What is Google Ad Grants?
The Google Ad Grants program is a grant offered by Google to eligible nonprofit organizations.. It provides up to US$10,000 per month in advertising credits to run text ads on Google.
In short, when someone searches for a topic on Google related to your area of work, your organization can appear among the first results!
It is a great opportunity to attract more visitors to your website. But for those clicks to become useful, they need to be directed to the right pages with the right messages.
How does Google Ad Grants work?
Google Ad Grants allows your organization to appear on Google when someone searches for a topic related to your mission.
The principle is this: someone performs a search, sees your ad, clicks on the ad, then lands on a page of your website.
If that page is clear and useful, the person can then take an important action, such as making a donation, filling out a form, registering for a program, or asking for help.
Who can qualify for Google Ad Grants?
Google Ad Grants is not automatically offered to all organizations. Before applying, you need to verify whether your nonprofit meets the program’s criteria.
To qualify, your organization generally must be a recognized nonprofit, be eligible for Google for Nonprofits, have an active website, and comply with the program rules.
This step is important because it helps avoid wasting time on an incomplete application or an account that could be rejected later.
Who controls your Google accounts?
Google Ad Grants can be connected to several tools, such as Google for Nonprofits, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and your website.
If access is poorly organized, your nonprofit can lose time, lose control of its data, or depend on a personal account that does not truly belong to the organization.
Access should be managed by the organization itself, ideally with at least one official administrator account belonging to the nonprofit, not to an external person or an employee using a personal email address.
- A Google Ads account created with the personal email address of a former employee.
- A Google Analytics account that nobody controls.
- Conversions configured in an account your team cannot access.
- Important notifications sent to the wrong person.
Which rules need to be followed?
Google Ad Grants comes with certain rules. They are meant to keep ads relevant and ensure the grant is used in a useful way.
The main rules relate to website quality, keyword relevance, account structure, conversion tracking, sitelinks, and the account’s minimum performance.
Benefit from real advertising campaigns on Google Ads, fully funded by the Google Ad Grants grant.
Improve your online presence and reach new targeted audiences at no cost to your organization.
Receive a final performance report, including clear statistics, concrete indicators, such as clicks, conversions, and visibility, and practical recommendations for what comes next.
Benefit from regular campaign optimizations during their launch period, from 4 to 5 weeks.
Receive a detailed pre-campaign report presenting a personalized strategy aligned with your objectives.
What should you do if an account is suspended?
A Google Ad Grants account can be deactivated if it does not meet certain program requirements.
The right approach is to first identify the cause of the suspension, correct the issues in the account, and then submit a reactivation request only once the non-compliant elements have been fixed.
Possible causes:
- 1
Poorly configured conversions
- 2
Keywords that are too broad or not relevant
- 3
Weak landing pages
- 4
Click-through rate too low
- 5
Non-compliant account structure
- 6
Important notifications ignored
How do you measure performance?
Having access to a grant does not mean results happen automatically. To know whether Google Ad Grants is working, you need to look at the right indicators.
Performance is measured by looking at visibility, clicks, conversions, and the quality of the actions generated on your site. The goal is to know whether the clicks are truly helping your mission.
| Indicator | What it means | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions | The number of times your ad was displayed on a user’s screen after their search. | Your visibility. The higher the number, the more your organization is seen on Google. |
| Clicks | The number of times someone clicks on your ad after seeing it. | Your website traffic. This is the number of real visits generated by your ads. |
| Click-through rate (CTR) | The percentage of people who click on your ad compared to the number of times it was displayed. | The relevance of your ad. A good CTR proves that your message interests your target audience. |
| Conversions | The number of times a visitor completes an important action on your site after clicking on your ad, such as making a donation, registering, downloading a document, and so on. | The impact of your campaign. This is the concrete and useful result for your mission. |
| Conversion rate | The percentage of visitors who complete an important action compared to the total number of people who clicked on your ad. | The effectiveness of your website. It shows whether your web page succeeds in convincing visitors to take action. |
| Cost per click (CPC) | The virtual amount of your grant spent on average each time someone clicks on your ad. | The value of a visit. It shows how much each click costs based on the competition for your keywords. |
| Indicator | What it means | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions | The number of times your ad was displayed on a user’s screen after their search. | Your visibility. The higher the number, the more your organization is seen on Google. |
| Clicks | The number of times someone clicks on your ad after seeing it. | Your website traffic. This is the number of real visits generated by your ads. |
| Click-through rate (CTR) | The percentage of people who click on your ad compared to the number of times it was displayed. | The relevance of your ad. A good CTR proves that your message interests your target audience. |
| Conversions | The number of times a visitor completes an important action on your site after clicking on your ad, such as making a donation, registering, downloading a document, and so on. | The impact of your campaign. This is the concrete and useful result for your mission. |
| Conversion rate | The percentage of visitors who complete an important action compared to the total number of people who clicked on your ad. | The effectiveness of your website. It shows whether your web page succeeds in convincing visitors to take action. |
| Cost per click (CPC) | The virtual amount of your grant spent on average each time someone clicks on your ad. | The value of a visit. It shows how much each click costs based on the competition for your keywords. |
Should you manage Google Ad Grants internally or get support?
You can manage it internally if your team has the time, the necessary skills, the right access, and a monitoring routine. Otherwise, professional support is often safer to avoid mistakes, stay compliant, and make better use of the grant.
Don’t panic! If you recently received the Google Ad Grants grant but do not know how to manage it effectively, we are here to help.
Our Google Ad Grants specialists have unique expertise adapted to the needs of nonprofits. Thanks to their knowledge of the specific rules and subtleties of the grant, they ensure compliant and optimized management of your advertising campaigns.
Why work with Charity Rocket?
Together, we grow the impact of nonprofits
Every day, Charity Rocket has the privilege of supporting inspiring organizations that, each in their own way, help build a better world. We call them our commanders, because they carry their mission forward, rally their communities, and create meaningful change.
Our role is to make sure they have the right tools to go even further.
We work hand in hand with foundations, nonprofits, and community initiatives dedicated to improving lives, and each partnership reminds us of the essential role they play.
