Google Grant FAQs

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Are Google Grants right for your non-profit?

Google Ad Grants are generating serious buzz in the market. So, do these marketing-boosters make sense for you and your business—and are you eligible to participate? Read on to learn more about these cutting-edge grants, then get in touch to learn how Cobblestone Media Group can support your Google Ad Grant program.

What are Google Ad Grants?

Google Ad Grants is a donation-based program that distributes free in-kind advertising to approved 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Once your organization is accepted, you can leverage up to $10,000 per month of this designated advertising. All Google Ad Grant ads live within the Google AdWords search engine marketing platform.
Google Ad Grants are available in more than 50 countries and, to date, more than 35,000 nonprofits have taken advantage of this opportunity. At Cobblestone, we work with grant recipients in seven countries, running ads in 30-plus languages.

Why is this program so important?

For a nonprofit, a $10,000 AdWords budget—or $10,000 boost to an existing budget—is huge and can easily jumpstart an organization, a campaign or a specific fundraising effort. This investment can generate thousands if not millions of impressions in a month-long period, building awareness, engagement and, ultimately, conversions. Many recipients see tangible results in the first 30 days of advertising.

Who is eligible for a Google Ad Grant?

Only nonprofits with valid charity status are eligible for Google Ad Grants. Government entities, hospitals, healthcare organizations, schools and universities are not typically eligible, though their philanthropic arms may be considered if they meet all other criteria.

To that end, organizations must be registered as charitable organizations in one of the 50-plus countries (click here for a complete list/map). Each country has specific requirements for consideration, so be sure to check what’s needed for your market before applying.

Can Cobblestone manage our Google Ad Grant?

Yes! We offer nonprofit pricing for eligible organizations. To date, we’ve worked with dozens of grant recipients around the globe, helping them launch and manage countless campaigns.

What types of ads can I run?

All ads live within Google Ads. As a result, this grant supports Google Ads only and all standard Google Ads policies will be enforced. Ads supported by these grants must reflect your organization’s primary mission and be relevant to your programs/services. These “mission-based” campaigns much also follow specific keyword criteria, avoiding most single-word keywords, overly generic terms or keywords with low quality scores.

Can Ad Grantees convert a regular paid account to an Ad Grants account?

Unfortunately, no. Ad Grants aren’t billable so they require a unique setup process. Your existing AdWords account is billable and, at setup, required billing information and a credit card at sign up. At this time, we aren’t able to convert that paid account to a “free” account.

How does Cobblestone support Google Ad Grant recipients?

We’ve worked with several Google Ad Grant recipients and look forward to further supporting amazing charities and nonprofits in the future. Once engaged, we’ll walk you through the application and setup process, ensuring you’re maximizing this opportunity from day one. Keep in mind, Google AdWords is a dynamic auction that changes constantly. AdWords campaigns need to be logged daily to optimize ROI and check for errors—all essential steps we can train you on or tap our expert team to manage. Again, we make sure you are taking full advantage of these powerhouse grants and can provide any level of support needed to achieve this goal. Get in touch to learn more and to discuss your Google grant.