What a Google Ad Grant account looks like, by what the nonprofit does
A grant account is $10,000/month of Google's money, about $329/day, that cannot be overspent and does not roll over. What it costs to get wrong is not the budget. It is the account.
These are structures, not results. Each one is a worked account for a kind of nonprofit — the campaigns, the ad groups inside them, the sort of keyword that belongs in each, what to count as a conversion and which part will go wrong first. No figures from anybody's account appear on this page, because a figure without the account it came out of is not evidence of anything.
The shape is the one thing here that was measured rather than argued: 4,539 real Ad Grants accounts, read in June 2026. That reading is why every structure below is three campaigns of three ad groups rather than some other number.
What the middle grant account actually does
Medians, not averages. One account in the set runs 224 campaigns, and a mean dragged up
by it would describe no real account at all.
Measured
Median
What it means
Campaigns per account
1
The middle account runs one. A well-built one runs three, which is what every structure below does.
Ad groups per campaign
3
Tight enough to stay on theme, few enough to keep up with.
Keywords per ad group
9
More dilutes relevance; fewer leaves the theme half covered.
Ads per ad group
2
Two is what it takes to have anything to compare.
Sitelinks per account
7
Free width on the result page. Most accounts under-use it.
Callouts per account
5
The same, in short phrases rather than links.
From 4,539 real Google Ad Grants accounts
read by AdGrant.AI in June 2026. The $10,000/month budget and the
$2.00 maximum cost per click are Google's own programme terms, not ours, and the
second one lifts on a smart bidding strategy.
What every structure above is built to
These are the programme's rules, not our recommendations. An account is switched off for
breaking them, so a structure is built to them from the start rather than corrected into them later.
No single-word keywords, and nothing generic Every keyword above is a phrase somebody would actually type. Google's exceptions are narrow — a brand name, a recognised medical condition — and are not a reason to go looking for more.
Phrase and exact before broad Broad match on a grant account buys irrelevant clicks with the account's click-through rate, and that rate is the number keeping the account alive.
Keep the maximum cost per click at $2.00 Unless the campaign runs a smart bidding strategy, which lifts the cap and needs conversion tracking that works before it means anything.
Stay above a 5% click-through rate Measured account-wide and monthly. Two months below it and the account stops serving — which is why the weakest ad group in each structure above is named.
Geographic and language targeting set Never left at everywhere. Half of a wasted grant is spent in countries the nonprofit does not work in.
Each ad group pointed at the page that answers it Not at the home page. The home page answers nobody's specific search, and the bounce is charged to the account's quality.
The programme's terms are Google's and live at
support.google.com/nonprofits.
Whether any particular account is approved, suspended or reinstated is Google's decision, and nothing on this
page forecasts it.
Animal shelter
Two different people search for a shelter — somebody ready to take an animal home, and somebody offering to foster one — and they do not want the same page. The account is built so neither search lands on the other's ad.
Three campaigns
Adoptions
Somebody looking for an animal to adopt, usually already decided and usually local.
Dogs for adoptionadopt a dog near merescue dogs for adoptionadopt golden retriever
Cats for adoptioncats for adoption near meadopt a kittenrescue cat adoption
Small pets and othersadopt a rabbitsmall pet adoptionadopt guinea pig shelter
Foster programme
Somebody offering time and a spare room rather than a permanent home.
Foster dogsfoster a puppydog fostering programmefoster dogs near me
Foster catsfoster kittenscat foster programmefoster a cat near me
Foster processanimal shelter foster sign uphow to foster a petfoster requirements animal rescue
Name and neighbourhood
People searching for this shelter by name, and for a shelter in this town. The cheapest clicks in the account.
The shelter by name<shelter name><shelter name> adoptions<shelter name> opening hours
A shelter near hereanimal shelter <city>pet adoption centre <city>animal rescue near me
Givingdonate to animal sheltersponsor a shelter doganimal shelter donation <city>
Across the account
Sitelinks
Available pets
Foster programme
Volunteer
Donate
Adoption fees
Visit us
Contact
Callouts
No-kill shelter
Vaccinated pets
Open seven days
Foster training provided
Local rescue
Budget. Start even across the three, then move it: adoptions usually earns its share first, the name campaign always does.
Count as a conversion
Adoption enquiry submitted
Foster application submitted
Donation completed
Watch this. The adoption ad groups, because breed-name searches drift wide fast. One month of search terms tells you which of them is buying clicks for an animal you do not have.
Regional food bank
Three audiences who must never see each other's ad: a family that needs food this week, somebody with a Saturday to give, and somebody with money to give.
Three campaigns
Families seeking food
The search that must work. Urgent, local, and asking for a place and an opening time.
Food pantry near melocal food pantryfree food bank near meemergency food assistance
Meal programmesfree school mealscommunity meal programmefree food for kids
Food help for familiesfood help for familieslow income food aidwhere to get free groceries
Volunteers
People offering time, often for a specific day or a specific event.
Volunteer at the food bankvolunteer food bankhelp at food pantryfood bank volunteer sign up
Food drive volunteersorganise a food drivevolunteer at food drivefood bank event help
Community servicecommunity volunteer work <city>nonprofit volunteer jobslocal volunteer programmes
Donations and drives
Money and food, including the seasonal spikes a food bank lives on.
Donate fooddonate food pantryfood bank donationshow to donate food
Donate moneydonate to food bankmonthly donation food banksponsor a food box
Budget. Weight it towards the families campaign. It is the mission, and it is the one that must never run out of budget at 2pm.
Count as a conversion
Pantry finder used
Volunteer form submitted
Donation completed
Watch this. The families campaign's impression share through the month. If it is losing impressions to budget rather than rank, the split is wrong, not the keywords.
Homeless shelter
One campaign has to answer somebody in trouble tonight. The other two pay for it. Keeping them apart is the whole structure.
Three campaigns
Emergency housing
Somebody who needs a bed now. Short queries, high urgency, often on a phone.
Shelter availabilityemergency shelter near mehomeless shelter open nowshelter beds available tonight
Eligibility and intakehow to qualify for homeless sheltershelter intake processhomeless shelter requirements
Safe housing resourcessafe daytime sheltertemporary housing optionsemergency housing help <city>
Donations
People ready to give, including at the times of year when they go looking.
General donationsdonate to homeless sheltersupport homeless familieshomeless charity donation
Monthly givingmonthly donation homeless sheltersponsor a bedregular giving homeless charity
Appealswinter homeless appealemergency fund donationholiday homeless donation drive
Volunteers and outreach
Time, events, and the searches of people who want to help but do not yet know how.
Volunteervolunteer at homeless shelterhelp homeless volunteerssoup kitchen volunteer <city>
Eventshomeless shelter fundraisersleep out event <city>homeless awareness event
How to helphow to support homeless peoplewhat to donate to a shelterhelp someone who is homeless
Across the account
Sitelinks
Get help tonight
Who we can take
Donate
Volunteer
Our services
Events
Contact
Callouts
Open 24/7
No referral needed
Hot meals daily
Case workers on site
Tax-deductible
Budget. Emergency housing first and generously. The other two are allowed to run out of budget; it is not.
Count as a conversion
Help page reached
Call to the intake line
Donation completed
Volunteer form submitted
Watch this. Phone clicks on the emergency campaign. If they are not being counted, the campaign that matters most is the one with no evidence it works.
Youth mentoring nonprofit
Two sides of the same programme — adults who will mentor, and families who want a mentor — and they search in completely different words.
Three campaigns
Mentor recruitment
Adults considering volunteering. A long decision, so the ad groups follow the stages of it.
Become a mentorhow to become a youth mentormentor a child programmeyouth mentoring volunteer
What it involvesvolunteer mentor benefitshow much time does mentoring takementoring programme commitment
Trainingmentor training programmesfree mentor trainingyouth mentor certification
Family enrolment
Parents and carers looking for support for a child. Careful words; nobody searches for 'at-risk youth'.
Find a mentormentor for my childyouth mentoring programme near mefree mentor for teens
After school supportafter school programmes <city>teen support programmeyouth programme for my son
How to enrolyouth mentoring enrolmentsign my child up for mentoringmentoring programme application
Name and giving
The organisation by name, and the donors who already know it.
By name<organisation name><organisation name> mentoring<organisation name> volunteer
Donatedonate youth mentoringsponsor a mentor matchsupport youth programmes <city>
Partners and schoolsmentoring partnership schoolsyouth programme partnerschool mentoring programme <city>
Across the account
Sitelinks
Become a mentor
How the programme works
Enrol a child
Volunteer FAQ
Donate
Our impact
Contact
Callouts
Free mentor training
Background-checked volunteers
Serving families since <year>
One hour a week
No cost to families
Budget. Mentor recruitment takes the most to start: a programme short of mentors cannot take the families it finds.
Count as a conversion
Mentor application submitted
Family enquiry submitted
Donation completed
Watch this. Whether mentor applications and family enquiries stay in proportion. An account that recruits families faster than mentors builds a waiting list, which is worse than a quiet month.
Environmental nonprofit
Hands, money and signatures. Three asks of three different people, and the advocacy one is the easiest to say yes to — which makes it the way in.
Three campaigns
Volunteers
People who want to do something physical about it, locally or from a laptop.
Local volunteeringenvironmental volunteer near mebeach clean up <city>conservation volunteering
Virtual volunteeringvolunteer from home environmentonline environmental volunteeringremote conservation volunteer
Youth programmesyouth conservation programmesstudent environmental volunteeringenvironment programme for teens
Donations
Donors, including the ones looking for somewhere regular to give.
Give oncedonate to environmental charitysupport climate actionconservation charity donation
Give monthlymonthly donation environmentregular giving conservationsponsor an acre
Legaciesleave a gift to environmental charitylegacy giving conservationin memory donation environment
Advocacy
The low-commitment ask. Cheap clicks, and the list it builds is where the other two campaigns' people come from.
Petitionssign climate petitionenvironmental petition <country>petition to protect <habitat>
Policyenvironmental legislation updatesclimate policy newshow to contact my representative environment
Campaignsjoin environmental campaignclimate action group near meenvironmental advocacy campaign
Across the account
Sitelinks
Volunteer
Donate
Current campaigns
Sign the petition
Events
Newsletter
Resources
Callouts
Volunteer-run
Tax-deductible
Local projects
Monthly giving from <amount>
Open data
Budget. Advocacy earns its place on click-through rate alone, which is the number that keeps the account. Fund it.
Count as a conversion
Petition signed
Newsletter sign-up
Volunteer form submitted
Donation completed
Watch this. The account click-through rate, campaign by campaign. Advocacy will carry it; donations will drag it. If donations drag it below five per cent, the fix is tighter keywords, not more budget.
Community arts organisation
Tickets, classes and giving. The first two have a date on them, which changes how the budget is spent across a month.
Three campaigns
Tickets
People looking for something to go to. Intent is high and the window is short.
Musiclive music <city> this weekendcommunity concert ticketslocal music events
Family eventsfamily events <city>kids theatre showthings to do with kids <city>
Classes
People looking to learn. Seasonal, and the words differ sharply by age.
Children's classeskids art classes <city>children's drama clubafter school art classes
Adult classesadult painting workshoppottery class <city>beginner art class near me
Online classesonline art classvirtual pottery workshoplearn drawing online free
Giving and membership
Supporters. Slower, and worth more over a year than a ticket is.
Donatedonate to arts charitysupport local arts <city>arts nonprofit donation
Membershiparts centre membershiptheatre membership <city>friends of <organisation>
Memorial and tributememorial gift artsdonate in memorytribute donation arts charity
Across the account
Sitelinks
Upcoming shows
Book tickets
Classes
Membership
Donate
Venue hire
Contact
Callouts
Free community events
Small class sizes
Concessions available
Step-free access
Tax-deductible
Budget. Roughly 40 / 35 / 25 across tickets, classes and giving — then follow the calendar, because a show on sale beats an evergreen class.
Count as a conversion
Ticket purchased
Class booked
Membership taken
Donation completed
Watch this. Tickets after a run closes. A campaign still bidding on a show that has ended is the fastest way to spend the grant on nothing.
Yours is not on this list, or is and does three other things as well? Take it to a call, or read the guides on how a change is proposed, checked and put back.