Free technology grants and discounts available for nonprofits.
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Nonprofit eligibility
1. Is my organization eligible?
Organizations must be a:
- Nonprofit or non-governmental organization with recognized legal status in their respective country (equal to 501(c)(3) status under the United States Internal Revenue Code);
- Public library that provides general library services without charge to all residents of a given community, district or region; or
- Public museum, including public or private institutions, open to the public, that conserve and exhibit tangible objects for purposes of cultural preservation, education, or aesthetic enjoyment.
- United States healthcare organizations, specifically:
- Independent Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs). Independent hospitals are those not in a health system, which Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servies (CMS) typically defines as a group of affiliated hospitals and providers under common ownership or management.
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-designated Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and HRSA-certified FQHC Look-Alikes
- CMS-certified nonprofit Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)
- Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF), whose primary focus is short-term medical care and rehabilitation, and
- Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities, whose primary focus is long-term custodial care
If your organization does not meet these criteria, it is not currently eligible.
In addition to the organization criteria, eligible organizations must also operate on a not-for-profit basis and have a mission to benefit the local community that could include but is not limited to - providing relief to the poor; advancing education; improving social welfare; preserving culture; preserving or restoring the environment; promoting human rights; establishment of civil society.
Any organization that does not meet the criteria outlined above for eligible nonprofit missions is ineligible for Microsoft nonprofit programs. Visit Microsoft Licensing for more information about licensing options for ineligible organizations. Examples of ineligible organizations include, but are not limited to:
- Nonprofit organizations that have not obtained recognized legal status in their respective country;
- Governmental organizations or agencies, including international governmental organizations, and United Nations Entities;
- Schools, colleges and universities including formal educational institutions, nonprofit schools, and academic museums;
- Public Utilities, including public transportation, telecommunications, and utilities;
- Financial institutions, including banks, insurance providers, and pension and retirement funds;
- Professional, commerce and trade associations;
- Professional and semi-professional sports organizations, including governing bodies, Olympics, and national or international tournaments;
- Political, labor, and fraternal organizations;
- Refurbishers that will be installing the software on refurbished computers to be distributed or donated to nonprofits or schools. Please email oemmar@microsoft.com for more information about the Registered Refurbisher Program;
- Individuals.
If your organization does not meet these criteria, it is not currently eligible.
Microsoft reserves the right to grant or deny an organization's application or participation at any time, for any reason, and to supplement or amend these eligibility guidelines at any time without notice. Selections are made at the sole discretion of Microsoft and are not subject to external review. Microsoft requires that grantees regularly complete an attestation to our donor rules to maintain eligibility. Failure to complete the required attestation may remove eligibility for Microsoft’s nonprofit programs unless/until organization completes the required attestation. Additionally, Microsoft reserves the right to reduce or remove an organization's access to nonprofit offers if the organization is determined to abuse the program. Examples of program abuse include, but are not limited to, intentional user mis-licensing, sharing licenses with ineligible organizations, or failing to remove unused grant licenses from an organization’s subscription (i.e., failure to maintain at least 85% active usage of all granted licenses).
2. Who should register?
Registering your organization
3. Who can use the license?
Grants vs. discounted licenses
Depending on the employee status and role in the nonprofit there is a difference between available offers:
- Grants – Granted licenses are only permitted for paid employees and unpaid executive staff if all organization eligibility is met. User amount limits do apply and vary by availability of country of usage. Additionally, organizations are expected to regularly remove unused granted licenses from their subscription. Adherence to policy guidance is encouraged and tenant may be subject to audit by Microsoft.
- Discounts – Discounted licenses are permitted for all staff, including volunteers and temporary staff of the organization. Eligible nonprofits may access discounted pricing on commercial cloud offers, and some on-premise offers. Discounts vary by product, and/or quantity
Paid employees
Unpaid executive staff
Volunteers and temporary staff
| Type | Nonprofit Grant Offers | Nonprofit Discount Offers | Volunteer Use Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid Employees |
•
|
•
|
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| Unpaid Executive Staff |
•
|
•
|
•
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| Volunteers |
•
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•
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| Contracted Staff (temporary, third-party) |
•
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| Beneficiaries, Members, Donors |
License restrictions
Organizations cannot share, transfer, rent, or resell nonprofit licenses or subscriptions with/to other organizations or individuals even if they are part of the same group. If the group has both nonprofit and for-profit organizations in its legal structure, nonprofit offers are only permitted for the eligible nonprofit organizations. Additionally, groups with centrally managed information technology (IT) systems are only eligible for one grant account. Please contact Microsoft to learn more about enterprise licensing options.
