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Key takeaways
- Google Ad Grants gives eligible organizations $10,000 USD of in-kind search advertising each month (September 2026). Unused funds do not roll over.
- In Canada, Google for Nonprofits accepts CRA-registered charities, tax-exempt nonprofits, federal nonprofit corporations and provincial nonprofits.
- Goodstack verifies Canadian organizations for Google. Government bodies, hospitals and schools are not eligible, though their charitable foundations can be.
- The website must be on a domain you own, fully HTTPS, and full of original writing about your mission.
- Accounts must keep a 5% click-through rate. Two months below it means a temporary shutdown.
On this page
Can Canadian charities get Google Ad Grants?
A registered Canadian charity qualifies. It applies for Google for Nonprofits, gets verified by Google’s partner Goodstack, then activates Ad Grants. Once approved, it gets an ad budget of $10,000 USD a month for search ads on Google, as Google stated in September 2026. The website has to meet Google’s policy first.
The ads are text ads on Google’s search results. Google says they show on their own or below paid ads. The budget resets each month, and whatever you do not spend is gone. For a Kootenay trail society, arts council or food program, that can mean a steady stream of people searching for exactly what you do.
I read every rule below on Google’s own pages on September 23, 2026. Google updates these rules, so check the policy pages again on the day you apply.
Which Canadian organizations qualify for Google Ad Grants?
Google for Nonprofits accepts four kinds of Canadian organizations, and Goodstack checks that yours is one of them. The Ad Grants page adds one more line: your organization must hold valid charity status in your country. Three kinds of organizations are shut out.
- Accepted in Canada
- A charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency, a nonprofit operating entity with tax exemption, a federal nonprofit corporation, or a provincial nonprofit. A society registered in BC is a provincial nonprofit.
- Verified by
- Goodstack is Google for Nonprofits’ validation partner. It may contact you for documents that prove the organization and your role in it.
- Not eligible
- Government bodies, hospitals and health care organizations, and schools, colleges and universities.
- The exception
- A charitable foundation attached to a health care organization, or the philanthropic arm of a school, can be eligible.
If your group is a BC society without CRA charity registration, the two Google pages read differently. Google for Nonprofits accepts provincial nonprofits, and the Ad Grants page asks for valid charity status. Ask Google before you build a plan around the grant. A municipality cannot apply at all, and websites for local governments and public bodies covers what a public body can do on its own site instead.
What does your website need to qualify for Ad Grants?
A site you own, served entirely over HTTPS, that says clearly what your mission is and backs it with real content. Google reviews the website before it approves the account. A one-page site with a donate button and nothing else does not meet the content rule.
- Your organization owns the domain the ads point to.
- The whole site loads over HTTPS, the padlock address.
- The site says clearly what your mission is and what you do.
- It has a good amount of original writing about that mission, well beyond a single page.
- Every link works, inside the site and out.
- Pages load quickly on phones and slow connections.
- Selling is limited. A small shop of mission items is fine, as long as it is not the main purpose.
- No pile of third-party ads, and the site is not mostly affiliate links.
The domain rule catches a lot of volunteer groups. If a past board member registered the domain in their own name, the organization does not own it yet. Move it into the organization’s name before you apply. What a club or membership organization website needs covers the pages that also give Google enough original content to review.
The grant pays for the click. The website has to earn what happens next.
How do you set up Google Ad Grants, step by step?
Website first, then Google for Nonprofits, then Ad Grants, then tracking, then the first campaign. Here is the order, built from Google’s own pages. Do the website and tracking steps in full, because Google checks both.
- 01Check that your organization is one of the four kinds Google accepts in Canada, and that it is not a government body, a hospital or a school.
- 02Fix the website first. Put the domain in the organization’s name, switch the whole site to HTTPS, and write real pages about the mission and programs.
- 03Apply for Google for Nonprofits. Google’s partner Goodstack verifies the organization and may ask for documents.
- 04Sign in to Google for Nonprofits, choose Activate Products, then Get Started under Google Ad Grants. Fill in the form and choose Activate to send it for review. Use the same login email throughout.
- 05Accept the email invitation to your Ad Grants account once it is approved.
- 06Set up conversion tracking before the first campaign, so a donation, sign-up or volunteer form counts as a result.
- 07Build the first campaign with at least two ad groups, at least two sitelinks, and location settings that match where you work.
- 08Check the click-through rate every month. Pause keywords that drag it down.
What rules keep an Ad Grants account active?
The big one is a 5% click-through rate across the account every month, for any account not running only Smart campaigns. Google temporarily deactivates accounts that miss it two months in a row. Google also sets rules on keywords, sitelinks, location settings and conversions.
- Click-through rate
- The rate must stay at 5% or higher each month, across the whole account, unless the account runs only Smart campaigns. Two months below it and the account is temporarily switched off.
- Keywords
- No single-word keywords, except your own brand, some medical conditions and a few other cases Google lists. No keywords so broad they say nothing about what the searcher wants. Pause or remove keywords with a quality score of 1 or 2.
- Campaign setup
- At least two ad groups per campaign, at least two sitelinks, and location settings that fit where you actually work.
- Conversions
- Accounts created on or after April 22, 2019 track at least one kind of meaningful action, such as a donation or a volunteer sign-up, and record at least one a month. They also use conversion-based Smart bidding, unless they run Smart campaigns.
- The survey
- Google sends a program survey and expects a thoughtful answer.
These rules push you toward specific searches. A single word like “hiking” is not allowed at all. A phrase like “volunteer trail building Nelson” fits the rules and matches what the searcher wants, which also helps the click-through rate.
Is Google Ad Grants worth it for a small Canadian nonprofit?
Usually, if someone can give it regular time every month. The ads cost nothing, and they put your group in front of people searching for your cause. The cost is time: setting up tracking, writing ads and checking the rate each month.
A group with no volunteer for that job may do better to spend the first season on the website itself. Clear program pages, an easy join or donate path, and a current events page help every visitor, whether they came from an ad, a search or a poster at the rec centre. Websites for clubs and membership organizations shows what that looks like when it is built for renewals and new members.
Sources and further reading
- Google for Nonprofits Help: Eligibility guidelines, Canada
Read September 23, 2026. The four kinds of Canadian organizations accepted, verification by Goodstack, the Additional Terms, and the organizations that are not eligible.
- Google Ad Grants: Get started
Read September 23, 2026. Valid charity status in your country, and the three steps from Google for Nonprofits to an active Ad Grants account.
- Google for Nonprofits: Google Ad Grants
Read September 23, 2026. $10,000 USD of in-kind advertising each month, shown on Google Search.
- Google Ad Grants: Program FAQ
Read September 23, 2026. Ads appear on Google.com search results, on their own or below paid ads. Unused funds do not roll over.
- Google for Nonprofits Help: Website policy
Read September 23, 2026. Domain ownership, HTTPS across the site, a clear mission, original content, working links, speed, and the limits on commercial activity and ads.
- Google for Nonprofits Help: Account management policy
Read September 23, 2026. The 5% click-through rate, location settings, sitelinks, conversion tracking, Smart bidding and the program survey.
- Google for Nonprofits Help: Ad Grants policy compliance guide
Read September 23, 2026. Single-word and overly generic keywords, quality scores of 1 or 2, and two ad groups per campaign.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Google Ad Grant worth in Canada?
Google describes it as $10,000 USD of in-kind search advertising each month, read September 2026. It is an ad budget inside Google Ads, never cash. Unused funds do not roll over to the next month.
Can a nonprofit society that is not a registered charity apply?
Google for Nonprofits accepts provincial and federal nonprofits in Canada, not only CRA-registered charities. The Ad Grants page adds that the organization must hold valid charity status in its country. If you are a society without charity registration, confirm with Google before you plan around the grant.
Who verifies Canadian nonprofits for Google?
Goodstack does. It is Google for Nonprofits’ validation partner as of September 2026. Older guides name TechSoup Canada, but Google’s current Canadian eligibility page names only Goodstack. Goodstack may contact you for documents.
Can a municipality, hospital or school get Ad Grants?
Not directly. Google lists government bodies, hospitals and health care organizations, and schools, colleges and universities as not eligible. A charitable foundation attached to a health care organization, or the philanthropic arm of a school, can be eligible.
What gets an Ad Grants account switched off?
A click-through rate under 5% for two months in a row leads to a temporary deactivation. Google also requires at least two sitelinks, sensible location settings, conversion tracking with at least one conversion a month, and answers to its program survey.
Related pages
- Membership organization websites
- Municipal websites
- Childcare and education websites
- Web design across British Columbia
- Web design for Canadian businesses
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I build websites, local presence, and calm AI setups for Kootenay small businesses. Plain language, published prices, and clear work that makes you easier to find and easier to choose.
