How to Get Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits

Imagine what an extra $10,000 in digital marketing dollars each month could help your nonprofit achieve. That’s the premise behind Google Ad Grants, a program that has doled out $9 billion to 115,000 nonprofits since it began in 2003.

“It can be a huge boost,” says Michele Potts, sales director at Zoe Marketing & Communications, which works with nonprofits in metro Detroit and Chicagoland. Potts has earned and managed these grants for 20 nonprofits since 2018.

“They allow your nonprofit to appear in search results at critical moments,” she explains. “It significantly increases your visibility to potential donors, volunteers and beneficiaries.”

It sounds great, but how can you snag one of your own — and, crucially, keep it? This blog touches on what Google Ad Grants are and covers seven key factors:

1. Eligibility for Google grants
2. Applying for the grant
3. Google’s response time
4. Setting up your ad campaigns
5. Managing your Google grant
6. Typical grant amount
7. Compliance requirements

You’ll walk away with a clear sense of what it takes to access and maximize a Google Ad Grant of your own. And you can decide on your next steps.  

What Google Ad Grants are

Google Ad Grants give nonprofits up to $10,000 per month of in-kind advertising. Money goes towards Google’s text-based ads. These show up on search results pages — an essential type of search engine marketing (SEM). It also unlocks tools to build effective campaigns.

According to Google, funds can go to:

• Increase awareness for your cause
• Boost website traffic and activity
• Monitor your marketing outcomes
• Connect with those who need your help

Best of all, it’s not one-and-done. You keep getting your grant as long as you’re eligible.

7 key factors for Google Ad Grants

Here’s a closer look at how to qualify for, apply to, use and maintain your Google Ad Grants.

1. Eligibility for Google grants

To be eligible for Google Ad Grants, your nonprofit must:

• Have a valid charitable status, such as 501(c)(3) in the U.S.
• Comply with Google for Nonprofits Terms of Service

And your website has to be more than live and functional; it must be:

• High-quality and secure (i.e., it’s HTTPS, or hypertext transfer protocol secure)
• A quick-loading domain that you own
• Free of broken links
• Up-to-date and filled with substantial content that clearly communicates your mission and activities

“The biggest thing is your website needs to be secure,” Potts says. “And your mission needs to be clearly stated on your website.”

2. Applying for the grant

Google’s application process requires some preparation. In a nutshell, you’ll:

• Sign up your organization with Google for Nonprofits
• Fill out the Google Ad Grants application
• Provide comprehensive details about your organization’s mission, ongoing activities and specific plans for using ads
• Ensure your application is thorough, clear and complete to increase your chances of approval

3. Google’s response time

Plan on at least a month to get your Google Ad Grant approval.

There are layers, and each takes time:

• Account setup: Registering and setting up your Google account can take 0-14 days.
• Nonprofit verification: Google will let you know if you’re eligible for the grant within 2 weeks — sometimes as fast as a couple of days.
• Application review: Expect a final decision on whether your grant is approved in about 2 weeks.

“If you haven’t heard from Google in four weeks, reach out to Google Support,” Potts says.

4. Setting up your ad campaigns

Once your Google Ad Grant is approved, set up your Google Ads account correctly to start using it. Here are the key pieces:

• Meet minimum requirements: Set up at least one ad campaign with at least two ad groups in it — and two ads in each group. Keep a goal in mind (awareness, traffic, donations, etc.).
• Select keywords: Pick relevant keywords for each ad group. Focus on a specific aspect of your mission to create your message. And follow Google’s keyword policies.
• Track and analyze: Ensure your Google Analytics is set up and linked to your Google Ads. This helps you understand the behaviors of people clicking on your ads.

5. Managing your Google grant

“Maximize your grant by regularly reviewing and updating your campaigns,” Potts says. “It takes 20 hours a month to fully manage a campaign — so, ideally, at least 4-5 hours a week.”

But if you’re going DIY, at the very least, check in weekly and do a comprehensive review/update each month. Be sure to:

• Check CTR: Google requires a 5% click-through rate, or CTR, for all ads.
• Refresh ads and keywords: Aim for updates at least once a month. Avoid ad fatigue.
• Experiment with bidding: Adjust your strategies to optimize for visibility or specific actions like donations.

And tap into these Google Ads’ optimization tools to further stretch your grant:

• Google Ads editor: Manage campaigns offline and make bulk changes easily.
• Keyword Planner: Discover and evaluate new, relevant keywords.
• Ad extensions: Enhance ads with extra info like links, location or contact details to improve visibility and CTR.
• Conversion tracking: Monitor and analyze visitors’ actions on your website after clicking your ads.

6. Typical grant amount

Your grant amount may vary each month. In her experience, Potts says most businesses spend more like $3,000 and $5,000 per month. Sometimes, that’s because they’re running ads manually — in which case, the keyword bid is capped at $2. When running ads automatically, that cap doesn’t apply.

Still, by targeting additional keywords and creating more campaigns and ads, you can expand your grant spend.

7. Compliance requirements

“Google has strict criteria and rules,” Potts says. And, to maintain your grant, it’s essential to adhere to the requirements of:

• Staying in compliance with a 5% click-through rate for your ads
• Having at least one ad campaign with at least two ad groups with at least two ads each
• Optimizing your ads at least monthly
• Avoiding one-word or generic keywords
• Maintaining a quality score of 3 (out of a possibility of 10)

If you fall out of compliance, your account will be suspended and all ads paused. You’ll then need to:

• Fix the issues
• Submit a request for reinstatement through your Google for Nonprofits account, including supporting evidence
• Wait for Google to review and reinstate your grant (which can take several days)

Next steps for getting and keeping your Google Ad Grant

Google Ad Grants are a potent marketing engine for nonprofits. But it takes dedicated monitoring, monthly overhauls and compliance to maintain that grant — and get as close as possible to spending the $10,000 max it offers you each month.

Working with an experienced agency can help. Talk to us at Zoe Marketing & Communications to learn how we can help you access, manage and optimize a Google Ad Grant.

Still exploring? These articles are the ideal next steps:

• What search engine marketing (SEM) is and how it works
• 7 SEM ad copy best practices for text ads with examples
• 3 best practices for avoiding SEM ad fatigue with examples