What is a Google Ad Grant and How Does it Work?

DonorsChoose.org is one of the leading platforms for giving to public schools. According to a report published in 2018, the platform received 305,000 website visits in a year resulting in 4,900 donations and 7,400 teacher registrations. 

Another nonprofit, Days for Girls, working toward improving access to menstrual care and education, received $5,000 worth of donations in 60 days, with an average donation value of $212. It also resulted in more than 400 conversions in 60 days. 

Both these nonprofits, and many more nonprofits, have the Google Ad Grants program to thank for the increase in donations and website traffic. In this article, we’ll be exploring the Google Ad Grant program, what it is, how it works, and how your nonprofit can benefit. 

What is a Google Ad Grant?

The core objective of the Google Ad Grants is to help nonprofits share their causes with the world by assisting them in raising awareness, attracting donors, and recruiting new supporters and volunteers. Each nonprofit that qualifies for Google Ad Grants can access up to $10,000 per month in Google Ads, meaning your nonprofit will reach targeted audiences on the Google Search results page and as they browse the internet.

How to Apply for a Google Ad Grant

1. It’s important to note that you must meet eligibility requirements in order to be considered for a Google Ad Grant. In the U.S., this means be registered as a 501(c)(3) organization, and your organization must be validated by TechSoup.
2. Once you’ve received validation from TechSoup, you must enroll in Google for Nonprofits. Google for Nonprofits has several programs for the benefit of nonprofits, like Google Ad Grants, the YouTube Nonprofit Program, Google Earth and Maps for Nonprofits, and more. Signing up is quick and easy and comes with tons of awesome perks.
3. After signing up for Google for Nonprofits, you can begin the application process for a Google Ad Grant, which simply means logging into your new Google Ad Grant account, taking some easy pre-qualification steps, and participating in online training to learn how to use Google Ads to your nonprofit’s benefit. Once your Google Ads account is set up, sit tight and wait for your official approval from Google. Google should respond within 10 days.

While Google does provide training, there are also tons of organizations that specialize in Google Ad Grants and can offer supplemental training and advice for nonprofits that might need a little extra help. A quick internet search will yield hundreds of results with step-by-step guides to creating and managing your Google Ads.

Benefits of Google Ad Grants

Google Ad Grants are especially beneficial for small nonprofits competing for space against organizations with much more pull. Google Ads rewards relevancy, so small, local grantees using location-specific keywords should achieve a higher search ranking than a national or international org without a local location. You can choose cities, states, provinces, metro areas, countries, and regions where you want your ads to be shown. 

Keep in mind that once you receive your Google Ad Grant, you must stay active in managing them. If you don’t spend your monthly $10,000, the unused money will not roll over to the next month, so make sure you are taking full advantage of your grant. Stay tuned — we’ll continue to publish articles about Google Ad Grants and how best to use them in the weeks to come.