Google.org

Description

This case highlights how corporate philanthropies are distinct from other philanthropic institutions in terms of motivations, incentives and giving models. The case focuses on how Google.org leverages their assets to support the missions and initiatives of the organizations they fund. It also aims to explore how the team at Google.org thinks about the tradeoffs and challenges of aligning the company’s business strategy with their social justice strategy. Focus is placed on how an internal grantmaking program within a corporation operates, providing benefits both to beneficiaries and the corporation. The goal is for the case to be as tactical as possible, so students can really understand how corporate strategy can shape grantmaking or initiatives related to its non-financial assets, how value to Google and to society is measured, and the unique challenges that Google.org faces, given its hybrid structure. Within this, a section of the case focuses on the Racial Justice/Criminal Justice Reform program and profiles Google.org’s grants to Equal Justice Initiative’s Lynching in America Memorial and Museum and the Center for Policing Equity.

Learning Objective

The goals of the case are to: enhance educational curriculum for philanthropy in academia, elevate specific learning objectives for students to inform their understanding of institutional philanthropy, illustrate strategic and operational best practices of institutional philanthropy, provide students real-world situational analysis opportunities, create formal knowledge sharing opportunities for philanthropic institutions, and to elevate the visibility of and provide learning tools for philanthropic institutions.

Keywords

Impact America Fund impact investing Kesha Cash social justice Venture capital