Skip to main content
All tools
Walkthrough · Google Ad Grants

The full Google Ad Grants walkthrough

Follow this step by step: eligibility, Google for Nonprofits, website readiness, application packet, Ad Grants activation, campaign build, conversion tracking, and weekly compliance.

Start the walkthrough
8 steps
From nonprofit eligibility to ongoing compliance
2 free tools
Checker + packet generator built into Bloom
Last updated
April 30, 2026
Step 0110 minutes

Confirm basic eligibility

You know whether the grant is worth pursuing before touching Google.

Do this

  1. 1Verify that your organization is a registered nonprofit in good standing.
  2. 2Confirm you are not a government entity, hospital, healthcare organization, school, or academic institution. Philanthropic arms of education organizations may still qualify.
  3. 3Run the Bloom 8-question eligibility checker and save the result.
  4. 4List every blocker the checker returns, then resolve critical website and nonprofit-status issues before applying.
Step 0220-45 minutes

Enroll in Google for Nonprofits

Your organization has the parent Google for Nonprofits account required for Ad Grants.

Do this

  1. 1Choose the Google account that should own your nonprofit products. Use a shared admin inbox, not a personal staff inbox.
  2. 2Go to Google for Nonprofits and start enrollment for your organization.
  3. 3Complete nonprofit validation through Google's validation partner when prompted.
  4. 4Invite at least one backup administrator after approval so access does not depend on one person.
Step 0330-60 minutes

Prepare your website for review

Google reviewers can quickly verify who you are, what you do, and how ads will help.

Do this

  1. 1Confirm your site loads over HTTPS and every primary navigation link works.
  2. 2Make your mission, programs, geography, contact information, and nonprofit status easy to find.
  3. 3Remove excessive ads, affiliate-heavy content, placeholder pages, and thin pages with only a sentence or two.
  4. 4Create or improve landing pages for each action you want ads to drive: donate, volunteer, adopt, foster, events, programs, or services.
Step 045-10 minutes

Generate your application packet

You have mission copy, campaign structure, keywords, ads, and a preflight checklist ready.

Do this

  1. 1Open the Bloom application packet generator after passing the eligibility checker.
  2. 2Enter your organization name, website, service area, cause area, contact details, and a specific mission description.
  3. 3Copy the refined mission statement into your application notes.
  4. 4Save the ad groups, sample ads, negative keywords, landing-page outline, and conversion-tracking checklist for campaign setup.
Step 0515-30 minutes

Apply for Google Ad Grants

Your Ad Grants request is submitted from inside Google for Nonprofits.

Do this

  1. 1In Google for Nonprofits, open Google Ad Grants and start the activation flow.
  2. 2Use the same website domain that appears in your nonprofit materials and public contact information.
  3. 3Use the packet mission, program, and landing-page details to keep the application consistent.
  4. 4Wait for Google’s review before building a full production account.
Step 0660-120 minutes

Build the first campaigns

You have a compliant starter account that can spend against real nonprofit goals.

Do this

  1. 1Create Search campaigns organized by program or intent, not one giant catch-all campaign.
  2. 2Use at least two focused ad groups per campaign, with tightly related keywords in each ad group.
  3. 3Write multiple responsive search ads per ad group using the packet’s headlines and descriptions.
  4. 4Add negative keywords for irrelevant traffic, jobs, free downloads, school assignments, and terms outside your service area.
  5. 5Point every ad to the closest matching landing page, not automatically to the homepage.
Step 0730-90 minutes

Install conversion tracking

Google can see meaningful actions, and you can prove whether the grant is working.

Do this

  1. 1Track meaningful conversions such as donations, volunteer inquiries, adoption inquiries, foster forms, event registrations, newsletter signups, or resource requests.
  2. 2Confirm each conversion fires once, on the completion or thank-you step.
  3. 3Use conversion data to guide bidding and pause keywords that generate empty traffic.
  4. 4Record what each conversion means so future staff can interpret reporting.
Step 08Weekly

Launch, monitor, and stay compliant

The grant keeps running instead of getting suspended after launch.

Do this

  1. 1Review search terms weekly and add negatives for bad matches.
  2. 2Pause keywords that do not produce useful traffic or that fall below quality expectations.
  3. 3Maintain the program’s click-through-rate floor, account structure requirements, and conversion-tracking requirements.
  4. 4Refresh ads and landing pages when programs, events, or seasonal priorities change.
  5. 5Document every major change so staff and board members can understand what the account is doing.
Get started

Your shelter. Your growth team. Free, forever. 

20 minutes on a call. If Bloom is a fit, we set your shelter up ourselves this week. If it isn’t, we’ll tell you — and point you somewhere that is.

Schedule a call
See what's included

Have a question first? Email us. We read every message.

bloompact.ai / schedule
Intro call with Jeff & Megan
20 min Google Meet
Walk through your shelter’s current setup
Show you Bloom running live
Map what week 1 looks like if it’s a fit
This Thursday · Apr 23ET