Social Ventures Australia (SVA) is teaming up with Google to support the delivery of the 2016 Google Impact Challenge in Australia.
Run in various countries throughout the world, the Google Impact Challenge seeks innovative, technology enabled solutions from local non-profits to make a better world. Successful Australian projects will share in $4.5 million of seed funding, along with support to bring their idea to life.
SVA has been selected as an implementation partner for Australia’s Google Impact Challenge this year. They will assist in supporting successful applicants to maximise social impact in the execution of the projects.
SVA has worked with innovative social ventures for over a decade, including supporting a portfolio of ventures to grow their impact and sustainability. In 2015, over an average partnership period of six years, the ventures in the SVA portfolio had achieved an average annual growth rate in beneficiaries of 50%, and an average annual growth in turnover of 40%.
Venture Philanthropy Director at SVA, Jenna Palumbo, said the Google Impact Challenge was an exciting opportunity to work with one of the world’s most innovative companies.
‘Core to our mission is working with funders who, like SVA, are motivated to innovate and disrupt the status quo in order to deliver better social outcomes. We look forward to seeing the fantastic ideas that come through the challenge, and to working together with Google to help turn these ideas into initiatives that change people’s lives for the better.’
Alan Noble, Google Australia’s Engineering Director said, ‘This is second time we’ve run the Google Impact Challenge in Australia. In 2014, we supported 10 ideas with $3.5 million in funding — ranging from Fred Hollows’ low-cost mobile camera to detect and prevent blindness caused by diabetes to Infoxchange’s web app called Ask Izzy to connect homeless people with social services. Two years down the track, these projects have created a significant social impact and we hope this next round of funding will do the same.’
Applications can be submitted via the Google Impact Challenge website and will be open until July 13.
