…health and human services but not many concentrate on prevention.
As far as Google.org working to improve the flow of information for governments' public-service efforts and lobbying public officials for changes, Moore added: "You won't see many companies stepping up and dealing with governments like that."
Google.org carefully chose the initiatives it is funding based on the types of information and engineers it could offer, as well as global reach, Brilliant said. "We took a look at the biggest problems in the world and... then looked at Google and said: 'What do we have to offer?'," he said. Those problems "fit who we are at this moment in time".
A survey of leading Silicon Valley companies found varying focuses when it comes to philanthropy.
Through its corporate responsibility and citizenship initiatives, Microsoft donated nearly $70m in cash and more than $330m in software to not-for-profit organisations globally in 2007. Many of the projects involve digital literacy, youth programmes and community technology centres in developing countries.
Cisco contributed nearly $117m in cash and in-kind contributions during 2007. The company plans to spend $15m over five years on mitigating global warming by integrating network technologies into city infrastructures.
Intel spends more than $100m a year, mostly on supporting education projects, including efforts like teacher training and building computer clubhouses around the world, said Brenda Musilli, president of the Intel Foundation.
HP also focuses on education, with some funding targeted at economic development and the environment. In 2006, HP spent $45.6m in cash and equipment towards community investment and has donated more than $1bn in 20 years.
Salesforce.com has given more than $10m in grants, mostly focusing on youth and technology programmes, since 2000, including $3.5m globally in 2006.
Online auction company eBay has given more than $8m to not-for-profit organisations through the eBay Foundation since it was created in 1998, including micro-enterprise development grants aimed at providing access to credit and markets, technical training, economic literacy and asset development.
But what about Bill Gates and his renowned largesse?
Read this
Q&A: Flying the Google flag for good causes
Dr Larry Brilliant, executive director of not-for-profit Google.org, heads the search giant's efforts to fight global warming and poverty and aid public health...
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation tops the list of US foundations in terms of total giving (more than $2.8bn in 2007 alone), according to the Foundation Center. But it's not really fair to compare the Microsoft founder's private philanthropy with that of a corporate foundation whose activities are linked with the corporation, experts said.
"I think the comparison of Google with the Gates Foundation is not particularly useful," especially since charitable giving by corporations is limited by law to 10 percent of their taxable income, said CECP's Moore.
Under the social-entrepreneur framework, one could argue that there is a greater incentive to generate results and provide a rate of return than with traditional charities.
"We're not trying to accomplish the giving away of money, but find a solution to a problem, and, if that takes a buck, it takes a buck," said Raymond of onPhilanthropy. "It's not ungenerous because it only took a buck to solve the problem."
