Indian Organizations Secure Google.org Grants for Sustainable Tech

Four Indian organizations have been chosen among 14 recipients in the Asia Pacific region for grants under APAC Sustainability Seed Fund 2.0, supported by a USD 5-million grant from Google.org. The fund aims to develop AI-driven solutions to address environmental and social challenges.

Four India-based organizations have been chosen among 14 recipients across the Asia Pacific region to receive grants under the APAC Sustainability Seed Fund 2.0, courtesy of a USD 5-million grant from Google.org, the tech giant's philanthropic arm.

Managed by the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), the fund aims to stimulate technology- and AI-driven solutions addressing crucial environmental and social issues.

The Indian organizations benefiting from this fund include INREM Foundation, CEPT Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), Institute for Financial Management and Research (WELL Labs), and Gujarat Mahila Housing Sewa Trust (MHT). INREM Foundation plans to develop AI-driven digital solutions for community water contamination data, while CRDF will employ machine learning and satellite imagery to safeguard lakes and their carbon sink capabilities. WELL Labs aims to create models for village-level water security insights, and MHT intends to use AI to identify urban heat islands and propose community-centric solutions.

This initiative follows Google.org's prior USD 3 million grant to the APAC Sustainability Seed Fund 1.0, which supported projects that saved over 13 million tonnes of water and mitigated 3,700 tonnes of carbon emissions in India's agriculture sector.

(With inputs from agencies.)