Google offers eligible charities up to US$10,000 a month in search ads. The same program sets a US$2.00 maximum bid, while Semrush estimates "donate to charity" at about US$13.66 a click. So the grant is real, and it is not a way to buy donor searches cheaply.
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Two kinds of Google Ads account matter to a charity. An Ad Grants account spends Google's money on Google Search and has to follow program rules that ordinary advertisers never see. A standard account spends your money, with no bid ceiling and access to other campaign types. Many charities need the first, and some need both.
Our published charity result, the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation campaign, does not name the platform it ran on, so we don't present it as a Google Ads result. What we can set out here is how the grant works, from Google's own pages, and how we would run it.
The Rules
What Google asks of an Ad Grants account
Taken from Google's Ad Grants help pages, read on 12 November 2026.
Who can apply in Australia
Google's page for Australia lists registration with the ACNC, deductible gift recipient status with the ATO, and being an income tax exempt not-for-profit as the ATO defines it. We confirm how those apply to your organisation before you apply. Its partner Goodstack verifies every organisation.
Who can't
Government entities, hospitals and health care organisations, and schools and universities are excluded. Google says charitable arms and foundations attached to hospitals or schools are eligible.
A 5% click-through rate
Accounts must maintain a 5% click-through rate each month at account level. Miss it for two consecutive months and the account is temporarily deactivated.
Conversions that actually record
Accounts need valid conversion tracking and at least one conversion a month. Those created on or after 22 April 2019 must use conversion-based Smart Bidding on every campaign, unless they run Smart campaigns.
Keyword limits
Single-word keywords are out, with exceptions such as your own brand and recognised medical conditions. So are overly generic terms, and any keyword with a Quality Score of 1 or 2 has to be paused or removed.
Structure
Google also asks for specific geo-targeting and at least 2 unique sitelinks. Breaches can lead to suspension without notice.
From The Data
Why the bid ceiling matters
Semrush estimates "donate to charity" at about US$13.66 a click and "charities to donate to" at about US$14.93, with ad competition of 0.33 and 0.67 on a scale of 0 to 1. The grant's program-level ceiling is US$2.00. Google says Maximise conversions, Target CPA and Target ROAS bidding let the system bid above that ceiling if the account's performance merits it, which is one more reason accurate conversion tracking matters. Even so, we would not plan a grant account around general donor terms. It tends to suit specific searches: your services, your programs, your events, volunteering and information about your cause. "Google ad grants" itself gets 320 searches a month at about US$9.09 a click, with low ad competition of 0.07.
How We Run It
How we would run a charity's Google Ads
Built for a small team that can't watch an account every day.
We check your registration and status against Google's list, and help with the application if you haven't applied.
Campaigns by audience
Service users, volunteers, event supporters and donors each get their own campaign and landing page, so a weak group can't drag the whole account under 5%.
Conversions with meaning
A donation, a volunteer application and a help enquiry are tracked separately. Smart Bidding learns from whatever you count, so we don't count page views.
A watch on Quality Score
Low-scoring keywords are paused before Google has to ask, and search terms are reviewed for the generic queries the program doesn't allow.
An appeal with a deadline, a lottery, or donor terms the grant can't win may need your own budget. We would say what it is likely to cost before you commit.
Reports a board can read
Grant value used, paid spend, conversions by type and cost per result, each month.
What It Costs
What charity Google Ads management costs
The grant covers ad spend, not management. Our standard Google Ads management starts from $1,000 a month plus GST for one campaign with up to 3 ad groups, and we offer discounted rates for eligible not-for-profits, which we quote after a call because they depend on your size and goals. For a paid account, we recommend at least $2,000 a month in Search spend, paid directly to Google and never marked up. The grant is set in US dollars, so its Australian dollar value moves with the exchange rate. Our guide to Google Ad Grants has more background, and the Google Ads cost guide explains how click prices are set.
You may not, and that isn't a sign of failure. The bid ceiling, the keyword rules and the amount of relevant search in your area all limit spend. We would judge the account on conversions and compliance, not on how much of the grant was used.
Can we run a grant account and a paid account together?
Yes, paid campaigns can run alongside a grant. Our approach is to keep the two on different keywords so you are not paying for clicks the grant could have won. We would map which terms belong where before launching the paid one.
Our hospital or school isn't eligible. What now?
Google says charitable arms and foundations attached to hospitals and educational bodies can be eligible, so the foundation may qualify where the institution doesn't. Otherwise a standard paid account is the route, and our page on marketing for schools covers that side.
