How to sign up for a Google Ad Grants Account

You will need to have a Google account to get started with Google for nonprofits. You’ll be asked to submit evidence of your charity’s eligibility against Google’s criteria and once submitted you’ll need to wait for their approval which can take up to two weeks. Once you receive your Google for Nonprofits verification you’ll be able to activate Google Ads for your charity.

The ~£7.5k allowance is automatically added to your account so at no point should you add any payment details. Once you max out your budget it will automatically stop spending, so there’s no risk of you overspending on your ads.

Google charity grant ongoing criteria

There are requirements to keep your Google for Nonprofits account status active, so you can’t simply set up then neglect the account. You need to maintain the following:

Click-Through Rate (CTR): Your account must maintain a minimum 5% CTR every single month.
Active Management: You must log into your Google Ads account at least once a month.
Conversion Tracking: You need active conversion tracking (e.g., measuring donations or volunteer sign-ups) and must track at least one conversion per month.
Account Structure: Campaigns must include at least two active ads and ad groups, with at least two sitelink ad assets.

What is charity PPC?

PPC is short for pay-per-click and refers to this model of advertising. It’s a type of paid search whereby you’re only charged if and when a user clicks your ad. When Google Ads appear at the top of Google search results, that business only pays when someone clicks the ad.

While there are other charity PPC options such as LinkedIn advertising, Microsoft or Meta ads, Google Ads is among the most popular because of the grant available. Organisations advertising on other platforms are likely assigning budget themselves, whereas Google gives the opportunity of free advertising for nonprofits.

Free Google Ads for nonprofits: a glossary of terms

Keyword: like in SEO, keywords are the words and phrases that are relevant to your organisation and reflect what users may search to discover your services.

Campaign: the overarching goal for your Google ads can be split out into campaigns. In the example of Solving Kids Cancer, that campaign may be increase donations for neuroblastoma research.

Ad group: within the campaign you’ll create different ad groups which breakdown the campaign into smaller themes. For Solving Kids Cancer, that might be Neuroblastoma donations | Support families with cancer | Fund cancer research. These demonstrate different targeting based on audience and keywords.

Ad: this is the advertisement itself and what users ultimately see in the Google search results. Each includes a headline and description, with multiple variations of each to test which perform best.

Asset: assets are parts of your ads and include photos, logos, buttons, location tools.

In our example, this structure overall may look like:

Campaign: “Increase Donations”

Ad Group 1: Neuroblastoma donations
- Ads: 2-3 variations focused on saving children, urgent stats
Ad Group 2: Family support
- Ads: 2-3 variations focused on helping families
Ad Group 3: Research funding
- Ads: 2-3 variations focused on clinical trials and impact.

Managing Google Grants for charities

If you're feeling overwhelmed at the thought of managing an additional platform, we can help. A Google Ad Grant rarely works well in isolation. It performs best alongside a clear campaign strategy, landing pages built to convert and branding that holds up once someone clicks through, which is exactly the kind of joined up support we offer through our Nurture Programme. If that sounds useful, grab an online coffee with us. No pitch, just a chat about where you're at and what holistic Google Ads support could look like for your charity.

Google Ads for Charities: FAQs

What is the Google Ad Grant?

The Google Ad Grant is a programme that gives eligible charities up to $10,000 (around £8,000) per month in free Google Ads spend. It can be used to promote your website in Google search results and drive traffic, donations, and awareness.

Who is eligible for the Google Ad Grant in the UK?

Most registered charities are eligible, provided they can be verified and are not a government body, healthcare provider (e.g. hospitals), or educational institution such as a school or university.

Do charities have to pay for Google Ads?

If you’re using the Ad Grant, your ads are funded by Google. However, some charities choose to run supplementary paid ads alongside the grant.

Can we run Google Ads ourselves or should we use an agency?

You can manage Google Ads in-house, but many charities work with agencies or specialists to maximise performance, ensure compliance, and make the most of the grant budget.

How long does it take to see results from the free Google Ads for nonprofits?

You may start seeing engagement traffic almost immediately, but meaningful results (like consistent donations or conversions) typically take a few weeks of optimisation.

Beginner's guide to Google Ad Grants for nonprofits and charity PPC