PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Media Center: archive.nethope.org/press/
Google.org Communications Team
Roya Soleimani, press@google.com
SEATTLE – June 23, 2017 – NetHope, a global consortium of over 50 of the world’s leading nonprofits, today announced the 17 winners of the NetHope 2017 Device Challenge, a collective impact subgrant program for nonprofits that can advance their respective missions through the use of phones, tablets, and other hardware.
The grantees are: Anudip Foundation for Social Welfare; CARE; Catholic Relief Services; Concern Worldwide; Family Educational Services Foundation; FINCA International; Girl Effect; Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT); International Rescue Committee; Management Sciences for Health; Mercy Corps; The Nature Conservancy; Norwegian Refugee Council; Pact; Plan International USA; Save the Children Federation, Inc; and SOS Children’s Villages International.
“NetHope received a tremendous number of applications for the Device Challenge, which demonstrates the critical need for investment in this space and a recognition of the vital role technology plays for those who receive aid and those who deliver it,” said Lauren Woodman, NetHope CEO.
Grantees will use the fund in a wide array of situations. The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, for instance, is working to fill data gaps in some of the world’s most vulnerable places, but often lack basic equipment such as laptops and smartphones to do so. “The generous NetHope Device Challenge grant award will get these devices into the hands of people in the communities in which they live, but also play a direct role in filling real data gaps in places where NetHope members and other NGOs operate,” said Tyler Radford, Executive Director of HOT.
“Mercy Corps is grateful for NetHope’s continued partnership and commitment to our work," said Alan Donald, Director of Technology for Development with Mercy Corps, another Device Challenge grantee. "This grant will enable us to bring urgently needed humanitarian support and tools for recovery and resilience to South Sudanese refugees who have fled to Uganda as part of the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis."
NetHope received over 300 applications from 233 organizations in 61 countries. Sectors targeted included, but were not limited to: education, agriculture, environment, energy, refugee response, financial inclusion, civic engagement, and health.
Each application went through a comprehensive evaluation conducted by the NetHope 2017 Device Challenge team, along with a review panel consisting of NetHope leaders and other external sector experts. The 17 finalists represented a request for $11 million to fund over 56,000 devices, and had to be pared down to $5 million to fund almost 40,000 devices.
The program was made possible thanks to a $5 million award from Google.org, the charitable arm of Google. Google.org has proven to be one of NetHope’s staunchest supporters, offering funding and resources at critical times. This grant was part of a larger initiative from Google.org, which donated $30 million to nonprofits during the 2016 holiday season, and a total of $100 million to nonprofits in 2016.
NetHope would like to thank the Google Foundation of Tides Foundation for providing the generous grant funding for this program.
About NetHope
NetHope empowers committed organizations to improve the world through the power of technology. NetHope, a consortium of 50-plus global nonprofits, unites with technology companies and funding partners to design, fund, implement, adapt, and scale innovative approaches to solve development, humanitarian, and conservation challenges. Together, the NetHope community strives to transform the world, building a platform of hope for those who receive aid and those who deliver it.
About Google.org
Google.org was founded in 2005 as the charitable arm of Google, and has committed approximately $100 million in investments and grants to nonprofits annually. Google.org gives several high-impact grants to nonprofits using technology and data in innovative ways to support racial justice, educational opportunity, crisis response and issues affecting the San Francisco Bay Area, where the company is headquartered.
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