Many U.S. veterans face significant challenges transitioning to civilian life, from finding employment to accessing healthcare. In particular, veterans often face significant hurdles entering the civilian workforce as they may lack experience with job applications, interviews and translating military skills into civilian terms, all while needing to adapt to less structured environments, different workplace cultures and new communication styles.

Google.org provides technology, tools and resources to help veterans succeed, from providing additional benefits to our apprentices who are veterans to offering Ad Grants that help veteran-serving nonprofits reach their communities. Our passionate employees also volunteer their time and skills, contributing more than 13,000 volunteer hours to veteran-focused organizations. In 2024, Google.org gave $3.5M to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families to expand their Onward to Opportunity Program. This funding, part of Google.org's $75M AI Opportunity Fund for the United States, gives veterans, service members and military spouses no-cost access to Google's AI Essentials Course and Cybersecurity Certificate Program, equipping them with critical skills for in-demand tech jobs.

Through Google.org Ad Grants, military career resources from Google for Nonprofit-verified organizations have been viewed on Google more than 360 million times. In addition, veterans who participate in our apprenticeship program can use their GI Bill benefits for a monthly housing allowance, making it easier to say yes to the opportunity and gain on-the-job experience. We help ensure veteran apprentices have the records to apply for these additional benefits.

Lydell Manigo served in the military from 2016 to 2020 and then joined Google as an apprentice. In his time at Google, Lydell participated in a blend of classroom learning and on-the-job training in an IT apprenticeship cohort, fully immersed in projects within Google teams. After his Google apprenticeship was completed, Lydell was hired as an IT Information Systems Architect at Hewlett Packard and then went on to further his career as a Client Success Architect at Blackpoint Cyber.

"I would absolutely recommend the apprentice path. For me, it was a powerful bridge into the corporate world after time in the military. My Google apprenticeship gave me hands-on experience in a real workplace environment working alongside full-time employees and other apprentices. Access to valuable resources, time to complete certifications and learning from the experience of those around me built a foundation for success. That experience alone was the key to unlocking the next level in my career after leaving Google."

- Lydell Manigo, Former Google apprentice

Every year in the United States, $140B of already-allocated funding for essential public programs and services goes unused. At a time when 38 million people are living in poverty in America, access to government services is largely fragmented and paper-based which makes it difficult for residents to utilize benefits and assistance programs from their local and state governments.

A group of Google.org Fellows — Google employees who work pro bono on technical projects in support of a nonprofit or civic organization full-time for up to six months — helped the City of Seattle develop and launch a free, open-source, 'one-stop shop' application portal called CiviForm.

CiviForm is designed to simplify and centralize the process of applying for government services like childcare, transportation and food programs, striving to close a multi-billion dollar gap and ensure resources reach those who need them most. Since initial development with the City of Seattle, CiviForm has been adopted in communities like Bloomington, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; and the State of Arkansas.

The State of Arkansas Transformation and Shared Services Team — with the help of pro bono support from Google.org Fellows and Exygy, our steward for CiviForm open-source code — launched CiviForm to simplify access to public services for families, expectant mothers and job seekers in the state. Since then, the Arkansas Workforce Strategy; the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Combined State Plan; and the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies programs have utilized CiviForm to bring even more services to their residents with less bureaucracy and wait time.

Looking ahead, the scalability of CiviForm's open-source framework is exciting for the State of Arkansas and its residents. The potential to expand into other essential services, like WIC and SNAP, means this project is just the beginning of a truly transformative journey for Arkansas. This partnership has reinforced CiviForm’s original mission: when technology is wielded with purpose and compassion, it can truly change lives.

“Civiform in Arkansas is transforming state services by providing us additional data on the usage and adoption of government programs available to Arkansans. The integrated visibility CiviForm provides is groundbreaking for the state, empowering our team with critical insights to better serve Arkansans and strategically allocate funding. The ARData Team continues to expand CiviForm's reach, aligning with Act 124 of 2025 to deliver improved, integrated workforce and service options for all Arkansans.”

-Leslie Taylor, IT Infrastructure Analyst with the ARData Team, Arkansas Department of Shared Administrative Services