday, Google.org director Jacquelline Fuller said:
“Historically, people living with disabilities have relied on technologies that were often bulky, expensive, and limited to assisting with one or two specific tasks. But that’s beginning to change. Thanks to groups like Enable and World Wide Hearing, and with tools like Liftware, we’re starting to see the potential for technologies that can profoundly and affordably impact millions.”
