A major change in the Google Grants process

We have exciting news for prospective Google Grants applicants: once you're accepted, you will be able to build your own AdWords account instead of having to wait for us to build one for you!

Why are we doing this?

We have been working on ways to increase our program's efficiency, the level of grantee engagement, and the quality of scalable support we provide so that we can serve more non-profits. We started by creating the Account Creation Guide and the Ongoing Management Guide as well as making improvements to our online Help Center.

Now that we have built the tools you will need to succeed, we are inviting you all to roll up your sleeves and build an AdWords account that will best meet your organization's needs.

Will this be faster?

You bet it will! Previously, your application would have first gone to one queue to be reviewed and then to another queue to be built. Now, you will be notified as soon as your application has been reviewed. This will give you more control over how long it takes from there. If you want, you can build your own account within a couple of days of being notified and then submit it to us for review. Likewise, you can take more time if needed. Meanwhile, we can review accounts that have been built by grantees in less time than it would have taken us to build them ourselves. Which means that this new process should be much faster for you. Not only that, but once you have reviewed the necessary guides and your account is up and running, you will be better prepared to actively manage your account to make the most of your advertising opportunity!

How will this work?

Below is the process for a Google Grants applicant under our new system:

1. A non-profit visits our website, learns about the program and applies via our online application.
   
2. Their application is then reviewed in the order received. How long this takes will fluctuate given the number of applications we get.
   
3. If the application is accepted, the non-profit is invited to review the Account Creation Guide (ACG) and build their AdWords account. Each newly accepted grantee can do this at their own pace.
   
4. Once a non-profit is done building their AdWords account, they will submit it for review via the web-form provided to them in their acceptance email.
   
5. Their AdWords account will then be reviewed by a volunteer at Google. Again, all accounts are reviewed in the order they are received.
   
6. If the account passes review, it is activated and the non-profit is then invited to review the Ongoing Management Guide (OMG) and begin actively managing their account.
7. If the account does not pass the review process, the non-profit will be given further guidance and asked to re-submit once they had made the necessary changes to their account.

We hope you are as excited as we are about the improvements taking place within the Google Grants program. We are happy to be providing you all with a faster process and greater flexibility in the design of your accounts!

Posted by German Freiwald, The Google Grants Team