Google Ad Grants for charities and non-profits: How can I get Google Ads for free?

How do Google Ad Grants work and who are they for?

Grant Ads accounts work very similarly to traditional ads accounts; eligible causes include arts and culture organisations such as museums, theatres, and botanical gardens – they must be a registered charity in order to apply. If your organisation qualifies, you’ll be given up to $10,000 worth of free Google Ads per month!

The great news for your organisation is simple… free advertising!
The downside is that you need the time, resources, and knowledge to manage your account.

The main issues facing most charities and non-profits are the need for funding and the scarcity of resources. This can mean that you simply don’t have the time or knowledge to properly manage a Google Ads Grant account. Here are some tips to help you understand what is being offered and how you can make the most of it.

Who can apply for a Google Ad grant?

To apply for a Grant Ads account, you’ll need to be a registered charity, meet the eligibility guidelines for the country where your charity or non-profit operates, and agree to Google’s terms of service. Here in the UK, that means that your organisation must be registered with the Charity Commission, NICC, OSCR, or be registered as tax exempt and Gift Aid eligible with HMRC.

• Your ads need to support your charity/non-profit’s campaign mission.
• Your website needs to be well maintained.
• Your ads account needs to be actively managed.

Note: government bodies, hospitals, medical groups, schools, nurseries, and other academic organisations cannot apply for Google Ad Grants.

So, how do I apply for a Google Ad grant?

First you need to apply for Google for Non-profits and sign up to Charity Digital Exchange. Once you’ve set up accounts with Google for Non-profits and Charity Digital Exchange, you can then apply for your Ad Grants. Google for Non-profits also gives you access to the YouTube Non-profit Program, and Google Earth and Maps.

To set up a Google for Non-profits account:

1. Sign up to Charity Digital Exchange to get a Google Ad Grants token
2. Visit Google for Non-profits
3. Request a Google for Non-profits account
4. Complete the eligibility form
5. Submit your account activation
6. Accept Google’s invitation

Then you can activate your Google Ad Grants account:

1. Ensure Google Analytics is set up on your organisation’s website
2. Make sure you’ve added your Charity Digital Exchange token
3. Sign into your Google for Non-profits account
4. Click ‘Get Started’ under Google Ad Grants
5. Fill out your eligibility assessment form
6. Submit your organisation for review

Once your organisation has been approved, you can begin your first Google Ad Grants campaign.

I’ve already got an existing Google Ads account…
…How do I manage my Google Ad grant account?

Google have a 3-hour step-by-step guide to help you run a digital marketing ads campaign. This course will help you get to grips with the basics of Grant Ads management. If you already manage Google Ads and Google Analytics, this should be fairly straightforward.

You can run your Grant Ads account alongside your regular Google Ads account where you can continue to run paid ads separately. Your Grant Ads will appear slightly differently to your other paid ads. Grant Ads appear either on their own or below other paid advertising, and this means that competition may be slightly higher for competitive keywords. They’re also exclusively for search campaigns meaning they can’t be used for Search Partners or on the Google Display Network.

Grant accounts are closely regulated to ensure you continually meet the requirements for funded ads. These include the types of keywords you target, the number of ads per ad group, and a set of more specific requirements such as attaining a 5% CTR (click through rate) each month and only using keywords with a quality score of 3 or above. These limits stop accounts from targeting generic keywords such as ‘today’s news’ or ‘free eBooks’, for example, and aim to reduce spam and ensure the quality of the ads are consistently high.

I don’t have the time or knowledge to manage Google Ads or Analytics myself…
…Can I outsource my ad management on a tight budget?

Annoyingly, Google Ad Grants can be tricky to manage for smaller charities and non-profits. Not everyone has a marketing team with Google Ads training, and there are specific criteria your ads have to meet in order to remain active – but there are other options.

Many charities and non-profits have to make do with a small marketing team managing a tight budget. This means you won’t always have the space in your workload to manage, analyse, and maintain paid ads – and this is why many charities outsource their marketing to digital agencies who can maximise the return on investment.

Whether you are too busy or simply can’t get your head around Google Ads, it’s worth taking advantage of the free advertising Google have to offer, even if you don’t have the means to manage the account yourself…

Regular paid advertising can be extremely beneficial for increasing donations revenue so, if you have the budget to pay for an expert to manage yours, these ads can pay for themselves! You will likely raise more money in donations, ticket sales, etc. than you will spend on outsourcing your ads management. And, with the added bonus of Grant Ads, you’ll have more resources to play with.

Ash Beardsall, SEO & PPC Manager at Splitpixel