Apply for Google for Nonprofits

If you want help preparing your information before opening Google’s forms, use the Google for Nonprofits Helper to prepare a mission statement and organize your copyable information by stage.

This is Review #1 of the process.

Goodstack verifies that your PTO or PTG is an eligible nonprofit and that you are connected to the organization.

Passing this review gives your group access to Google for Nonprofits. It does not activate Google Workspace yet. Google Workspace has a separate activation review later in the process.

Most of this application is straightforward. A few questions are easy to misread, so use the checklist below before you begin.

Sign in to Google for Nonprofits with the Google account you plan to use for the application, select Get started, and follow the screens below.

1. Confirm that your parent group is eligible

The first screen asks you to confirm that your organization is eligible.

This question trips up many PTOs and PTGs.

For a parent group that qualifies as a separate nonprofit, answer for the PTO or PTG, not the school it supports. If your group is part of the school or another organization, check eligibility first.

2. Select your country

Choose the country where the parent group is legally registered.

For a U.S. PTO or PTG, select United States.

3. Find your organization

Google asks you to search for your organization by name or registration number.

For a U.S. nonprofit, enter the parent group’s EIN. Google will use it to look up your organization in its nonprofit database.

If Google cannot find your group, follow the prompts to add it for verification.

4. Describe what your parent group does

Google will ask for the organization’s mission.

Use the short mission you prepared from your bylaws or other organization records. The preparation guide explains how. Describe the parent group’s work, not the school’s mission.

The application examples below show these category choices. Select them if offered and accurate for your group; wording in Google’s current form may differ:

• Category: School, college, education
• Subcategory: Parent association

Describe the mission of the parent group, not the mission of the school.

5. Enter your website

Enter the website you prepared in the previous step.

Use the full address, such as:

https://www.jeffersonpto.org

Goodstack may use the website to confirm that the organization is active and that you are connected to it.

6. Enter your contact information

Enter your name and email address.

For Job title, use your role in the parent group, such as President, Treasurer, or Vice President.

Do not enter your paid profession unless it is also your role in the PTO or PTG.

If your parent group already has email on its own domain, use an address such as president@jeffersonpto.org. Ideally, put that exact address on the organization’s website next to your name and role.

If you do not already have domain email, use a Google account you can monitor; you do not need to set up Workspace first. A personal Gmail address or other Google Account may still be allowed. A domain-based organization email is not required, but Goodstack says it can speed up confirmation of your affiliation.

What happens after you submit

During this first review, Goodstack will verify two things:

1. The PTO or PTG is an eligible nonprofit.
2. You are connected to the organization.

You may be approved without providing anything else.

Goodstack may also email you for documents, especially if your name and role are not easy to confirm on the organization’s website.

After submission, a screen like this tells you to watch your email. It does not mean verification is complete.

Watch the inbox you used for the application, including the spam folder.

If Goodstack asks for documents

If Goodstack asks for records, follow the request exactly. It checks nonprofit status and your connection to the organization as separate questions.

Nonprofit-status evidence, such as the IRS Determination Letter, establishes that the PTO or PTG qualifies. Applicant-affiliation evidence, such as signed meeting minutes or a qualifying bank statement, establishes your connection to it.

For applicant-affiliation review, Goodstack’s current document requirements say submitted documents must be original, unredacted PDF files. Organization-issued documents generally must:

• Be dated more than 30 days before the application.
• Show the organization’s legal name.
• Show your full name when relevant.
• Be signed.

A bank statement generally must be the original electronic PDF, be dated more than 30 days before the application, and show the organization’s legal name.

For U.S. applicants, Goodstack strongly recommends the IRS EIN Verification Letter. This is not the same as the IRS Determination Letter.

Upload bank statements and other sensitive records only through Goodstack’s official submission process.

If verification or applicant affiliation is rejected, use the Goodstack troubleshooting guidance.

After Goodstack approves your organization

Wait for an email confirming that your organization has been approved for Google for Nonprofits. That approval, not the pending screen above, means you have completed Review #1.

Your PTO or PTG now has access to Google for Nonprofits, but Google Workspace is not active yet.

Next you will create Google Workspace, verify ownership of your domain, and submit that domain to Google for Review #2: the Google Workspace activation review.

After approval, continue to Activate Google Workspace for Nonprofits and Verify Your Domain.