Google is on a mission to help formerly incarcerated individuals as they rejoin society.

The leading search engine recently announced a multi-million dollar expansion to the skill development program, which also includes a partnership with Code for America to remove barriers faced by the formerly incarcerated across the nation.

The Career Readiness for Reentry Program includes an investment of over $8 million and will be used to increase Google’s support for organizations doing the work to support individuals affected by the American judicial system.

A Commitment With A Cause

Of the $8 million commitment, $4 million will be used to help the Grow with Google Career Skills for the Justice-Impacted Fund. The overall goal is to equip 100,000 people who have been impacted by the justice system, providing them with digital and career skills. It is anticipated that this amount of people will be helped by the program up through 2025.

“With the help of organizations across the country, we’re equipping formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted people with critical digital skills they can use to get a job or start a business,” reads the organization’s website.

Additionally, nonprofits with no connection to Google’s existing partners will have the opportunity to apply for up to $100,000 in grants that will allow them to offer Google’s reentry skills training to their respective communities.

Closing the Gap

According to statistics shared by the company, unemployment rates for formerly incarcerated Black men, which sits at 34 percent, as well as for Black women, sitting at 40 percent, are significantly higher than any other racial group. The rates are also four to five times more than the unemployment rates across the nation.

In an effort to close that gap, Google will join forces with its five nonprofit partners to develop co-curated video-based lessons filled with guides to help formerly incarcerated people hone in on the digital and career skills needed to not only survive but also thrive during these current times.

Partners include The Ladies of Hope Ministries, Center for Employment Opportunities, Defy Ventures, Fortune Society, and The Last Mile.

Click here for more on the program and how to apply.