Google's headquarters in Silicon Valley
Google's headquarters in Silicon ValleyiStock

Google announced it will donate over $800 million in funding for governments as well as small and mid-sized companies in an effort to offset financial challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company, Alphabet Inc., pledged $250 million in ad grants to the World Health Organization (WHO) and governments worldwide to disseminate information on the virus. It pledged another $20 million intended for local organizations and NGOs to run informational campaigns regarding methods of combating the virus, $200 million for community organizations and NGOs to support struggling businesses, and $300 million in ad credits for small and medium firms.

According to the statement, Google also promised an additional $20 million in cloud space for research institutions in their effort to come up with a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Since 2005, the tech giant has run a network of charity organizations, donating over $1 billion in grants to non-profit businesses in "marginalized and vulnerable populations."