Four Indian organizations have been selected for grants under the APAC Sustainability Seed Fund 2.0, supported by a $5-million grant from Google.org, the philanthropic arm of tech giant Google. The fund, managed by the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), aims to foster technology- and AI-driven solutions to address critical environmental and social challenges.
The Indian recipients are INREM Foundation, CEPT Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), Institute for Financial Management and Research (WELL Labs), and Gujarat Mahila Housing Sewa Trust (MHT). Google.org announced the selection in a recent statement.
The INREM Foundation will utilize the grant to develop AI-enabled open digital solutions that will provide community access to water contamination data. “The project will empower communities with crucial information on water safety,” said a spokesperson from INREM Foundation.
CEPT Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) plans to leverage machine learning and satellite imagery to protect lakes and their carbon sink function. “Our goal is to enhance lake protection and sustain their critical role in carbon sequestration,” stated a representative from CRDF.
Institute for Financial Management and Research (WELL Labs) will use the grant to develop advanced models for village-level water security insights. “This initiative aims to provide actionable insights to ensure sustainable water management at the grassroots level,” said WELL Labs.
Gujarat Mahila Housing Sewa Trust (MHT) will create an AI-powered model to identify urban heat islands and suggest community-centric solutions. “Our project will address the growing issue of urban heat islands and propose effective, community-driven interventions,” commented a representative from MHT.
This initiative builds on Google.org’s previous support, including a $3 million grant to APAC Sustainability Seed Fund 1.0. The earlier fund supported projects that saved over 13 million tonnes of water and mitigated 3,700 tonnes of carbon emissions in India’s agriculture sector.
