Google.org, the charitable arm of
Google, has donated $2 million to OutRight Action International's
COVID-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund.
The fund, founded in April 2020,
supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer
organizations around the world responding to the coronavirus
pandemic.
“Since the early days of the
pandemic, LGBTIQ people have faced devastation of livelihoods,
increasing homelessness and food insecurity, rising levels of
domestic and family violence, scapegoating for the crisis, isolation
from communities, and exclusion from relief efforts,” OutRight said
in a press release.
OutRight, a registered 501c3 non-profit
in the United States, has staff in six countries.
The group said that its fund had
reached 50,000 people in 63 countries in its first year. But that it
had received over 38 million in support requests, dwarfing its
initial outlay of $1 million in grants.
“Google.org's support for OutRight's
Covid-19 Global LGBTIQ Emergency Fund is truly transformative,
doubling its reach and impact,” OutRight Executive Director Jessica
Stern said. “Thanks to the contribution from Google.org, OutRight
will be able to serve tens of thousands of LGBTIQ people in need
around the globe, providing a lifeline at an incredibly challenging
time.”
Google.org is also providing $1 million
in Google Ad Grants in support of OutRight's advocacy for global LGBT
rights.