Google.org | Googleorg

Google.org is the charitable arm of Internet search engine company Google.

The organization has committed over $100 million in investments and grants as of May 2010. To fund the organization, Google granted them 3 million shares during their initial public offering. As of March 2012, Google.org's 3 million shares have an approximate value of $1.84 billion. Google has also pledged to contribute one percent of their annual profits to their charitable organizations.

Among its first projects is to develop a mass produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that can attain 100 mpg (miles per gallon) (see vehicle-to-grid).

In November 2007, Google.org announced RE (Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal), a project that will invest upwards of several hundred million dollars in order to produce renewable energy at a profit from wind and solar sources, particularly solar thermal energy. RE, as the name suggests, has the ultimate goal of creating more than a gigawatt of power (enough to power a city the size of San Francisco) from renewable sources that would be cheaper than energy produced from coal.

The director from 2006 until 2009 was Dr. Larry Brilliant. Upon stepping down, Brilliant was replaced by Megan Smith, Google's Vice-President of new business development, and the organization began focusing on creating engineering solutions to global problems with projects such as Google Flu Trends and Crisis Response, an effort to respond to natural disasters.

The company maintained high levels of giving while waiting to see what engineering solutions it could develop. In 2010, Google gave over $145 million to non-profits and academic institutions. In the same year, Google was named the Bay Area's top corporate philanthropist by the San Francisco Business Times for giving $27.6 million to Bay Area charities. Charitable funds come from Google.org, the Google Foundation and the company itself.

The Head of Advocacy and Communications of Google.org, Jacquelline Fuller, is member of the International Advisory Board of the African Press Organization (APO).

Read more about Google.org: Major Initiatives, Renewable Energy, Google Foundation