Why is it so difficult to get reliable information and help for Google Ad Grants?

Unfortunately there is only minimal official free support for Google Ads these days, regardless of whether it's a business or a nonprofit. It's a self-service product.

Google Ads Support has a tendency to give wrong advice for Ad Grant accounts, so don't necessarily trust everything they tell you. For example they often tell you to implement an incorrect bidding strategy. If in doubt, ask me, or ask on the Google community forums.

Be careful what you believe on social media. Myths abound. You'll hear agencies tell you that if you don't stay in compliance you'll permanently lose your Ad Grant... not true. You'll hear that you need two ads per ad group... no longer true. Sometimes people share old rules that pre-date the 2018 reconfiguration of the Ad Grant policies.

Official Ad Grants Help

The Ad Grant policies and guidelines are collected in the Help center at support.google.com/grants. Be aware that some of these support pages are outdated.

Official support for Ad Grants

There is an official form to contact Google for Ad Grant support at support.google.com/grants/gethelp. You are likely to be offered support by email, possibly live chat. Any time you ask for support, be as detailed as possible.

Google community forums

Do you have a question about Google Ad Grants? Ask on the official forum at support.google.com/grants/community.

There is also a general Google Ads community at support.google.com/google-ads/community.

And a Google for Nonprofits forum at support.google.com/nonprofits/community.

I'm active on the forums as part of the Google Product Experts program. You are more likely to get correct, useful advice on the Ad Grant and Google Ads forums, than by contacting Google support.

Nonprofit Marketing Immersion

You can get pro-bono account support from digital marketing students and volunteers around the world. Your nonprofit can apply to the Nonprofit Marketing Immersion program to be matched with a volunteer team in partner universities.

Facebook group for Ad Grants

Be cautious when asking for help on Facebook because there are groups about Ad Grants that are mainly populated by scammers trying to buy and sell grant accounts. Never give anyone access to your account without first checking you can trust them.

The Google Grant Masters group is run by Ad Grants expert Sean Littman and a great place to discuss anything Ad Grant related: facebook.com/groups/googlegrant.

Google Ad Grants on YouTube

There's an official channel at youtube.com/GoogleGrants. No new content has been updated for several years, so don't rely on these videos for compliance information. There are still some useful case studies and walk-throughs of the program.

There is also a Google for Nonprofits YouTube channel at youtube.com/@GoogleforNonprofits, which I guested on in 2021 to talk about where to find help and resources for Ad Grants. Watch the video below.