Your Google Ad Grant Starter Kit

1. What the Ad Grant actually is

Up to US$10,000 / month in free Google Search ads

Eligible nonprofits get a Google Ads account funded with up to US$10,000 every month to show text ads on Google Search. It's real, ongoing, and free — but it comes with rules (section 4), and ads are search-only (not YouTube or Display), capped at a set max cost-per-click.

2. Do we qualify? — 60-second check

Tick these off before you apply:

We hold current, valid charity status in our country (e.g. a registered charity / IPC in Singapore, or 501(c)(3) in the US). We're enrolled in (or can enrol in) Google for Nonprofits and accept its terms. We have a functioning website with real, substantial content about our mission (own domain, secure, no broken pages). We are not a government entity, hospital/healthcare org, school, academic institution, or university (these are excluded).

All ticked? You're likely eligible. Confirm the exact criteria for your country on Google for Nonprofits before applying.

3. How to apply, step by step

Register with Google for Nonprofits. Verify your charity status (often via a validation partner) — this can take a few days.
Get a strong website ready. Clear mission, working pages, HTTPS — Google reviews it.
Activate Google Ad Grants from within the Google for Nonprofits console and follow the Ad Grants setup.
Build a compliant first campaign — proper structure, conversion tracking, mission-relevant keywords (see section 4).
Submit for review. Once approved, ads go live and the monthly grant budget applies.

Start here: google.com/nonprofits

4. Stay-alive compliance checklist

Accounts get suspended for breaking these. Keep them all true, every month:

✓ Maintain a 5% click-through rate (CTR) each month — miss it for two months in a row and you risk losing the grant.
✓ No single-word keywords (e.g. "donate", "charity") unless on Google's exception list — and keep keywords mission-relevant.
✓ Pause low-quality keywords (Quality Score of 1 or 2).
✓ Account structure: at least 2 active ad groups per campaign, and at least 2 active ads per ad group, plus active sitelink extensions.
✓ Valid conversion tracking set up — and review it so reported conversions are meaningful.
✓ Stay active: log in at least monthly and make meaningful changes at least every 90 days.

5. Mistakes that get accounts suspended

✕ "Set and forget." No logins, no changes — the fastest way to lose the grant.
✕ Chasing cheap clicks with broad, off-mission keywords. Tanks your CTR and breaks policy.
✕ Sending traffic to a weak landing page. Low relevance hurts Quality Score and results.
✕ No conversion tracking. You can't prove impact — and it's a policy expectation.

Educational resource only — please read. Aquarise is an independent private company. We are not Google and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official partner of Google, Google for Nonprofits, or the Google Ad Grants programme. We do not guarantee approval, reinstatement, or any result. This guide is general information, not professional advice. Programme rules are set by Google and change — always verify the latest details on the official sources: google.com/grants · google.com/nonprofits.

Guidance current as of 2026. Details are indicative and subject to change.

Want a hand setting it up?

We break down the Google Ad Grant in plain English on our channel — and a partner specialist can help you apply or get compliant. Reply to the email that brought you here.

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