Not-for-profit marketing
Google
Ad Grants.
The Google Ad Grant gives eligible charities up to US$10,000 a month in Google ads. It's a cap, not an allowance, and much of it often goes unspent when accounts lack real conversion tracking. Accounts opened since 22 April 2019 must use conversion-based Smart Bidding and record at least one real conversion a month, and every account must keep a 5% click-through rate. Get those right and more of the grant gets spent.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.Who can
get the grant.
You need to be a registered charity in an eligible country, verified by Goodstack. Government bodies can't join. Hospitals and schools can't either, but their foundations can.
In Australia, Goodstack accepts any one of ACNC registration, DGR status or ATO income tax exempt status, so DGR status isn't required.
The rules that
switch grants off.
From Google's account management policy:
- Keep the account click-through rate at 5% or more each month. Two months in a row below it means temporary deactivation.
- Record at least one real conversion each month. Time on site and homepage visits must be set as Other.
- Use conversion-based Smart Bidding on every campaign: Maximise conversions, Maximise conversion value, Target CPA or Target ROAS. Google's bidding page says new campaigns can start on Maximise clicks to gather data.
- Have at least 2 sitelinks, and target only the places your service helps.
- Answer Google's program survey when it arrives.
Bidding,
without the old cap.
Older guides talk about a $2 bid cap. Google's current pages no longer describe it, and new accounts have used Smart Bidding since 2019. You can start on Maximise clicks, then switch to a conversion strategy once there are roughly 15 to 30 conversions in 30 days.
This is why tracking matters so much in grants accounts. With nothing to aim at, Smart Bidding has no reason to bid up for the searches that matter, and the grant sits unspent.
Conversion picker
What should count
as a conversion?
Tick what people can do on your website. It sorts each into what to set as a conversion, what to keep secondary, and what Google says must be 'Other'.
Set up like this
Performance Max
and Maps.
Grant accounts can run Performance Max, and since June 2025 those campaigns can show on Google Maps. Guides to setting it up say you'll need a linked Google Business Profile and location assets. For charities with a physical service, an op shop or a drop-in centre, it's worth testing.
Campaigns built
around people.
Build campaigns around the three groups a charity needs: people looking for help, people who want to give, and people who want to volunteer. Each gets its own ads and its own landing page, so the ad matches the search and the CTR stays healthy.
Services usually earn the most from the grant. Someone searching 'free financial counselling Gosford' or 'food relief near me' needs exactly what you offer, and that's the search the grant was designed for. Donation searches are fewer and more competitive.
What I see most often
What I see
most often.
- 1
Engagement counted as conversions
Time on site or homepage visits set as conversions, which the policy rules out.
- 2
One campaign doing everything
Donations, volunteering and services sharing one campaign and one set of ads.
- 3
All of Australia targeted
A local service shown nationally, wasting clicks and the CTR.
- 4
Nobody watching the inbox
The account email isn't monitored, so policy warnings and the survey go unanswered.
The honest bit. The grant is free advertising, not free marketing. It still takes time to run well. If nobody can look after it monthly, a smaller, tidier account beats a big neglected one.
Questions
people ask.
How much is the Google Ad Grant?
Up to US$10,000 a month in ads, about US$329 a day. It's a cap, not a guaranteed amount.
Do you need DGR status for Google Ad Grants?
No. In Australia, ACNC registration, DGR status or ATO income tax exempt status can each qualify, through Goodstack.
Is there still a $2 bid cap?
Google's current pages don't describe one. Grant accounts must use conversion-based Smart Bidding on every campaign.
Can Ad Grants use Performance Max?
Yes. And since June 2025, those campaigns can show on Google Maps.
Related
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going.
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