Google pledges to donate $800 million and 3 million face masks in an effort to combat the coronavirus

JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during the Google I/O keynote session at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on May 7, 2019.

• Google announced it is pledging $800 million to assist businesses and crisis response efforts to fight the coronavirus.
• Part of Google's pledge includes a donation of 2-3 million face masks in the coming weeks.
• This is the latest effort by Google to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Google on Friday announced an $800 million pledge to support businesses and health organizations fighting the coronavirus. Part of that pledge includes donating "2-3 million face masks" to the CDC Foundation.

In a blog post, CEO Sunday Pichai announced that the company is working with supplier Magid Glove & Safety to ramp up production of the masks in the coming weeks.

The post also detailed the larger effort by Google to donate both cash and ads to help support small- and medium-sized businesses, health organizations, and academic institutions.

That fund includes $250 million in ad grants to help the World Health Organization and other government agencies provide information on combating COVID-19's spread.

It will also include $340 million in Google Ads credits to all small- and medium-sized businesses that have had active accounts over the past year. Those credits can be used at any point until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, $20 million is being allocated in Google Cloud credits for researchers and academic institutions who are studying vaccines, therapies, and other data to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

This week, Business insider reported that Google was increasing its employee donation-matching program to up to $10,000 a year. In a memo to staff this week, Pichai also urged employees to volunteer during the pandemic.

It's the latest example of tech stepping in to help combat the spread of COVID-19. Apple just released a COVID-19 screening app backed by the CDC, while Alphabet's Verily is ramping up its testing sites in California.

Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story.

NOW WATCH: Here's what it's like to travel during the coronavirus outbreak