Google Cybersecurity Clinics Fund – United States

The Google Cybersecurity Clinics Fund is a Google initiative to help more students pursue careers in the high-demand field of cybersecurity while protecting critical U.S. infrastructure – such as hospitals, municipalities, nonprofits, schools, and utilities – from cyber attacks. In collaboration with the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics and Tides, Google.org is investing in the development of a network of cybersecurity clinics based in universities, colleges, and community colleges across the country.

Cybersecurity clinics at higher education institutions engage students in hands-on, real world training as they actively work to support and strengthen the digital defenses of critical public infrastructure. The clinics supported by the Google Cybersecurity Clinics Fund will help to strengthen the U.S. cybersecurity ecosystem through a collective effort to serve 900 critical public infrastructure and community organizations and train 6,300 students in preventing cyber attacks on these organizations by 2030.

University, college, and community college-based clinics will be awarded multi-year grants, participate in the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics and receive mentorship from existing cybersecurity clinics, and have access to no-cost Google offerings such as Google Cybersecurity Certificate student scholarships, Google.org cybersecurity clinic volunteers, and Titan Security Keys to protect clinic, student, and client data. Tides Center has partnered with Google and the Consortium to implement and administer the open call.

Funding Information

• This open call will offer six-year grants of up to $1,000,000 USD to 10 U.S. postsecondary education institutions or supporting organizations to design, launch, and sustain the operation of cybersecurity clinic programs on their campuses.

New Clinics’ Impact and Grantee Activities

• Grantees selected from this open call will use funds to design, launch, and sustain the operation of a new cybersecurity clinic program on their campus, through which students provide pro bono digital security assistance to critical public infrastructure and community organizations, including non-profits, hospitals, municipalities, local government agencies, and small businesses. Grantees will take measures to develop long-term sustainability plans to continue this important work after their grant from the Google Cybersecurity Clinics Fund ends.
• Over a six-year period, each grantee launching a new clinic will:
  • Contribute to the cohort’s collective goal to train 4,200 students in preventing cyber attacks on critical public infrastructure.
  • Contribute to the cohort’s collective goal to provide cybersecurity training and assistance to 600 critical public infrastructure and community organizations.
  • Engage as a member of the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, which includes sharing knowledge within the Consortium network and participating in Consortium activities as possible.
  • Submit an Impact Report to Tides Foundation and Google.org annually over the six-year grant period, sharing impact, progress towards outcomes, and use of grant funds.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any nonprofit or public higher education institution is eligible. They welcome institutions of all sizes to apply, including colleges, universities, community colleges, and graduate schools. They seek a diverse cohort of grantees across the U.S that serve a variety of students and communities, and they encourage eligible institutions to submit applications.
• They encourage collaboration and innovative design and thinking. It is possible for two or more schools to apply separately but collaborate in the design, delivery, etc of the clinics. They could share in their applications that they are designing their clinic in collaboration and alignment with one another. They are also open to established collaboratives, such as regional networks or affinity groups of higher education institutions, to apply for a grant. Please note the following conditions:
  • These must be well-established collaboratives, with a history of successful collaboration between members.
  • Grants will be made out to a single “anchor” organization. This organization will be responsible for the grant, including reporting, and will be free to subgrant to other organizations in the collaborative as needed. A supporting organization, such as a nonprofit or community collaborator, is permitted to apply as the anchor organization, provided it is an established member of the collective.
  • In order to maximize the impact of the grant and ensure clinics are resourced to meet the impact goals of this grant, indirect costs that are not related to program implementation (university or college administration fees, fiscal sponsorship fees, subgranting fees, etc.) must be capped at 10% of the grant amount. The anchor organization will be responsible for ensuring this across the collaborative.
• This is considered a “limited submission” opportunity. They are only accepting one application per institution (although that could be a collaboration across different faculty/departments). They expect departments and faculty within an institution to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate in advance of submitting an application. If multiple applications are received by an institution, they will ask the institution to confirm just one of them.

For more information, visit Google.