Is your church eligible for $10,000/month in free Google Ads?

Google runs a program called Google Ad Grants that gives eligible nonprofits up to $10,000 USD per month (roughly AU$15,000) in free Google Search advertising. It's been running since 2003 and has distributed over $10 billion in free ads to more than 115,000 nonprofits worldwide.

And yes, Australian churches are eligible. If your church is registered with the ACNC — and almost every established church in Australia is, because it's required to maintain tax concessions — you almost certainly qualify.

Most pastors I talk to have either never heard of it, or tried to look into it once and found the process confusing. This article is designed to cut through that. By the end, you'll know whether your church qualifies, what the grant actually gives you, and what the catch is (because there is one, sort of).

What is the Google Ad Grant?

When someone searches on Google — “churches near me,” “support groups Gold Coast,” “what to do when you're lonely” — the results at the top of the page are usually paid ads. Businesses pay Google every time someone clicks one of those ads.

The Google Ad Grant gives your church a budget to run those same ads, without paying a cent. When someone in your area searches for something your church can help with, your church can show up at the top of the results. Google covers the cost.

The budget is $10,000 USD per month. It's use-it-or-lose-it each month — you can't roll it over. And it's limited to Google Search ads only (not YouTube, not display ads, not Gmail ads). But for most churches, Search ads are exactly where the opportunity is.

Is your Australian church eligible?

In Australia, your church qualifies if it meets any one of these three criteria:

1. Registered with the ACNC. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission is the national charities regulator. If your church is registered there, you're eligible. You can check by searching the ACNC Charity Register. Most Churches of Christ, Baptist, ACC, Anglican, Uniting, and independent churches in Australia are ACNC-registered.

2. Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status from the ATO. If the ATO has endorsed your church as a DGR, you qualify. DGR status means donors can claim tax deductions on gifts to your organisation.

3. Income tax exempt not-for-profit. As defined by the ATO. This covers a broad range of organisations, but for most churches, ACNC registration is the simplest path.

You also need to be located in Australia (including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island).

What would disqualify your church?

Even if you're ACNC-registered, Google excludes a few categories: government entities, hospitals and healthcare organisations, schools, universities, and childcare centres. If your church runs an associated school, the school itself wouldn't qualify, but the church can apply separately.

There are also website requirements. Google needs your church to have a functional website with:

HTTPS security (the padlock in the browser bar), at least five pages of real content that communicates your mission, a privacy policy, no AdSense ads or affiliate links, and no primary e-commerce function. Your website doesn't need to be fancy, but it does need to be legitimate and functional.

How do you apply?

The process has a few stages:

Step 1: Register with Google for Nonprofits. Go to google.com/nonprofits and enrol your organisation. You'll need your ACNC registration details and ABN.

Step 2: Get verified. Google uses a third-party verification service (often via their partner network) to confirm your nonprofit status. This typically takes a few days to two weeks.

Step 3: Activate the Ad Grant. Once verified, log into your Google for Nonprofits account, navigate to the “Activate Products” section, and select Google Ad Grants. Complete the form and wait for an activation link.

Step 4: Set up your campaigns. This is where it gets technical. You need to create a Google Ads account (separate from any existing paid account), build campaigns with relevant keywords, write ad copy, and configure conversion tracking. This is also where most churches get stuck.

The entire process from start to first ad running is typically three to four weeks.

What's the catch?

There isn't a catch exactly, but there are compliance rules that trip churches up. Google doesn't just give you the money and walk away. You need to actively manage the account, and if you don't, they'll suspend it.

The key ongoing requirements:

Maintain a 5% click-through rate (CTR). If your CTR drops below 5% for two consecutive months, your account can be suspended. This means your ads need to be relevant and well-targeted — not just throwing keywords at the wall.

Use conversion tracking. Google wants to see that your ads are driving meaningful actions on your website (like someone visiting your “Plan a Visit” page or submitting a contact form), not just clicks.

No single-word keywords (with a few exceptions like your church's brand name). Keywords with a quality score of 1 or 2 are also not allowed.

Active management. You need to log in and make changes to your account regularly. Google doesn't want set-and-forget accounts.

This is why many churches either never get the grant running properly, or get it running and then lose it within a few months. The application is straightforward enough, but the ongoing management requires someone who knows Google Ads.

What could this actually do for your church?

When managed well, the Google Ad Grant puts your church in front of people who are actively searching for what you offer. That might be “church near me” — the obvious one. But it also includes searches like “support groups in [your suburb],” “community events [your area],” “help with loneliness,” or “what to do when your marriage is struggling.”

These are real people, in your community, searching for real help. Your church probably offers exactly what they're looking for. They just don't know you exist.

The gospel deserves to be heard. Being invisible on Google shouldn't be the thing standing in the way.

Want help with this?

I handle the entire Google Ad Grant process for Australian churches — eligibility check, application, campaign setup, and ongoing management and compliance. If you're not sure whether your church qualifies, I can check for you in about five minutes.

Start a conversation and let's find out.