How to apply for Google Ad Grants: requirements and steps

Google Ad Grants gives qualifying nonprofits up to $10,000 a month in search ads on Google.com. The ads are free, but getting approved takes several steps, and the account has rules to follow once it is running. This post covers what Google Ad Grants is, who can apply, what your website needs and how to apply.

What is Google Ad Grants?

Google Ad Grants is part of Google for Nonprofits. Each approved nonprofit can use up to $10,000 a month in text ads that show in Google search results, and there is no bill for those ads. Google says nonprofits that want more advertising than the grant covers can buy ads in a separate Google Ads account.

The ads work best when they answer a specific search, such as someone looking for a food pantry, a volunteer opportunity or a support group near them.

Google Ad Grants requirements

In the United States, an organization needs to meet these requirements before it can apply:

• It is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3), or it is part of a group exemption under a central organization that has 501(c)(3) status.
• It is verified by Goodstack, the company Google uses to confirm nonprofit status.
• It agrees to the Google for Nonprofits terms of service.
• It has a website that meets the Ad Grants website policy, covered below.

Some organizations can't take part even though they are nonprofits. Google names government entities, hospitals and health care organizations, and schools, colleges and universities. Their charitable arms, such as a hospital foundation or a university foundation, can apply. Fiscally sponsored groups that don't have their own 501(c)(3) status aren't eligible.

Churches should check one more thing first, because many churches were never recognized by the IRS. Our post on Google Ad Grants for churches explains that rule.

The Ad Grants website policy

Google reviews your website before it approves the grant, so it is worth fixing these items before you apply:

• Your nonprofit owns the domain the ads point to. A social media page or a page on someone else's platform doesn't count.
• The whole site loads over HTTPS.
• The site has a good amount of original content about your mission.
• The site shows your address, your EIN or an annual report.
• All links work, including donation buttons.
• Pages load quickly and work on phones and tablets.
• The site doesn't carry a lot of outside ads, such as Google AdSense.
• If you sell anything, the site explains how the money supports your programs.

How to apply for Google Ad Grants

1. Sign up for Google for Nonprofits. You will use the same login for Ad Grants later, so use an account your organization will keep. Goodstack checks your organization against official records using your EIN. Google says this usually takes 2 to 14 working days.
2. Check your website. Google asks you to confirm that your site uses HTTPS and meets the website policy before you send the request.
3. Request Ad Grants. Log in to Google for Nonprofits, click Get started under Google Ad Grants and enter your website.
4. Watch the welcome video. It runs about five minutes, and you check a box to confirm you watched it.
5. Submit the activation request. Google says its review may take several business days. When a decision is made, you get an email with next steps.
6. Accept the invitation. If you are approved, Google sends an invitation to your Ad Grants account. After you accept it, you can set up your first campaign and add other people to help manage it.

One thing to avoid: don't create your own Google Ads account at any point during this process. Google gives you the account when it activates the grant.

What happens after approval

Google checks every Ad Grants account against a set of rules, and an account that breaks them can be deactivated until it is fixed. The main rules are:

• A 5% click-through rate. Across the whole account, at least 5% of the people who see the ads have to click on them each month. Two months in a row below 5% leads to the account being paused.
• At least one conversion a month. The account has to track a meaningful action, such as a donation, an event registration, a volunteer signup or an email signup.
• Automated bidding. Campaigns have to use one of Google's conversion based bidding strategies, such as Maximize conversions.
• Account structure. Each campaign needs at least two ad groups, and the account needs at least two sitelinks.
• Location targeting. Ads should show in the places where people can use your programs.
• Keyword rules. Single word keywords aren't allowed, apart from your organization's name and a few other cases. Keywords that are too general and keywords with a quality score of 1 or 2 have to be paused or removed.
• Program surveys. Google sends a survey from time to time, and it expects a response.

If the account is deactivated, you fix the problem and then send Google a reinstatement request.

Should you manage it yourself?

Many nonprofits apply on their own, and Google has a free video series for setting up the first campaign. The harder part is the monthly work: watching the click-through rate, adjusting keywords, writing new ads and making sure conversions are being recorded. If no one on your staff or volunteer team has time for that, an agency can handle it.

SiteHike sets up and manages Google Ad Grants for nonprofits and churches. The details are on our Google Ad Grants management page. If your website needs work before you apply, see our nonprofit website design page, and our nonprofit marketing page covers the rest of what we do.