What Is Google for Nonprofits? A Complete Guide to Free Google Tools for Nonprofits

One of the most persistent challenges facing NPOs, general incorporated associations, and public interest corporations is communicating their work with limited budgets. Many high-impact organizations struggle to reach potential donors, volunteers, and members because they cannot afford advertising. Valuable social initiatives remain invisible — not for lack of merit, but for lack of reach.

Google for Nonprofits has the potential to fundamentally change this. Launched by Google in 2003, the program has grown to serve more than 115,000 organizations across 51 countries as of 2025. It provides four core services at no cost or heavily discounted rates. The most impactful is Google Ad Grants, which gives eligible organizations $10,000 per month in free Google Search advertising — available to organizations of any size.

This guide covers everything Japanese nonprofit practitioners need to know: program overview, eligibility, application process, use cases, and operational requirements.

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Google for Nonprofits is a program operated by Google LLC that provides eligible nonprofit organizations with access to Google's core services at no cost or with substantial discounts. The program is designed to support organizations pursuing a social mission by lowering barriers to digital tools.

The program's cumulative impact is significant: Google has provided more than $10 billion in advertising credits to nonprofits worldwide since the program's launch. In Japan, the program has been available since July 10, 2014.

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📧Google WorkspaceFree

Gmail with custom domain, Drive, Meet, Chat, Docs and more

¥0/month (Business Starter equivalent)

🎯Google Ad Grants$10,000/month

Free Google Search advertising for donations, volunteers, and memberships

$10,000/month ($120,000/year) in search ads

▶️YouTube Nonprofit ProgramFree

Donation cards (YouTube Giving) and CTA overlays on videos

Fundraising and awareness tools for video

🗺️Google Maps Platform$250 credit/mo

Monthly credit for Maps API usage — show service locations and activity sites

$250/month in Maps API credits

1. Google Workspace for Nonprofits

Google Workspace provides the full suite of collaboration tools — email, storage, video conferencing, and office applications — that organizations need to operate effectively. The Business Starter tier is available to eligible nonprofits at no cost.

Key features:

• Gmail: Email with a custom domain (e.g., info@yourorg.jp)
• Google Drive: 30 GB cloud storage per user
• Google Meet / Chat: Video conferencing and team messaging
• Google Docs / Sheets / Slides: Full office productivity suite

Business Standard (2 TB storage, meeting recordings, etc.) and higher tiers are available with discounts of 75% or more. Larger or multi-site organizations may find value in upgrading to higher tiers.

2. Google Ad Grants

Google Ad Grants provides eligible nonprofits with $10,000 per month (approximately ¥1.5 million at current exchange rates) in free Google Search advertising — every month, automatically renewed. This amounts to $120,000 per year in advertising value, making it the single most impactful offering in the program for most organizations.

Common use cases:

• Recruiting volunteers and paid staff
• Acquiring donors and members
• Raising awareness of social issues or services
• Promoting counseling services, grant opportunities, and events

Maintaining the grant requires meeting ongoing performance requirements (covered below).

3. YouTube Nonprofit Program

The YouTube Nonprofit Program unlocks features unavailable to standard channels, enabling nonprofit organizations to turn video content into a direct path for engagement and fundraising.

Key features:

• YouTube Giving: Adds a donation card directly to videos, allowing viewers to contribute without leaving YouTube
• CTA overlays: Call-to-action buttons (e.g., "Register as a volunteer," "Learn more") displayed during video playback
• Creator Academy nonprofit content: Instructional materials on video production and channel management
• Dedicated email support: Priority access to YouTube support

For organizations using video to raise awareness or advocate for their cause, these features can meaningfully improve conversion from viewer to supporter.

4. Google Maps Platform Credit

Eligible nonprofits receive $250 per month in Google Maps API credits, covering the cost of embedding maps and geolocation features into websites and applications. Use cases include displaying service locations, mapping field activity sites, and visualizing geographic data relevant to the organization's work.

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In Japan, Google for Nonprofits is limited to organizations that fall into one of four legal entity types.

Organizations That Are Not Eligible

The following types of organizations are excluded from the program:

• Government and public bodies: National, prefectural, and municipal government agencies
• Hospitals and healthcare institutions: Medical corporations and clinics
• Schools and universities: Private school corporations and university foundations
• For-profit entities: Corporations, limited liability companies, and other profit-driven structures
• Religious organizations: Religious corporations

An important note for general incorporated associations: standard general incorporated associations that do not meet the nonprofit-type requirements are not eligible. The organization's articles of incorporation must explicitly prohibit the distribution of profits to members — among other conditions — to qualify as a nonprofit-type general incorporated association. Verifying compliance with the articles of incorporation and meeting minutes before applying is strongly recommended.

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Applying for Google for Nonprofits involves five steps and can typically be completed within one to two weeks.

Step 1: Review Program Requirements

Visit the Google for Nonprofits website to review current eligibility requirements and service offerings before beginning the application.

Step 2: Obtain Eligibility Verification Through Goodstack

Goodstack (formerly Percent) is Google's designated verification partner. Create an account on the Goodstack platform and submit your organization's documentation — including proof of legal status and a description of activities. Approval typically takes 3–5 business days, after which you receive a verification code.

Documents typically required:

• Certificate of registered information (from the Legal Affairs Bureau)
• Copy of the articles of incorporation
• Most recent annual report or activity statement

Step 3: Create a Google for Nonprofits Account

Use the verification code from Goodstack to register at the Google for Nonprofits management page.

Step 4: Activate Individual Services

After registering, activate each service separately from the dashboard. Google Workspace can be applied to an existing Google Workspace account. Google Ad Grants requires linking to a Google Ads account.

Step 5: Verify Domain Ownership for Google Workspace

If using Google Workspace with a custom domain, you must verify domain ownership by adding a TXT record in your domain registrar's DNS settings (via providers such as Onamae.com or MuuMuuDomain). This is typically the most technical step and should be coordinated with whoever manages your domain.

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Florence — Member Recruitment and Staff Hiring

Florence (NPO Corporation) uses Google Ad Grants to run campaigns targeting individuals searching for childcare services and childcare workers seeking meaningful employment. The organization uses keywords such as "sick child care drop-in" and "childcare worker social impact jobs" to connect with relevant audiences.

Girl Scouts Japan — Modernizing Information Management

Girl Scouts Japan (公益社団法人ガールスカウト日本連盟) used Google Workspace for Nonprofits to integrate the organization's dispersed email and document management infrastructure across its national network, improving both security and operational efficiency.

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Maintaining the $10,000 monthly grant requires meeting ongoing performance standards. Failure to meet these standards can result in account suspension.

If the account-wide CTR falls below 5% for two consecutive months, the account may be suspended. Suspension can be reversed by submitting an improvement plan, but the resulting gap in advertising activity is worth avoiding.

The default CPC (cost-per-click) cap is $2.00. Note that this cap does not apply when using smart bidding strategies such as Maximize Conversions — though conversion tracking setup is required. For competitive keywords (e.g., "NPO donation," "volunteer opportunities"), this limit may prevent top placement under manual bidding. A long-tail keyword strategy — targeting more specific, lower-competition queries — is typically more effective for Ad Grants accounts.

ISVD provides consulting support for Ad Grants campaign setup and optimization. For details, see Services: Google for Nonprofits Support.

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Google for Nonprofits provides nonprofit organizations with a practical foundation for digital operations — from internal collaboration tools to outreach and fundraising. Google Ad Grants in particular represents a sustained funding-equivalent resource that most nonprofits would otherwise be unable to access.

The first step is confirming that your organization falls into one of the four eligible entity types. For general incorporated associations, verifying nonprofit-type status under Japan's corporate tax law is especially important. Once eligibility is confirmed, the application process through Goodstack is straightforward and typically completed within a week.

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References

Google for Nonprofits — Google LLC (2025). Google for Nonprofits Official Site

Google Ad Grants — Free Advertising for Nonprofits — Google LLC (2025). Google for Nonprofits Support

Google for Nonprofits — Eligibility Verification via Goodstack — Google LLC (2025). Google for Nonprofits Help Center