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Interview JACQUELLINE FULLER interview JACQUELLINE FULLER If you do a Google search on Jacquelline Fuller you will find her mapping epidemics, number -crunching different methods of pro- tecting wildlife, and plotting “moon shots” for disadvantaged high-achieving students. She is the director of Google.org, the charitable giving arm of the tech supergiant. Since its beginning in 2004, Google.org has received 1 percent of its parent company’s net profit, and currently donates about $100 million in grants, 200,000 employee service hours, and $1 billion in products annually, both locally in northern California and around the world. She’s also on the board of GiveDirectly, and formerly served on the boards of the Eastern Congo Initiative, World Vision USA, International Justice Mission, and the California Emerging Technology Fund. Prior to Google.org, Fuller worked at a startup—it really was at that point— called the Gates Foundation. She launched its public-health initiative in India. Before entering the world of philan- thropy, she worked on public policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Philanthropy spoke with Fuller about the promise and perils of corporate philan- thropy, Silicon Valley’s climate for giving, and what has driven her idealistic career. Philanthropy: Google’s corporate philanthropy appears to be pretty wide-ranging. How do you describe Google’s giving priorities? What does and doesn’t interest your team? Google.org’s Jacquelline Fuller leads a team tasked with applying Google’s resources to the common good. Fuller: Google.org is fully a part of Google. We’re employees of the com- pany and get our funding directly from Philanthropy: Can you give an exam- be really helpful is if we could help with it. So we think about how we can invest ple of what this philosophy looks like predictive modeling and data analytics. resources where Google brings something in practice? What does a quintessential Through our relationship with UNICEF, unique to the table. That means we lean Google grant look like? we sent some engineers, product designers, toward innovation and technology. Topics Fuller: Let’s take the Zika virus. We have and user interface experts to work with the like education and learning, opportunity, a Google office in Brazil, and we knew UNICEF Innovation lab to help build a economic impact, and ensuring people are that we wanted to provide funding to help platform linking data on things like travel able to participate in society are themes fight Zika. In conversations with that and incidence of Zika to think about where Lea Crespi/Figarophoto/Contour by Getty Images Getty by Crespi/Figarophoto/Contour Lea that cut across what we do. office it became clear that what would the virus might be headed. WINTER 2017 11 interview Philanthropy: Was giving a priority and sometimes when people think about “Actually, I want to contribute through from the beginning of the company, or corporate philanthropy that’s what they the social enterprise that I’m starting.” has that emerged over time? Did it take think about. But there’s actually huge the company a while to find its philan- potential if you bring the best of who Philanthropy: How have you seen givers thropic niche? you are as a company to the table. Doing use different financial instruments, like Fuller: In their first letter from the founders that can reap huge rewards both in terms limited-liability companies, program- before our IPO, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of the charitable impact and the health related investments, pay-for-success made a commitment to philanthropy. They of the company. We’ve seen at Google, bonds? Have you seen those grow in said that Google is not a conventional com- for example, that philanthropy is import- popularity in charitable work? pany, and part of that is devoting 1 percent ant to the folks that we want to hire. It’s Fuller: There’s some slow growth there. of net profit each year to Google.org and pretty clear that believing in the work We have done some investing using philanthropy. So this philanthropy has been that Google.org is doing and having the pay-for-performance, specifically in our in our DNA from the beginning. opportunity to get personally involved is homelessness portfolio. There are Bay- a key factor in people staying at Google. area philanthropists setting up LLCs so Philanthropy: Why did you decide to they have the freedom to say, “I just want join the Google team? Philanthropy: What’s your take on the to put my money to work to achieve these Fuller: During the eight years I worked philanthropic climate in Silicon Valley right outcomes, whether I’m funding a nonprofit at the Gates Foundation I had seen what now? Do you see a lot of other companies or a social enterprise.” could be done when two individuals put giving effectively? Are there any specific their hearts and minds and wallet behind causes that you see gaining popularity? Philanthropy: I read that you’re the making a humanitarian impact. Not only Fuller: There are several leaders stepping child of a diplomat, and I’m curious how the good that they did directly, but how forward. There are also several companies your background and childhood affects they raised the bar for all private philan- coming forward. Some other tech compa- your work today. thropy to be taken more seriously, and for nies work with us on getting more women Fuller: We lived in Germany when I was achieving high returns on investment in and underrepresented minorities inter- young, and we spent time in the Soviet humanitarian projects. I thought to myself, ested in computer-science careers. That’s Union before the wall came down, so I grew Bill and Melinda Gates have done that for important to Google because we believe up in a family that was globally minded, and private philanthropy, but I haven’t really that having computational skills is the new they passed that on to me, along with a love seen that in corporate philanthropy. Of the literacy standard for many twenty-first of travel and exposure to lots of different $373 billion in annual giving in the U.S., century jobs. That’s something we want in cultures and ways of thinking. only 5 percent comes from companies. high schools nationally, including opportu- I heard that Google.org was starting up, nities for those who want to develop skills Philanthropy: So why didn’t you end up that Google was serious about the level of as programmers or data analysts. in diplomacy? resources it would put in, and that it would Fuller: I thought I was going to. In fact be very experimental and open to new ways Philanthropy: Do you think the phil- I was majoring in arms control as an of doing things. So I thought, “I want to go anthropic approach in Silicon Valley is undergrad. But my heart got in the way. down and see what they’re doing.” different because many of the business I was living in Los Angeles, and I was founders are young and starting philan- volunteering in the neighborhood with Philanthropy: Some people consider thropy young? a community group, and I saw the issues corporate philanthropy mostly public Fuller: Maybe in older generations there of urban poverty. I thought, “there are a relations. What do you think distin- was more of an attitude of “I’m going to lot of powerful people trying to figure out guishes smart corporate giving from work really hard and build my business issues like nuclear disarmament, and I’m other efforts that are less effective and and then I’m going retire and think about more confident that will get solved.” But more puffy? charity.” Some of today’s young founders in impoverished communities I didn’t see Fuller: There are some slippery “cor- are saying, “Actually, I want to do both a swell of people or money or thought or porate social responsibility” programs, at the same time.” Some are even saying, creativity or technology aimed at solving problems. So I decided that might be a I saw what could be done when two individuals better use of my life. put their hearts and minds and wallet behind making Philanthropy: You also worked for Kay Coles James. How did that connection a humanitarian impact. The Gateses raised the bar happen? What was it like working for her? for all private philanthropy. Fuller: It was actually my first job out 12 PHILANTHROPY of college. I graduated from UCLA on a “one, there is a lot I don’t understand in Friday, and I started at the U.S. Depart- this book, and two, God loves the poor ment of Health and Human Services the and we have a responsibility to ensure that following Monday. Kay Coles James was we’re never the oppressor, and that we’re the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs taking care of strangers and widows and at the time in the first Bush administra- orphans and the fatherless.” It made me tion, and she had been appointed to the think that this is something I should do as National Commission on Children. I’d a Christian. That really started the journey. Sir John Templeton. applied for a job at HHS and someone thought, “oh, this person could help Kay on Philanthropy: We hear stereotypes that the National Commission on Children.” being a person of faith in Silicon Valley Roger Hertog. So I got hired. is rough. Have you encountered anything strange about living and working there as Charles Koch.
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