Starting in July 2013, Google Grants will have a renewal policy for any Google Grantee who has been in the program for over 6 months. During the renewal window, nonprofits must re-submit proof of current, valid nonprofit status, along with their AdWords Customer ID, for review. This is a big change -- Google has not required renewal before now, and Google Grants were automatically ongoing.
Details:
What is the renewal policy?
The renewal policy is in place to ensure that Google Grants accounts are in compliance with Google Grants policies and guidelines.
Google will be asking Grantees to submit a renewal form with their current nonprofit status documentation and AdWords Customer ID. The Google Grants team will review and approve accounts for continued stay in the Google Grants program who abide by the eligibility guidelines and have up-to-date nonprofit status. Grantees whose nonprofit status has lapsed or whose accounts don’t comply with Google Grants guidelines will be subject to removal from the program.
Why do I have to renew my eligibility?
Google is asking Grantees to renew their eligibility to ensure Google Grantees approved into the program have up-to-date nonprofit status and AdWords accounts that are compliant with their policies and guidelines in promoting only nonprofit initiatives and services.
Who needs to renew their eligibility?
Any Google Grantee who has been in the program six months or longer will be required to renew their eligibility.
What do I need to submit to renew my eligibility?
Google will send you an email with a renewal form to fill out during the renewal window. Please make sure your notification email in your Google Grants AdWords account is up-to-date. The renewal form will ask you to provide:
- Nonprofit status number or documentation (depending on the country)
- AdWords Customer ID
- Nonprofit organization and contact information
When do I need to renew my status?
Google is beginning the renewal policy in July 2013. Going forward, the renewal policy will likely be an annual process (subject to change). During the renewal window, Google Grantees will have a period of three weeks to submit their renewal form.
When will I know about the status of my renewal?
Google will review organizations on a rolling basis. You may not receive your notification decision for several weeks. Your account will remain active and running while you wait to hear back from Google.
How can I ensure that I keep my Google Grant?
You can start preparing for the renewal window by gathering your nonprofit status documentation and reviewing your AdWords account to ensure it is in compliance with the Google Grants guidelines.
- Check that your organization’s nonprofit status is current and valid, as noted by your country’s guidelines. If your nonprofit status has lapsed, you will be ineligible for continued stay in the Google Grants program.
- For example, an organization had nonprofit status in 2010 and was approved for a Google Grant in 2010. However, the organization lost nonprofit status in 2012, so their Google Grants account will be suspended.
- Check that your AdWords account complies with Google Grants policies and guidelines. Google recently made a change to their URL policy (see below), so please ensure you make any necessary changes to your AdWords account to ensure you are in compliance.
What if I missed the window for renewal?
Google Grantees will have three weeks to submit their renewal form. After the three week window, Google reserves the right to cancel any accounts who have not submitted the form on time.
Can I re-apply to Google Grants if my organization was suspended?
If your nonprofit status has lapsed, you can re-apply only if and when you have proof that your nonprofit status has been reinstated. Note: you will need to re-apply through the regular Google Grants application process.If your account was suspended due to account guideline violations, you will not be allowed to re-apply to the program. For example, if you hosted AdSense ads on your site, if you used your AdWords ads/keywords for commercial purposes, or if you ran ads for website URLs not associated with the initially approved nonprofit URL.
If your account was paused because you did not log into your account in over 30 days, you may simply log back in and resume your campaigns. If Google finds that you are in violation of their active account management policy for multiple months, your account will be subject to cancellation.
