For most nonprofits, your budget is allocated to fixed, practical line items like operating costs and overhead expenses. Marketing and advertising is a nice-to-have and sometimes receives no dedicated funding at all. However, investing dollars and resources to your communications efforts can amplify your message to a larger audience, help secure funding from potential donors, and attract volunteers or potential partner organizations. We want to help nonprofits learn how to apply for the Google for Nonprofits program and secure a Google Ads Grant.
Already convinced that crafting a dedicated marketing plan is a priority? Great! Here are the steps you can take to get free support from Google as well as secure a $10,000/mo grant for paid search advertising.
In an effort to support mission-driven organizations, Google for Nonprofits provides eligible organizations with free access to:
- Google Workspace (Gmail, Meet, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.)
- YouTube Nonprofit Program (including YouTube Giving to support fundraising)
- Google Maps and Earth (free credits for developing custom map)
In addition to these tools, Google also supports nonprofits’ effort to increase awareness around their mission, engage new supporters, and fundraise through digital channels with its Google Ads Grant program. This program provides nonprofits with $10,000 per month in funds for paid search ads. That’s up to $120,000 in free advertising money every year, folks! (Thanks, Google.)
First, you need to determine if your organization is eligible to participate in this program. Check out Google’s eligibility requirements to see if your organization meets their criteria. Once you’ve determined potential eligibility, the process is fairly simple to complete. Below are instructions on how to apply for the Google for Nonprofits program and secure your $10,000 per month in paid search ad credit.
Step 1: Verify Your Nonprofit’s Eligibility
To get started, visit Google’s pre-qualification survey page to verify that your nonprofit organization is eligible. In the United States, your organization must be registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3). Unfortunately universities, schools, hospitals, healthcare organizations and governmental entities are not eligible.
Before you begin the registration process, it will be helpful to have the following information on hand:
- Your organization’s EIN (nonprofit ID)
- Your organization’s physical address
- Your organization’s website domain
- Your organization’s mission statement
- Your work email (or someone else with a work-sponsored address, such as @vermilion.com vs a personal email such as @gmail.com)
Step 2: Register Your Nonprofit Through Goodstack
Goodstack is a third-party validation service used by Google for Nonprofits to verify your organization’s eligibility. The registration process should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.
Start by going to Google’s nonprofit eligibility form which walk you step-by-step through their questions. After completion, Google will pass the information to Goodstack for verification. Eligibility determination takes about 2-14 business days to complete and Goodstack will contact you directly if they need additional information as well as confirm the status of your application.
You (or whoever’s contact information you inputted on behalf of your organization) will receive an email from Goodstack prompting you to verify your identity—in other words, prove that you genuinely work for the non-profit applicant. You might be required to upload a document to prove your employment.
Step 3: Activate Google for Nonprofits Products
Once Goodstack has verified your organization’s eligibility, you are now able to activate the Google products you wish to use.
In order to take advantage of the $10,000 Google Grant for paid search, you need to create a Google Ads account. When setting up your account, pay close attention to the following steps:
- Choose the correct billing country and timezone for your organization.
- Choose USD as the currency (even if your organization uses another currency).
- DO NOT enter a credit card when prompted. Ignore any requests and emails asking you to submit payment information as this will set up a standard, paid Google Ads account.
Now you’re ready to create search ads and get in front of your audience by showing up on relevant search queries.
Step 4: Get Support from a Trusted Agency Partner
To ensure you’re taking full advantage of Google’s (free!) support and that your $10,000 grant is working hard for your organization, we recommend soliciting assistance from a digital marketing expert or mission-driven digital agency. Surprisingly, it can actually be challenging to build out the campaign to spend the full $10,000! We can help ensure you’re reaching your target audience, set measurable goals, share meaningful results on what your ads are achieving, and navigate the ever-changing rules for Google Grant accounts on your behalf. If you’re interested in getting some support to launch an account or if you have one but think it could work harder for your organization, reach out to craig@vermilion.com or submit your information here. We’d love to work with you!
