The dictionary defines charity as an unselfish act of material assistance to people. It is customary to help at Christmas time. Google, which is known for its charity acts, has also distinguished itself this Christmas. But it differed in a bad way. It turned out that the main beneficiary of the Google Christmas charity event is ... Google itself.

This is how this scheme works.

Google.org Charity Foundation

The Google.org Charity Foundation (Google Foundation) was established in 2005 by the founders and largest shareholders of Google Inc. The fund is a division of Google, and there the corporation directs part of its profits. The annual budget of the fund is about $ 100 million; it sends this money to various charitable and non-profit organizations.

The main activities of the fund in 2016:

• elimination of racial discrimination;
• education and digital abilities;
• assistance for people with disabilities;
• help in crises around the world (European refugee crisis in 2016, Ebola crisis in 2014, etc.).

According to American law, the company is exempt from taxes on the amount of charitable assistance.

This Christmas season, the charity foundation announced a campaign of unprecedented generosity - distribution of grants in the amount of $ 30 million, which will bring the total amount of charitable assistance from Google.org in 2016 to more than $ 100 million.

As part of these financial grants, charities have the right to buy smartphones tablets, laptops and other equipment for their activities.

DonorsChoose Scheme

DonorsChoose is a Google-independent crowdfunding platform for helping teachers. Google Charitable Foundation has pledged to participate in donor projects for a lump sum this Christmas season.


DonorsChoose children have received Chromebooks for learning from poor areas. The photo shows Tim Jones students at the Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto, California

DonorsChoose is a charity that was formed in 2000, before the advent of the Google charity. It was originally created for “civilian crowdfunding” - so that ordinary Americans can donate directly to specific school projects for the purchase of necessary things that are so lacking in poor schools. For example, textbooks and stationery.

The program worked very well. Teachers make lists of what they need for school projects, and sponsors help raise money to buy these things. DonorsChoose Platform has received a well-deserved recognition for such a transparent and effective approach to charity. Ordinary people see specific children and teachers who are helped, see the result of their help. It was said that such a platform of civil crowdfunding can make a real revolution in education.

But this year, the teachers who participate in the program raised a protest. They draw attention to DonorsChoose's shortcomings in terms of working with sponsors, who give out “gifts” for teachers. Among such sponsors and Google.

The fact is that most of the teachers' requests were not laptops or smartphones at all, but simple stationery. But this year DonorsChoose grants transfer scheme has included a mandatory collection of $ 30, which is deducted from each grant. Thus, small requests of teachers who need the most basic things have become much more expensive.

But requests for Chromebooks are satisfied by Google instantly. The teachers saw how the scheme has changed - and they began to order more and more often Chromebooks and others. In the end, in this case there is at least the prospect of real satisfaction of the grant. “If you ask Santa for a Chromebook, you’ll have a Chromebook,” writesThe Register. If you ask for something else, you will have nothing. So what to ask from Santa, choose yourself.

For example, here is the application of Miss Stensbury teacher from a provincial school in Michigan, which refers to the "maximum level of poverty." She eloquently described that her pupils “want to be guarded” in the amount of $ 2,097. The application includes seven HP Chromebook 11 G4 11.6 Inch Laptop chromebooks (Intel N2840 Dual-Core, 2GB RAM, 16GB Flash SSD, Chrome OS), Black for $ 177.99, and three HP Chromebook 11 G4 11.6 Inch Laptop chromes (Intel N2840 Dual- Core, 2GB RAM, 16GB Flash SSD, Chrome OS), Black for $ 159.99.

The application was satisfied in November by a single donor of Google.org.

But another modest application from a poor school in a dysfunctional neighborhood, where the teacher asked for stationery, headphones and cubes for teaching the youngest children 4-6 years old — this order for $ 399 collected money for two months and completed the collection of donations from individuals just yesterday.

Of course, it is much easier to get a grant from a wealthy corporation than to collect even a few hundred dollars from private individuals, even for the simplest things.

For some reason, the charity organization Google.org chooses to fill in exactly those applications where teachers ask for Chromebooks. Google loves teachers who love its toys, writes The Register.

The logic of such actions is clear. Money spent on charity is partially returned to Google (this is 1). The company increases the number of users, because laptops are blocked for the mandatory use of Google services (2). And besides the refund, the company also receives tax rebates on the amount spent on charity (3). Triple benefit!

By the way, the parent company Alphabet is involved in the same questionable charity. The new CFO Ruth Porat has introduced a very strict financial discipline , so the traditional Christmas gifts for employees for this new year (Nexus / Pixel smartphones, Android smart watches, Chromebooks) decided to give this year to charity . On behalf of the staff.

Some teachers who protest on Reddit say that such “obtrusive sponsorship” makes it difficult for teachers to ask for the things they really need. Training materials, paper, paper clips, books, audio accessories. Schools always lack such simple things, even in the USA. And they are given Chromebooks.