Eligibility for an Ad Grant, how to apply, and what to do if rejected

Warning

Do not try to manually create a new Ad Grant account. One will be created for you once you've successfully signed up with the program. Do not at any point enter credit card details, even if prompted.

Is your nonprofit eligible for a Google Ad Grant?

The organization needs to be a registered nonprofit in your country. For example in the U.S., it needs to be registered with the IRS as exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code, or a group exempt organization with proven affiliation to a central nonprofit that has 501c3 status.

60+ countries are eligible. You can check whether your country is on the list here and find out whether your nonprofit is eligible: support.google.com/nonprofits/answer/3215869.

What types of nonprofit are ineligible?

These nonprofits are ineligible for Google Grants:

Schools or educational institutions
Government organizations
Hospitals or healthcare organizations

However, that's loosely defined. Just because your nonprofit works in healthcare or education, doesn't mean you're ineligible. The rule seems to apply more to statutory-type services. There are thousands of health and education charities with Ad Grants.

Before you apply, review your website

Your nonprofit's website must adhere to the Ad Grants website policy. You can read the website policy here: support.google.com/grants/answer/1657899. There is a section of this course devoted to getting your website ready to advertise, so read those lessons before applying for the Ad Grant. Essentially:

The nonprofit needs to own the website domain that you'll be applying to use.
The website needs to be secure, with an SSL security certificate, using HTTPS.
The site should load quickly, without broken links or technical problems.
The mission of your nonprofit should be clear to a first-time visitor.
The website needs to have plenty of unique content relevant to the mission of the nonprofit, and proper navigation.
Your nonprofit status and registration number should be mentioned in the footer of the website and elsewhere, for example prominently on the Home page and in your About or Mission page.
Commercial activity should not be the primary purpose of your website, and it should be obvious how it supports the mission of the nonprofit.
Services should be available to the public, not paid-for only.
Limited advertising is allowed on your website provided it's relevant to your mission, but not AdSense or affiliate links.

The application process

There are three main steps:

Sign up for Google for Nonprofits
Get verified by Percent
Enroll in the Ad Grant program

Step 1: Sign up for Google for Nonprofits

Go to Google for Nonprofits and click the Get started button.

If your organization already has an account, you'll be instructed how to request access. Find out how to get access to an existing Google for Nonprofits account: support.google.com/nonprofits/answer/1699860.

You'll be asked to confirm that the nonprofit is eligible, then asked to choose the country where it's registered.

The next step is to enter your organisation’s nonprofit registration number (for example an EIN in the US), its physical address, and its online contact information.

You'll be asked to choose a category of type of nonprofit. Choose whichever seems most relevant.

And you'll be asked to check a box to agree that your organization does not discriminate on any basis in either hiring or employment practices or in the administration of programs and services.

Once that's entered and submitted, the next step happens automatically. You should receive an email to confirm you've applied.

Step 2: Get verified by Percent

Previously Google partnered with an organization called TechSoup to validate nonprofits’ legitimacy for the program. Now they use a company called Percent instead.

It should take between 2-14 business days to get validated by Percent. You can login to your Google for Nonprofit account at any time to check the status.

If your nonprofit has only recently been registered, that might cause an initial rejection. If you do get rejected at this stage, contact Percent directly to prove your nonprofit status.

Percent may contact you for more information or documentation so they can verify your organization and your affiliation with it.

If you do not get a response, want to check your status, or believe you have been incorrectly rejected, use this form to contact Percent: poweredbypercent.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new.

Step 3: Enroll in the Ad Grant program

Once you receive confirmation by email that your organisation has been verified, you'll be able to login to Google for Nonprofits at google.com/nonprofits to activate free Google products. Each product needs to be activated separately.

One of the options is to enroll in the Ad Grant program.

Sign in to google.com/nonprofits
Click Get started under Google Ad Grants
Enter the website address your organization will use for Ad Grants
Click Submit website to check if your website is secure
Watch the welcome video, which should take 5 minutes. The video provides information about the Google Ad Grants program requirements and tips on how to succeed. Confirm you have completed the video.
Click Submit activation to submit your activation for review

The review typically takes 3 business days. You should receive an email with further instructions.

Once you get accepted for the Ad Grant

You should be able to log straight into a ready-made Ad Grant account that's been created for you. You do not need to create a new account.

Do NOT at any point enter credit card details, even if prompted; doing this creates a new paid account. Instead you should be logging into the already-existing Ad Grant account.

If you get rejected for an Ad Grant

The rejection email will mention which policy caused the rejection.

The most common reasons for a nonprofit to be rejected for a Google Ad Grant, relate to the website policy. Read the policy carefully, figure out which requirement(s) you failed, and fix the problems before you reapply.

Most commonly, the reason is page loading speed, or failing to state your nonprofit status in the footer.

FAQ

Is your nonprofit an addiction organization?

You would probably be given an Ad Grant, but won't actually be able to use it. If your nonprofit is in the US and Canada and you're willing to pay a sizable fee for certification, you might be able to advertise. Outside the US and Canada, you cannot advertise an addiction organization.

Has your business set up a nonprofit arm?

A word of warning: if you run a business and someone (maybe a lawyer or in a YouTube video) tells you that your business can set up a nonprofit project just to get $10,000 per month in free advertising that can also be used to promote your business ... don't do it. They're not being honest with you. Not only might it go against Google Ad Grant policy, it's also unethical, and you'd find that you'd be unable to spend the budget because an Ad Grant won't be able to compete for business-related keywords.

Are fiscally sponsored organizations eligible?

Fiscally sponsored organizations (FSOs) that do not have their own 501(c)(3) status and are not covered by group exemption are not eligible for Google for Nonprofits.

Are tax exempt organizations in the US eligible?

Some types of organizations in the United States, churches for example, that meet the requirements of IRC section 501(c)(3) are automatically considered tax exempt and are not required to apply for and obtain recognition of tax-exempt status from the IRS. But in order to be eligible for Google for Nonprofits, organizations must obtain recognition of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS. Organizations not registered with the IRS and not listed in the IRS's online publication of tax exempt organizations aren't eligible for Google for Nonprofits.

Can an agency or third party apply on our behalf?

I recommend against allowing someone else to apply for you,. The application is relatively straightforward, and your nonprofit should always own its own Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Google for Nonprofits accounts. Having said that, there are reputable agencies with longstanding Ad Grants experience, who can certainly advise and support you in the process. There is a lesson in this course about how to work with an agency.

What other products are offered by Google for Nonprofits?

As well as Google Ad Grants, you can also enroll in Google Workspace for Nonprofits, YouTube for Nonprofits, and get free Google Earth and Maps credits.

What if we have more than one domain to advertise?

It's not unusual for nonprofits to build one or more separate mini-sites, for fundraising purposes, or for a specific project. You can request to use an additional domain using this form: support.google.com/grants/contact/grants_v. Websites must confirm to Ad Grants website policy requirements, just like the main site. Your request should be reviewed within 10 business days (but in practice I find it's often approved within a day or two).