How to apply for a Google Ad Grant

Marketing budgets in the charity sector have always been a limited resource. Getting your charity’s name out there, raising awareness of your cause, and expanding your audience can be an expensive business that few charities can afford.

Imagine, then, what your charity could do with £95,000 of free advertising each year. Google’s Ad Grants scheme provides more than £7,500 per month of free Google Ads to eligible non-profit organisations so they can boost their visibility and reach new audiences.

Google currently works with more than 20,000 not-for-profit organisations across 50 countries. But the approval process for a Google Ad Grant can be complex. Applications are often refused or can take months to be approved.

But if you are chosen to participate, the results are more than worth it. Some of the charities already working with Ad Grants have seen their website traffic increase by more than 500%, and their monthly donation income by more than 800%.

Here, we outline some of the key tips for applying for a Google Ad Grant successfully, with the help of Access’ Ultimate Guide to Google Ad Grants.

How do charities apply for a Google Ad Grant?

STEP ONE: Check if you’re eligible

Google Ad Grants are available to any charity or not-for-profit organisation that fits Google’s selection criteria, whether big, small, medium, or micro.

In the UK, the criteria stipulates that your organisation must hold valid charity status or hold charitable tax exemption status with HMRC.

Philanthropic arms of educational institutions are eligble, but governmental entities and organisations, hospitals and medical groups, schools, academic institutions and universities are not. You can find out more about eligibility here.

STEP TWO: Apply for Google for Nonprofits

If a charity meets the eligibility criteria, they will need to apply for a Google for Non-profits account and be registered with TechSoup. TechSoup is a global network through which technology companies can donate their software or resources to charities (Charity Digital is its UK partner).

TechSoup handles the verification process for the Google for Non-Profit programme. If you’re not currently registered, you’ll be able to once you start the request for a Google for Non-profits account.

STEP THREE: Complete the Ad Grants pre-qualification requirements

Once your Google for Non-profits account is approved, your organisation will need to submit the pre-qualification form found in the Google Ad Grants enrollment guide.

This 10-minute survey helps Google learn more about those organisations that are eligible for Ad Grants. Using the responses to the survey, Google aims to improve the experience for charities and increase the effectiveness of their support.

Your organisation must also complete the Ad Grants training and quiz. This 5-minute video explains participation guidelines and offers advice for how to succeed in the programme, followed by a short quiz.

Ad Grants accounts will not be activated unless the Ad Grants training and quiz is completed correctly.

STEP FOUR: Create your Ad Grants account

You’ve made it this far. You’ve registered with Google for Non-profits, you’ve taken the survey, done the quiz and made it through pre-qualification – now you need to properly set up your Ad Grants account.

Google’s Enrollment Guide provides a helpful map to setting up your account. Charities need to create a campaign including a description of the organisation, where the ad should be shown, and an outline of their services.

The ad created as part of the campaign should be text-based and include a call-to-action which makes it clear what you would like users to do next, whether it be volunteering, donating, or visiting your website.

STEP FIVE: Submit your account for review

Once you’ve created your account and set up your campaign, you should submit your account to Google for review.

Your account will be assessed to make sure it complies with policies and you’ll usually receive an email to let you know the outcome, but it can take a while.

Unfortunately, there is with no guarantee on whether your organisation will be accepted for the programme or not. The process can look daunting and laborious, even in step form, but there are experts who can help if needed.

Who are the Ad Grants experts?

The Ad Grants certified professionals community is designed to support organisations by connecting them with qualified professionals who know their Ad Grants inside out.

Access is one of seven companies in the UK certified by Google under the Ad Grants Certified Professionals scheme to support not-for-profit organisations to apply for and run their ad grants. It has also produced the Ultimate Guide to Ad Grants, which offers tips and advice for charities looking to expand their reach.

Applying for a Google Ad Grant doesn’t have to be difficult. The Ad Grants certified professional community ensures that it isn’t.