Google.org has rolled out five core initiatives that will be the focus of its philanthropic efforts over the next five to ten years including climate change, poverty, diseases and education and steps to prevent global crises.

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, will collaborate with experienced partners working in each of these fields, investing its resources and tapping the strengths of Google's employees and global operations to advance its core initiatives.
   
The move is part of its continuing effort to use the power of information and technology to help people better their lives.

Today's announcement includes more than $25 million in new grants and investments to initial partners. The resources come from a commitment by Google's founders to devote approximately 1 per cent of the company's equity plus 1 per cent of annual profits to philanthropy, as well as employee time. 

'In their first Letter from the Founders (2004), Larry Page and Sergey Brin said that we wanted to 'make Google an institution that makes the world a better place.'The work of Google.org will help us do that by applying Google's strengths in organising information and scaling technology to these complex issues,' said Sheryl Sandberg, VP global online sales and operations, and Google.org board member. 
 
Dr. Larry Brilliant, executive director of Google.org, said, 'These five initiatives are our attempt to address some of the hard problems we as a world need to face in the coming decade. We have chosen them both because we think solving them will make a better, fairer, safer world for our children and grandchildren - and the children and grandchildren of people all over the world - but also because we feel that these core initiatives fit well with Google's core strengths, especially its innovative technologies and its talented engineers and other Googlers, who are really our most valuable assets.'
    
Google.org joins a community of like minded groups working to make the planet and population healthier and more equitable.
Its initial grants include:  
$5 million to InSTEDD (Innovative Support to Emergencies, Diseases and Disasters) to improve early detection, preparedness, and response capabilities for global health threats and humanitarian crises.

$2.5 million to the lobal Health and Security Initiative (GHSI), established by the Nuclear Threat Initiative to prevent, detect, and respond to biological threats.

More than $600,000 to Clark University, with equal funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, for Clark Labs to develop a system to improve monitoring, analysis and prediction of the impacts of climate variability and change on ecosystems, food and health in Africa and the Amazon.

$2 million to Pratham, a non-governmental organization in India, to create an independent institute that will conduct the Nationwide Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) as well as large scale assessments in the education sector.
 
$765,000 to the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, a Bangalore-based analysis group, to create a Budget Information Service for local governments to facilitate better district- and municipal-level level planning in India.-TradeArabia News Service