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Google Ad Grants for Scottish Reuse Charities - Circular Communities Scotland

For many community reuse organisations, attracting new volunteers, customers, donors and service users can be challenging, particularly when marketing budgets are limited. Fortunately, Google offers a programme that could help.

Google Ad Grants provides eligible charities with up to £7,000 worth of free Google Search advertising every month, helping organisations appear in Google search results when people are actively looking for the services, projects or causes they support.

For Circular Communities Scotland members, this could be an effective way to promote reuse shops, repair projects, bike reuse services, sharing libraries, volunteering opportunities, training programmes or fundraising campaigns to people in your local area.

Who is eligible?

To access Google Ad Grants, organisations must first register for Google for Nonprofits.

In Scotland, this generally means being a registered charity with OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator). Organisations with charitable tax-exempt status may also be eligible.

However, some organisations cannot apply, including:

Government bodies
Hospitals and healthcare organisations
Schools, colleges and universities (although associated charitable foundations may qualify)

You will also need to agree to Google’s non-discrimination and programme policies as part of the application.

Your website matters

Before approving an application, Google reviews your website to ensure it meets its quality standards.

Your website should:

Clearly explain your organisation’s purpose and activities.
Contain useful, original content.
Be secure (using HTTPS).
Be easy to navigate.
Meet Google’s advertising policies.

Taking some time to improve your website before applying can significantly increase your chances of being accepted.

What can you use it for?

Google Ad Grants can help promote a wide range of activities, including:

Reuse and repair services.
Volunteer recruitment.
Donations and fundraising campaigns.
Community events and workshops.
Training opportunities.
Environmental education.
Tool libraries, bike projects and sharing initiatives.
Furniture, textiles and household reuse projects.

Unlike social media, Google Ads reach people who are already searching for the service you provide, making them a valuable way of connecting with new audiences.

Maintaining your grant

Once approved, organisations need to actively manage their account to remain eligible.

This includes:

Logging into the account regularly.
Maintaining a high-quality website.
Running adverts that directly support your charitable mission.
Following Google’s advertising policies.

Google regularly reviews accounts, so ongoing management is important to keep the grant active.

Is it worth considering?

For organisations with limited marketing budgets, Google Ad Grants can be a valuable way to increase visibility without increasing costs.

While setting up and managing the account does require some time and ongoing attention, many charities find it helps them reach more volunteers, attract more supporters and raise awareness of their services.

If your organisation is eligible, it may be worth exploring whether Google Ad Grants could help you reach more people in your community and increase the impact of your work.

Next steps

Visit the Google Ads Grants webpage to get started with three simple steps:

Apply for Google Nonprofits. Watch this step-by-step video to understand the application process end to end.
Activate Ad Grants. You will need to use the same login email for your Google for Nonprofits and Ad Grants accounts.
Launch a successful Ad Grants campaign. Once your activation request has been approved and you’ve accepted the email invitation to your Ad Grants account, you can begin setting up your first campaign!

Extra training & support

SCVO has a number of detailed resources to support you to build a website that’s up to technical and marketing standards, setting you up for Google Ad Grant success.

Business Gateway hosts a number of marketing resources, including ‘6 key Google Analytics metrics for ecommerce businesses‘ and more.

Use Google’s ‘Applied Digital Skills‘ resource videos to learn how to manage your Google Ads and more.