Google Ad Grants offers eligible nonprofits up to US$10,000 per month in advertising credit. This guide explains eligibility, verification and activation.
What is Google Ad Grants?
It is a Google program that gives each nonprofit US$10,000 a month to advertise for free on their search engine. That’s 120,000 dollars for advertising each year, a big amount that can be used to achieve great goals.
It allows you to advertise in Google search results, appearing above normal results:
Each organization decides the goals of their campaigns, the searches in which they want to show their ads and the pages they want to show of their website (with some “small” limitations).
It’s a program that has been running for many years, but surprisingly many nonprofits still do not know it. We encourage you to share this guide with other nonprofits (using Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, forums, email or the medium you prefer).
Having $120,000/year for promotion is a big opportunity to increase the social impact of any nonprofits. All nonprofits should be using Google Ad Grants, it’s one of the best free “tools” available for them.
It’s easy to apply. You just have to fill out a few simple forms. There are no limited places or anything like that. If your organization meets the requirements explained below, it’s almost sure that you will be awarded the $10,000 per month.
If you have questions about Google Ad Grants or have any problem in the application process, you can contact us and we will help you.
What is Google Ad Grants for?
There are millions of different searches in which your organization can advertise. There are millions of possibilities to target users who are looking for different things.
Therefore, your Google Grants budget can be used to achieve practically any goal that your organization has. For example:
- Get more donations
- Get more attendees to your events
- Recruit volunteers
- Increase online sales (products, services, event tickets…)
- Capture emails from potential collaborators or followers on social networks
- Collect signatures for petitions or popular initiatives
- Reach beneficiaries or clients of the organization’s programs
- Attract sponsors or corporate partners
- Promote specific programs or campaigns
- Expand the organization to new areas or countries
Why is it important to get the most out of your Google Ad Grants account?
Many nonprofits make the same mistake: Since Google Ad Grants is “free money” and no one complains if that money is not used well, they do not spend enough time optimizing their account and they waste a large part of their budget ($10,000 per month).
The grant is advertising credit, not cash. You do not have to spend the full allowance. Focus on useful, mission-relevant conversions; results depend on demand, account setup and landing pages.
Google Grants can be a crucial tool to get enough visibility and resources for your mission, especially if you work for a small or medium nonprofit.
Who can apply for Google Ad Grants?
Any non-profit can apply, with 3 exceptions:
- Government organizations
- Health-care organizations (e.g., Hospitals)
- Educational or academic organizations (e.g., Universities)
Your organization must be based in one of the countries where Google offers the Ad Grants program. Most big countries are included.
The complete and updated list of countries is here. And the specific requirements for each country can be found here.
What are the steps to apply for Google Grants?
Follow the current official Google Ad Grants activation instructions. The process is:
- Confirm that your organization meets the country-specific eligibility requirements.
- Request access through Google for Nonprofits. If your organization already has an account, request access rather than creating a duplicate.
- Complete Goodstack verification and provide any requested evidence about the organization and your affiliation with it.
- After approval, start Ad Grants activation from Google for Nonprofits. Check the website requirements, provide the website, watch the required introduction and submit the activation for review.
- Use the Google Ads account supplied through the activation process. Do not manually create a separate Google Ads account during activation. Follow the approval email to access the account and begin campaign setup.
How long does the approval process take?
Google for Nonprofits verification usually takes 2–14 business days. Ad Grants activation is a separate review and may take several business days; follow any requests for additional information.
What if I have questions or a problem?
You have the official Google Grants guide, with plenty of information. You can contact Google’s support if something goes wrong.
You can also contact us. We help you in the application process, free and without any obligation.
If you want, when you have your account approved we can take care of configuring and optimizing your ad campaigns, to save you time and get the best possible results for your organization.
If you found this guide interesting, share it with other nonprofits using email, forums, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin…