As with any grant, there are certain requirements to be eligible. However, with the Google Ad Grant, there are also some technical requirements that need to be in place before applying for the grant.
- Basic Qualifications
The Google Ad Grant is available for nonprofits in over 50 counties. The process varies slightly depending on which country however, we will focus on eligibility in the United States.
To be eligible:
- You must be an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
- You cannot be a hospital, school, or government agency
- Your website must be hosted on your own domain (for example, PhilantrepreneurFoundation.org, not ournonprofit.weebly.com) and adhere to Google’s website policy
Note that faith-based organizations, are eligible for the Google Grant, however, your organization must have formally applied for and received 501(c)(3) status. Houses of worship are often tax-exempt by default, and many never officially applied for this status. If that is the case, you will need to apply and have 501(c)(3) status granted before you begin applying for the Google Grant. Need help getting your 501c3 CLICK HERE
- Website Requirements
Your website must have an SSL certificate installed (a lock icon will appear in the navigation bar in Google Chrome). If you see “not secure” next to your website’s URL in Chrome, it means SSL is not installed or there is a configuration issue. To get the SSL certification contact your domain’s host server.
- Website Quality Is More Important Than You Might Think
Your nonprofit’s website is the backbone of your Google Ad Grant. Since the goal of Google Search Ads is to send users to your website, during the application process the quality and usability of your site is taken into consideration when reviewing your application. Once you have the Grant, the quality of your site affects if, and when your ads show — and more importantly, whether users are driven to take meaningful action once they’re there. You might want to consider creating landing pages for each of your programs and uses for the grant.
- You Must Have Google For Nonprofits
Google is the administer of the Ad Grants therefore you must be registered with the associated Google platforms. The application is accessed through Google for Nonprofits, so having an account is a mandatory prerequisite. To sign up:
- Get verified by Techsoup: Once you’re verified as a registered nonprofit, Techsoup will give you a token number that you can use to access products and services intended exclusively for nonprofits.
- Activate Google for Nonprofits: Your Techsoup token will allow you to set up a Google for Nonprofits account, which gives you free access to expensive Google products and unlocks the Google Ad Grant application.
You must agree to the Google for Nonprofits and Google Ads terms of service.
- The Application Timeline Varies
Depending on what prerequisites you already have, the amount of time it takes to complete the two-part application can vary from a couple of weeks to several months or more. Remember not to rush: It’s important to complete every step of the application properly since rejection can be a major timeline setback.
Based on our experience, here’s the average amount of time it takes to complete each step:
- Techsoup validation: 7 to 11 business days
- Google for Nonprofits account setup: 0 to 14 business days
- Google Ad Grants Pre-Qualification (Part 1): 2 to 9 business days
- Google Ad Grants Account Setup (Part 2): 6 to 29 business days
- Application review: Approximately 10 business days
In our next blog, “Pt 3 – How Google Ads Work”, we will outline some technical aspects of the grant.
