Google for Nonprofits: how to get Google Workspace and Gmail free

What do you get with Google Workspace for Nonprofits?

Google Workspace for Nonprofits is the free edition of Google's work tools. It gives your whole team email at your own domain, like you@yourgroup.org, plus Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, Meet, and shared Drives. If you've been searching for free email hosting for a nonprofit, this is the usual answer.

You get 100 TB (terabytes) of storage pooled across the organization, and room for up to 300 people on a new account. Meet calls hold up to 150 people.

It also comes with an admin console, where you add and remove team accounts, and Google's Gemini app with what Google calls enterprise-grade data protections.

Who qualifies for Google for Nonprofits?

Google for Nonprofits is open to registered charitable organizations in good standing. In the United States, that means holding 501(c)(3) status.

You also need your own web address (a domain, like yourgroup.org) with a working website on it that shows your nonprofit's name. If you don't have one yet, set that up first.

A few kinds of organization are not eligible: government bodies, hospitals, and healthcare groups. Schools and universities are served by a separate Google program. But a foundation that raises money for a hospital, healthcare group, school, or university can still qualify. In the US, a fiscally sponsored group (one that runs under another charity's 501(c)(3)) cannot join for now.

You need recognized charity status first. So you apply after the IRS approves your 501(c)(3), not on day one.

How do you apply for Google Workspace for Nonprofits?

There are four steps: two to join Google for Nonprofits, then two to turn on Google Workspace.

1. Request a Google for Nonprofits account. Go to Google for Nonprofits, click Get started, and fill in your organization's details.
2. Get verified by Goodstack. Google's partner Goodstack checks that you are a registered charity and that you are part of it. Watch for its emails, and check your spam folder. Google says most requests are reviewed in 2 to 14 business days.
3. Turn on Google Workspace for Nonprofits. Make sure the website on your domain works and shows your nonprofit's name, plus details like your EIN, street address or mission. Then sign in to your Google for Nonprofits account and click Get started under Google Workspace for Nonprofits.
4. Verify your domain and send it for review. New to Workspace? Start Google's 14-day trial of the nonprofit edition, which is at no charge. Prove you own your domain, then submit it. Once Google approves it, your account is upgraded to the free nonprofit edition. Google emails you when that happens, which can take several days. Then create accounts for your team.

Have your EIN letter from the IRS ready. Goodstack may also ask for proof that you are part of the nonprofit, such as bylaws or board minutes, plus a bank statement.

What do the paid nonprofit editions cost?

Most teams never need more than the free edition. If you want Meet recording, bigger calls or more storage per person, Google sells its Business and Enterprise editions to nonprofits at a discount.

Read from Google's Workspace for Nonprofits offer and edition pages on 14 October 2026. The discounts apply to up to 2,000 users.

You can start on the free edition and move to a discounted paid edition later.

Email is only one line in your budget. See what the rest of your tools cost, with 2026 prices and a free or low-cost option where one exists.

Where should you keep your founding papers?

A free Workspace account also gives you Google Drive. It is a simple, safe home for your founding papers: Articles of Incorporation, EIN letter, bylaws, and board minutes.

Keep them in one place from the start. It saves a scramble later, when a bank or a funder asks for them.