Hi All, 

Last month I wrote about Google Grants.  I also contacted them for a Q&A and, with the awesome facilitation of one Ms. Tamara Micner, I got the interview below with Manage of Google Grants, Mr. Chris Powell.  I tried to ask exacting questions that were relevant to non-profit knowledge of this sweet service.

A: Our current vision for Google Grants is not only to scale it but also to increase the measurable impact the program has for non-profits. Our current plan includes helping non-profits more easily determine how the program can have a more targeted impact on their unique initiatives. For instance, we're working on ways for grant recipients of similar interest to find each other and share best practices and insights learned through Google Grants. Currently we have a Google Group set up for recipients to connect and share information.
Q: Is Google treating indexed content generated from Google Grant ads as they do all other content from for-profit adverts? Or are they managing the generated information from Google Grants click thrus into mineable data for non-profits to share (or is Google developing new non-profit initiatives based upon Google Grant indexed content?)

A: There is no difference in the way ads are ranked, whether they originate from grant recipients or from paid advertisers. We rank ads based not only on how much advertisers bid for them, but also on the quality of those ads and their relevance to the search query at hand.
Q: Since its inception, has Google Grants staff witnessed any trends in grant recipients/type of programs?

A: The most significant thing we've seen is growth in the variety of programs benefiting from Grants. For example, over the past two years, we've expanded Grants into more countries. This investment, plus an increased level of knowledge about Grants locally, has increased the variety of organizations we're seeing in the program. We've also noticed that the more engaged a grant recipient is in the program, the more they gain from it.
Q: What are some common mistakes non-profits make when applying? Are there ways of avoiding common pitfalls?  

A. We look for registered non-profits that meet our eligibility guidelines and share our philosophy of community service. They should have a strong mission to help the world, through areas such as science and technology, education and the environment, youth advocacy, and so on.

In our application, they should also highlight the initiatives they'd want to promote on Google, since that's what the program entails. So it helps to have the resources to actively manage a Google AdWords account and a basic strategy for promoting your cause through AdWords.

We recently posted more tips on our Google Grants blog, so more details are available there and on our website.