Why Has Google Paused Its Grantspro Program?

Grantspro Applications Are No Longer Being Accepted

Recently, Google shared the following message on the Grantspro support page: “The Ad Grants team is no longer accepting Grantspro applications.” Unfortunately, this is a permanent hold on the program.

What Is Grantspro and How To Qualify

Google’s Grantspro program allows qualifying nonprofits to spend up to $40,000 in advertising on the Google search network every month. This is an absolute game-changer, supposing these organizations build effective funnels for the new visitors to go through. Organizations that cannot afford digital marketing efforts are able to use this free advertising to attract potential volunteers and donors through search marketing. This has been an incredible opportunity for many nonprofits, that can capitalize on the increased traffic and website visitors.

In order to qualify for the Grantspro program, nonprofits using regular Google Ad Grants must spend $9,900 of their $10,000 for at least two months within a six month window. In addition to spending at least $9,900 of the $10,000 monthly budget, Google requires that organizations maintain a 1% click-thru rate, and do not bid more than $2 per keyword to qualify. Your nonprofit must also track at least one conversion coming from the Ad Grant. This can be a donation, new email subscriber, program inquiry, or other impact-driving metric.

Why Is Grantspro On Pause?

The toughest criteria for most nonprofits is spending $9,900 out of $10,000 in two out of six months. This is partially because that level of spend is only possible in months that have 31 days. We just came out of two consecutive months with 31 days (July and August), so it is likely that this resulted in many nonprofits meeting the criteria come September 1st. We believe that a large influx of applications came in at the beginning of the month, and this has caused the Ad Grants team to temporarily close the application portal while they deal with the application backlog.

What To Do Going Forward

Last time the Ad Grants team closed the application portal, they took a while to reopen it. When it re-opened they had increased the difficulty of the application’s criteria. This time though, the program i gone for good.

If you’re an existing Google Grant user, you should continue to optimize your campaigns and stay tuned for any updates in eligibility requirements. Aim to hit the goal of spending $9,900 for two of every six months, and do your best to optimize for a 1% click-through rate or higher, and set up conversion tracking. 

If you are a nonprofit not currently participating in Google’s regular Ad Grant program, you should absolutely feel encouraged to apply. The regular program is still accepting applicants, to whom they will give $10,000 in free ad spending to every month. An extra $120,000 in advertising can change the game for your nonprofit.

Michael Goodrum