Google Ad Grants for NGOs in India: Documents & How to Apply

Google Ad Grants gives eligible nonprofits up to $10,000 USD every month in free Google Search ads. For an Indian NGO or trust, that can mean donors, volunteers and beneficiaries finding you when they search on Google — without spending from your programme budget.

This guide explains who qualifies in India, which documents to keep ready, how to apply step by step, and the rules you must follow every month to keep the grant. The rules below were checked against Google's help pages in October 2026; Google updates them from time to time, so always confirm on the official pages listed at the end.

What You Get

• Up to $10,000 USD per month of in-kind advertising (roughly ₹8–9 lakh a month, depending on the exchange rate).
• Text ads on Google Search only — your ad appears when people search for topics related to your cause.
• No cost to the organisation, as long as you stay eligible and follow the programme rules.

The grant is not cash. It is advertising credit that can only be used inside a Google Ads account approved for the programme.

Who Is Eligible in India

Your organisation must meet all of these:

Requirement	What it means
Legal form	Registered as a Trust, a Society, or a Section 8 Company (earlier called Section 25)
FCRA registration	Registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. Google asks Indian applicants for the FCRA registration number
Verified by Goodstack	Google's validation partner, Goodstack, must confirm you are a legally registered, active nonprofit
Terms accepted	You agree to the Google for Nonprofits terms of service
A qualifying website	Your own domain, served over HTTPS, with clear content about your mission (details below)

FCRA is the deciding factor

This is where most Indian applications get stuck. 12A and 80G registration on their own are not enough — Google's India eligibility rule requires FCRA registration, and the ID field in the application asks for the FCRA number. If your trust does not yet have FCRA registration, you are not eligible for Google for Nonprofits or Ad Grants in India until it does.

Who is not eligible

• Government entities and organisations
• Hospitals and healthcare organisations (their charitable arms or foundations are eligible)
• Schools, colleges and universities (their philanthropic arms are eligible)
• For-profit companies

Documents to Keep Ready

Goodstack verifies your organisation using the details you enter, and may email you asking for supporting documents. Keep these scanned and ready before you start:

1. Registration certificate — trust deed, society registration certificate, or Section 8 certificate of incorporation.
2. FCRA registration certificate, with the FCRA registration number.
3. PAN card of the organisation.
4. Proof that you belong to the organisation — ideally an email address on your own domain (for example, secretary@yourtrust.org), plus an authorisation letter on letterhead or an ID if asked.
5. Organisation details — registered address, phone number, website, and a short mission description.
6. Optional but useful: 12A and 80G certificates and your latest annual report. Google does not list them as requirements, but they help prove you are an active charity if Goodstack asks for more.

Make sure the organisation's name and address are written exactly the same way on every document and in your application. Mismatches are a common reason for delays.

How to Apply: Step by Step

Step 1: Get your website ready first

Google reviews your website before activating Ad Grants. Your site must:

• Be on a domain your organisation owns (a .org is not compulsory).
• Load entirely over HTTPS, with no "not secure" warnings or mixed-content errors.
• Have substantial, original content that clearly describes your organisation, mission and activities — not just a single page with a donate button.
• Not exist mainly for commercial activity such as selling products.

Step 2: Create a Google account with your official email

Use an organisation email address (on your own domain) rather than a personal Gmail. This also helps prove you are affiliated with the organisation.

Step 3: Request a Google for Nonprofits account

Go to Google for Nonprofits and click Get started. Choose India, enter your organisation details, and enter your FCRA registration number as the registration ID.

Step 4: Complete Goodstack verification

Google passes your details to Goodstack. Most requests are reviewed within 3–5 business days. Watch for emails from verifications@mail.goodstack.org — and check your spam folder — in case they ask for documents.

Step 5: Activate Ad Grants

Once Google for Nonprofits approves you, sign in to your Google for Nonprofits account and activate Google Ad Grants from the list of products. Google asks for your website and checks it against the website policy.

Step 6: Set up the Ad Grants account

After the website review, Google guides you through setting up the Google Ads account used for the grant. Build your first campaigns there, following the rules in the next section. Do not use a normal paid Google Ads account — grant credit only works in the account Google creates for the programme.

Rules to Keep the Grant Every Month

Getting approved is the easy part. Google suspends accounts that break programme rules, often without warning. Your account must:

Rule	Requirement
Click-through rate	At least 5% CTR across the account every month. Missing it for 2 consecutive months leads to temporary deactivation
Conversion tracking	Track at least one meaningful action (donation, volunteer sign-up, contact form) and record at least 1 conversion per month
Smart bidding	Use a conversion-based strategy such as Maximize conversions or Target CPA
Campaign structure	At least 2 ad groups per campaign, each with closely related keywords and ads
Sitelinks	At least 2 sitelink assets
Location targeting	Show ads only where your work is relevant
Keywords	No single-word keywords (except your own brand and a few allowed cases), no overly generic keywords, and pause any keyword with a Quality Score of 1 or 2
Annual survey	Complete Google's yearly programme survey sent to your account email

This is why Ad Grants needs regular attention. An account left untouched usually drops below 5% CTR and gets paused within a few months.

Common Mistakes Indian NGOs Make

• Applying without FCRA registration, assuming 12A/80G is enough.
• Using a free website builder subdomain instead of your own domain.
• A website without HTTPS, or with a thin single page.
• Name or address mismatch between the trust deed, PAN and the application.
• Using a personal Gmail, which makes affiliation harder to prove.
• Setting up campaigns and forgetting them, then losing the grant for low CTR or zero conversions.

How QDCODEX Can Help

We help NGOs and trusts in Tamil Nadu and across India get ready for Ad Grants:

• A fast, HTTPS website on your own domain with the mission, project and transparency pages Google looks for.
• Help preparing and submitting the Google for Nonprofits and Ad Grants applications.
• Conversion tracking for donations and volunteer sign-ups, and first campaign setup.

Our NGO & Trust website plan covers the website, monthly SEO and Ad Grants application help for ₹2,500 + GST per month. Approval is always decided by Google and Goodstack — no agency can guarantee it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Ad Grants really free? Yes. Google provides up to $10,000 USD a month in Search ad credit at no cost. You only pay if you hire someone to set up or manage the account.

Can a trust without FCRA apply? Not in India at present. Google's India eligibility requires FCRA registration, and the application asks for the FCRA number.

How long does approval take? Goodstack verification usually takes 3–5 business days. The Ad Grants website review and account setup can take a few more days to a couple of weeks.

Can we show ads outside India? Yes, if your work or donors are there. Location targeting must match where your services or appeals are relevant.

What happens if our account is suspended? Fix the issue (for example, raise CTR to 5% by pausing low-performing keywords) and request reinstatement from inside the account.

Official Sources

• Google for Nonprofits eligibility
• Finding your registration number (India: FCRA number)
• Get verified by Goodstack
• Google Ad Grants overview
• Ad Grants website policy
• Ad Grants policy compliance guide