Cultivate
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Church growth partners · United Kingdom

Be found by the people looking for you

Every week, people near your church search Google for a church, a carol service or somewhere to belong. We put your church at the top of those searches, paid for by Google's free advertising grant for charities.

Check if your church qualifies → How it works

Why we do this

Some plant, some water. God gives the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:6–7

Growth is God's work. Our part is practical. When someone moves to your area, goes through a hard season or starts asking questions about faith, the first place they look is a search engine. If your church doesn't appear, they never hear about your Sunday service, your toddler group or your Alpha course. We make sure they find you.

Google gives registered charities, including churches, up to $10,000 a month in free search advertising. Most UK churches have never claimed it, and many that have lose it because keeping it switched on takes work every month. We claim it with you and look after it for you.

About the grant Who we are

The Google Ad Grant

Free advertising your church may already qualify for

The Ad Grant is part of Google for Nonprofits. It isn't cash. It's advertising credit for the text adverts that appear at the top of Google search results. In the UK, churches registered with the Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI, or recognised by HMRC as charitable, can apply.

$10,000

Monthly advertising credit, roughly £7,500. It renews every month as long as the account follows Google's rules.

£0

Cost of the adverts to your church. Your church pays for our time looking after the account, never for the ads.

5%

The minimum share of people who must click your ads each month. Fall below it two months running and Google can switch the grant off.

Example adverts

What your adverts could look like

1 / 4

Example advert · Always on

Someone new to the area looks for a church

church near me stockton
AllMapsImagesNews

Sponsored

RRiverside Churchriversidechurch.org.uk › visit

Riverside Church Stockton | Sundays at 10:30am | All Ages Welcome

A friendly church for the whole family. Free parking, kids' groups and coffee after.

  • Plan your visit
  • Kids and families
  • What to expect
Search
“church near me stockton”
Campaign
Visit on a Sunday
Why it works
Shows above the map and directory listings for anyone searching nearby.
Counted as a result
"Plan your visit" form filled in
Cost to the church
£0. Paid for by the Google Ad Grant.

Example advert · Seasonal

A family looks for somewhere to go at Christmas

carol service middlesbrough
AllMapsImagesNews

Sponsored

CCedar Street Churchcedarstreetchurch.org.uk › christmas

Carols by Candlelight | Sunday 20 Dec, 6pm | Free, Everyone Welcome

Join us for carols, mince pies and the Christmas story. Children's crib service at 4pm.

  • All Christmas services
  • Christmas Eve
  • Getting here
Search
“carol service middlesbrough”
Campaign
Seasonal: Advent and Christmas
Why it works
Live from early November, when Christmas searches start to climb.
Counted as a result
Christmas page visit or "Plan your visit"
Cost to the church
£0. Paid for by the Google Ad Grant.

Example advert · Always on

A parent looks for something to do with a toddler

toddler group darlington
AllMapsImagesNews

Sponsored

OOakfield Churchoakfieldchurch.org.uk › little-lambs

Little Lambs Toddler Group | Thursdays 9:30 to 11am | Free, Just Drop In

Play, songs, a Bible story and hot drinks for grown-ups. Babies up to age 4 welcome.

  • Toddler group
  • Holiday club
  • Sunday kids
Search
“toddler group darlington”
Campaign
Families and children
Why it works
Families who come to a weekday group often become Sunday visitors.
Counted as a result
Toddler group page visit or enquiry
Cost to the church
£0. Paid for by the Google Ad Grant.

Example advert · Always on

Someone grieving searches late at night

how to cope after losing someone
AllMapsImagesNews

Sponsored

NNorthgate Churchnorthgatechurch.org.uk › bereavement

Struggling With Grief? | You Don't Have to Be Alone | Northgate Church, York

Our bereavement café meets monthly. Tea, a listening ear and no pressure to believe.

  • Bereavement café
  • Talk to someone
  • Visit on a Sunday
Search
“how to cope after losing someone”
Campaign
Life questions
Why it works
Meets people at the moment they need help, with a gentle next step.
Counted as a result
Bereavement café page visit or message
Cost to the church
£0. Paid for by the Google Ad Grant.

Illustrations only. The churches shown are fictional.

How it works

From first call to live adverts in about four weeks

Your church stays the owner of everything. We guide you through the parts Google needs you to do yourselves, and we do the rest.

Stage 1 · 1 day

Eligibility check

We confirm your charity status and look over your website for anything Google will flag. Free, with no obligation.

We do this
Stage 2 · 1–3 weeks

Verification

On a video call, we walk your minister or administrator through Google for Nonprofits and switching on the grant.

Together
Stage 3 · 1 week

Website and tracking

We add a simple "Plan your visit" form and set up tracking so we can count real enquiries, not just clicks.

We do this
Stage 4 · 1 week

Adverts go live

We write adverts for your services, groups and events, shown only to people in your area. You approve them first.

We do this

Monthly care

Keeping the grant switched on is the real work

Staying within Google's rules

We check your click rate, remove weak search terms and respond to Google's notices before they become problems.

Ads for every season

Harvest, Remembrance, carol services, Easter, holiday clubs and new courses. Your adverts follow your church calendar.

Reaching people with real questions

Alongside "church near me", we reach searches like "where to find hope" or "is God real", pointing people to your church.

A report your leadership can use

Every month, one page in plain English: how many people found you, and how many planned a visit.

November report

Example
2,840saw your ads
312visited your site
9planned a visit

Top adverts by visits

Carol service
138
Sunday at 10:30
86
Toddler group
52
Alpha course
36
✓Click rate above Google's 5% minimum
✓No policy warnings this month
✓Christmas adverts live from 1 November

Illustrative figures for a mid-sized church. Real results vary.

Pricing

One clear yearly fee per church

The adverts themselves are free, funded by Google. You pay for the setup and the ongoing care that keeps the grant working for your church.

The Cultivate Promise

  1. Your 12 months start the day your adverts go live, not the day you pay.
  2. If Google does not approve your church, you get a full refund.
  3. Pause for up to two months in the year, for example between ministers. The paused months are added to the end.
Read our terms

Ad Grant care

£4,500per church, per year
  • Free eligibility check before you commit
  • Guided Google for Nonprofits and Ad Grant application
  • "Plan your visit" form and enquiry tracking on your website
  • Adverts written, built and kept within Google's rules
  • Seasonal campaigns for Christmas, Easter and events
  • Google's yearly programme survey completed for you
  • Plain-English monthly report

Invoiced once for the year and paid by bank transfer, which works out at £375 a month. One church means one registered charity with one grant. Pricing for churches with several sites, and for groups of churches, on request.

Book a free eligibility check →

About Cultivate

Run by a Christian who wants your church to be found

I'm Bill, the director of Cultivate. I'm a man of Christian faith, and I started Cultivate because I kept seeing good churches that were almost invisible to the people searching for them.

My background is in sales and marketing, and I studied Accounting and Finance at the University of Bath. I run advertising and tracking for a growing UK business, and I bring the same care to churches, in language that makes sense to ministers, administrators and church councils.

Cultivate is based in North Yorkshire and works with churches across the UK. You deal with me directly, from the first call onwards.

Bill

DirectorNorth YorkshireWorking UK-wide

FAQs

Questions churches ask us

Can't see your question? Get in touch and we'll answer it plainly.

Is our church eligible?

Most UK churches are. You need to be registered with the Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI, or be recognised by HMRC as a charitable church, and have a secure website that explains who you are. Our free eligibility check confirms it before you spend anything.

Does the grant cost our church anything?

No. The advertising credit comes from Google. Your church pays Cultivate one yearly fee for setting up and looking after the account. There are no hidden advertising costs.

Who owns the account?

Your church does. The account is created in your church's name and you invite us in as a manager. You can see everything we do and remove our access at any time.

Are you part of Google?

No. Cultivate is an independent business. The Ad Grant is a Google for Nonprofits programme, and Google makes the final decision on every application.

Can we choose who sees our adverts?

Adverts are shown to people searching in your local area. Google doesn't allow adverts to target people by religion, so we focus on what people search for: churches nearby, your events, and questions about faith and life.

How long until our adverts are live?

Usually three to four weeks. Most of that is Google's verification, which normally takes between a few days and two weeks.

What do we need to do?

Give us an hour for the verification call, send us your service times, events and a few photos, and make sure someone follows up with people who plan a visit. We handle the rest.

Free eligibility check

Let's see if your church qualifies

Tell us a little about your church. Bill will ring you within one working day, then check your charity status and website and come back with a clear yes or no.

Or email directly

We'll only use your details to reply to your enquiry. See our privacy notice.