Google has announced that it is giving $340 million in ad credits to small and medium sized businesses with active accounts. As the coronavirus continues to spread, Google hopes the credits will ease some costs accumulated by SMBs.

Google is currently adding credits to eligible advertiser accounts; however, it is a lengthy process and could take months for businesses to see credit notifications in their Google Ads accounts. Once available, the credits can be used across Google advertising platforms – like Search, Display, and YouTube – through Dec. 31, 2020. 

The $340 million in credits is part of a new $800 million support package for SMBs, health organizations, health workers, and governments, including:

• $250 million in ad grants to help the World Health Organization and government agencies provide critical information on COVID-19
• $20 million in ad grants to community financial institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to run public service announcements on relief funds
• $200 million investment fund that will support NGOs and financial institutions around the world to help provide small businesses with access to capital
• $20 million in Google Cloud credits for academic institutions and researchers to study therapies and vaccines, track data, and identify new ways to combat COVID-19