Microsoft Ad Grants: Free $3,000/month
2 min to read ✭ In this post, we'll share what the Microsoft Ad Grant is, how to see if your organization is eligible, and the steps you need to take in order to apply.
The Microsoft Ads Grant
Microsoft Advertising is offering Microsoft-approved nonprofits a $3,000 USD monthly grant for its owned and operated digital advertising including Bing, Yahoo, AOL, outlook.com, MSN, and Microsoft Edge.
This Grant, similar to the Google Ad Grant, can help nonprofit organizations grow awareness around their mission, attract new donors and volunteers, and move the needle for high-impact programs and fundraising.
This is a massive opportunity for the nonprofit space as Microsoft Ads reach up to 40% of the entire US search market. While the total allotted amount might look small compared to Google’s mighty $10,000/mo Grant, there are some major differences in capability that we think will allow Microsoft to perform just as well even with a limited budget.
Microsoft will be speaking at The Nonprofit Marketing Summit on Ad Grants – Get Your FREE Pass
Who is Eligible?
Organizations must be nonprofit or non-governmental organizations with recognized legal status in their respective country (equal to 501(c)(3). Currently, these types of organizations are not eligible for the Microsoft Ad Grant:
Additionally, this program is only available in Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States.
You can familiarize yourself with all of Microsoft’s eligibility requirements here.
The Application Process
There are two parts to the Microsoft Ad Grants application process. The two parts are divided into pre-qualification via Microsoft for Nonprofits and then an application to be approved for Microsoft Ad Grants.
Part 1: Microsoft for Nonprofits
To apply for the Microsoft for Nonprofits, you will follow the application process in their enrollment guide. The application is very straightforward and consists of 4 parts:
- Welcome and Policies
- Organization Info
- Verifying Phone Number
- Account creation
This first part of the application process should take around 10 minutes to complete. From there, you should hear back from Microsoft about your acceptance into the Microsoft For Nonprofits program within 24 hours.
Part 2: Microsoft Ad Grants Application
Once Microsoft approves your organization for Part 1 of the application, you can proceed to Part 2, which is applying for the Microsoft Ad Grant itself.
This step is even more straightforward than the first step and should only take you a few minutes. Microsoft is mainly looking for additional organizational information and information on your role. For now, Microsoft is recommending that only users from within the organization apply on behalf of the nonprofit. Click “Submit”, and you have officially applied to the Microsoft Ad Grants program! You should receive a confirmation on your Ad Grant status within 10 business days.
1 The grant doesn’t include the cost of advertising on the Microsoft Advertising search partner network. You may choose to extend your reach beyond the owned and operated properties; however, grant funds will not cover those costs.
One Comment
Alfton Jackson, on July 18, 2022 at 6:23 pm
I’m interested in applying for the grant for my non for profit