Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, is giving $50 million in grants to nonprofits focused on improving education in developing countries using tech-based learning tools, the company said Tuesday.
Even after being in school for several years, 130 million students around the world haven’t learned basic math or reading, according to UNESCO. Google.org wants to cut down that number and intends to give grants to nonprofits in 20 countries by the end of the year.
These grants are aimed at three main areas: getting to students in combat zones, providing quality learning materials and aiding in teacher development.
“Technology can bypass the geographic and financial boundaries that block educational resources from reaching students, while also making those resources more engaging, interactive and effective,” Brigitte Hoyer-Gosselink, the education lead for Google.org, said in a blog post.
Google.org has also invested in nonprofits supporting a variety of causes, including racial justice, refugees and migrants, and diseases like Zika and Ebola. It gives out about $100 million in grants every year, and in the past five years, $110 million has been aimed at closing the education gap.