5-Step Process for Registering a Google Grant Ad Account

Table of Contents

1. Review Terms & Conditions
2. Review Eligibility
3. Request Google: Signup Here
4. Wait for Verification
5. Activate Google for Nonprofits products (optional)

Google Ad Grants Terms and Conditions

Organizations using Google Ad Grants must:

• Agree to Google’s rules and policies.
• Not discriminate in hiring or services.
• Avoid promoting hate, intolerance, or discrimination in ads.
• Not run election ads where special verification is needed.
• Be charity-focused.
• Follow all guidelines or face suspension without warning.
• Understand Google can change rules or participation status anytime.

Who can apply for Google for Nonprofits?

• Must be a recognized charitable nonprofit.
• Follow your country’s specific rules.
• Cannot be:
  • A government body.
  • A hospital or healthcare group.
  • A school or university (they have a different Google program).

Country-Wise Eligibility Requirements

Canada: Organizations must be registered as a 

(i) Charity with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), 

(ii) Nonprofit operating entity with tax exemption, 

(iii) Federal nonprofit corporation 

(iv) Provincial nonprofit.

USA: Organizations must be

(i) registered with the IRS as exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code, or 

(ii) a group exempt organization with proven affiliation to a central nonprofit that has 501c3 status

Currently not eligible organisations: Fiscally sponsored organizations that do not have their own 501(c)(3) status.

Verification Process

• When you apply for Google for Nonprofits, Google shares the details you provide with a company called Percent.
• Percent uses this information to confirm that your organization is legitimate and that you are truly associated with it. Your personal data is handled according to Google’s Privacy Policy.
• Google collaborates with two partners, Percent and TechSoup, to validate nonprofit organizations. They might reach out to you if they need more details or documentation.
• Percent’s role is to verify that your organization is legally registered, active, and serves a social or charitable purpose without any governmental affiliation.
• Stay alert for any emails from an address ending in @poweredbypercent.com, as that’s how Percent may communicate with you.
• Typically, Percent reviews applications within a span of 3 to 5 business days.
• If you haven’t heard from them within that period, first check your email’s spam folder. If there’s nothing there, you should contact Percent directly.

Ad Requirements

for the account to remain active & eligible even after being registered for ad grants

Minimum Click Through Rates on the campaigns need to be 5%. Achieve this by: 

• Properly geo-targeting your campaigns
• Set proper negative keywords at the account level, and keep adding them actively once your campaigns go live
• Activate Ad Extensions – Sitelinks and Callouts will help your ads stand out
• Enable Conversion tracking – donations and subscriptions
• Keep refining your keywords
• Select the most optimal bid strategy

Activate Google Workspace for Non-Profits

If your organization has a Google for Nonprofits account, you’re eligible for nonprofit-specific Google Workspace offers:

1. Google Workspace for Nonprofits (offered at no charge)
2. Business Standard (at 75+% nonprofit discount)
3. Business Plus (at 72+% nonprofit discount)
4. Enterprise editions (at 70%+ nonprofit discount)

Activate the YouTube Nonprofit Program

Organizations that qualify for Google Ad Grants are typically also eligible for the broader Google for Nonprofits program. Within this program, you can gain access to other tools and resources, including YouTube’s nonprofit program, which offers benefits like the ability to add a donation card to your videos. This doesn’t cover ad spend but can enhance your YouTube channel’s functionality.

While the grant does not cover YouTube video ads, you can use your Google Ad Grant for search ads that direct traffic to your organization’s YouTube channel or specific videos. For instance, if you have a new campaign video on YouTube, you can create search ads that lead users directly to that video.

As a YouTube Nonprofit Program partner, you can use these features designed for partners:

• Link directly to your site from your videos
  You can direct your viewers to your external campaign landing pages with Link Anywhere cards, a special card type that lets you link to any external URL.

• Dedicated technical support

References:

• https://support.google.com/nonprofits/answer/3367631 
• https://support.google.com/nonprofits/answer/3215869#zippy=%2Ccanada%2Cunited-states-of-america 
• https://support.google.com/nonprofits/answer/1699860
• https://support.google.com/nonprofits/answer/3367631 
• https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3545195?sjid=8145981671115134976-AP