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Google.org Impact Challenge: Strengthening Democracy in Europe

Google.org is launching a €15M open call for European nonprofits, civic entities, academic institutions, and social enterprises to help scale initiatives promoting democratic resilience in the region, including through the use of advanced technology and AI.

About

Google is committed to supporting democratic processes and engagement. We're building products and programs to surface high-quality information to voters, safeguard our platforms from abuse and equip campaigns with the best-in-class security tools and training.

This initiative is launching as state-sponsored threat groups are attacking government institutions across Europe, and putting systems and civil society organisations at risk. We have long been investing, innovating and partnering to counter these threats, for example by engaging with experts on topics such as election integrity and misinformation through our Google Safety Engineering Centers. At the same time, new opportunities to harness technology and AI’s potential for good are emerging, from fostering the essential exchange of ideas to broadening civic engagement. It’s a moment that calls for a more effective partnership between public, private and civic organisations — between technology and democracy, and better tools in democracy’s defence.

We’re committed to supporting governments, industry and civil society on this important goal - for the long term. We are leveraging AI to offer free-of-charge security tools for campaign and election teams, have partnered with local and regional organisations to run an EU-wide prebunking campaign ahead of the EU Parliamentary elections, and we’ve helped launch the European Media & Information Fund, an effort designed to strengthen media literacy and fight misinformation across Europe.

Supporting civil society is core to how we’ll make technology work for democracy for many years to come. That’s why our new €15M Google.org Impact Challenge aims to help scale high-impact initiatives and solutions to strengthen democracy in Europe, including those that harness AI.

What are we looking to fund? High-impact proposals, particularly those leveraging technology in innovative ways, as well as coalitions of organisations coming together to create or scale a solution. We’ll also be looking for initiatives focused on:

  • 1Protecting election integrity

    For example, supporting cybersecurity for critical infrastructure and building the cyber capacity of nonprofit, non-governmental organisations who work on election-related topics, as well as tackling foreign disinformation through innovative methods such as prebunking.

  • 2Supporting voter education

    For example, digital literacy training for voters, or new ways of making civics information more accessible.

  • 3Strengthening civic dialogue

    For example, encouraging scaled dialogue and community building to engage in consensus building, or advancing deliberative tech that fosters, supports, and leads to informed decision-making.

Criteria

Before applying, ask yourself whether your project will demonstrate the
following, and read the elaboration of each of the criteria here.

  • Impact

    What is the big problem the proposal aims to solve and why is it important? Is the proposed solution grounded in research, data, or a proven track record? Does the project demonstrate a deep understanding of the end beneficiaries, such as their distinct demographics and how they may experience the problem in a nuanced way?

  • Innovative Use of Technology

    Is the application of technology integral to the solution and does it address clear needs? Does the proposal apply new or existing advanced tech/AI, interventions, or approaches in an innovative and appropriate way? If applicable, is the use of advanced tech/AI necessary and aligned with Google’s AI Principles and Responsible AI Practices?

  • Feasibility

    Does the proposal outline tangible and compelling impact outcomes for the first 12-18 months, and is there a well-developed, realistic execution and resource plan that maps to these goals? How might the project leverage strategic partnerships, coalitions, and networks to access additional expertise, reach, and more?

  • Scalability

    If successful, how can this project scale beyond the initial proposal and advance the field, including across borders? Is there a plan to share learnings and best practices to serve as a model for other efforts and additional organisations? And how will the project continue and grow beyond the support from Google.org?

How to apply

  • 1Organisations apply

    Eligible organisations submit a project proposal.

  • 2Organisations selected

    Google.org, along with our partners, review applications and interview applicants. Our Selection Panel will determine which ideas have the most potential for impact and select recipients.

  • 3Funding and support

    Selected organisations may receive anywhere from €250K up to €1M+ in funding and additional support to accelerate their project.

Selection panel

Our panel of experts from across Europe will select the final recipients.

  • Roberta Bosurgi

    Impact Europe

  • Alice Bougnères

    SQUARE

  • Pedro Calado

    Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

  • Prof dr Claes de Vreese

    University of Amsterdam

  • Beth Goldberg

    Jigsaw

  • Gauri van Gulik

    Multitudes Foundation

  • Delphine Moralis

    Philea - Philanthropy Europe Association

  • Václav Moravec

    Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO)

  • Jerzy Pomianowski

    European Endowment for Democracy (EED)

  • Prof Dr. Daniela Schwarzer

    Bertelsmann Stiftung

  • Anna Sienicka

    TechSoup Europe

  • Richard Walakira

    Alliance of Democracies Foundation

In partnership with

Spotlighting Google's efforts to strengthen democracy with Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a unit within Google that explores threats to open societies and builds technology that inspires scalable solutions. Jigsaw addresses emerging issues across a range of critical areas, including protecting the information environment through approaches like prebunking, and proactively fostering deeper, more purposeful conversations online.

Jigsaw
Jigsaw