Microsoft Grants and Licenses For Eligible Nonprofit Organizations

Microsoft Tech for Social Impact

Microsoft provides grants and discounts for eligible nonprofits typically in the form of software, Microsoft 365 cloud services, Azure and Dynamics 365, Surface hardware, on-premises software, and digital skilling.

Microsoft Ads For Social Impact

Finally, Microsoft has followed Google’s lead in providing advertising grants and discounted solutions to eligible nonprofit organizations. The Microsoft grants known as ‘Microsoft Ads For Social Impact, grant $3,000/month or $36,000/year to qualifying nonprofit profit organizations. The grant can be used to run ads on Bing and Microsoft partners’ platforms such as Yahoo, AOL, outlook.com, Microsoft Edge, and MSN.

Is Your Nonprofit Eligible For Microsoft Ad Grants for Social Impact?

Organization Type

To be eligible for this grant, organizations must be a:

• Nonprofit or NGO with a 501(c)(3) status under the US Internal Revenue Code
• Public libraries that provide not-for-profit library services to all residents of a given community, region, or district.
• Public museums, including public or private institutions, open to the public, conserve and exhibit tangible objects for purposes of cultural preservation, education, or aesthetic enjoyment.

Organization Mission

To qualify for the MS Ads for Social Impact, eligible organizations must operate on a not-for-profit basis and have a mission to benefit the local community that could include but 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

Non-Discriminatory Cause

Microsoft only accepts organizations that are in line with its values as far as respect for the individual, respect for cultural differences, provides an inclusive environment that is welcoming and free from discrimination. In other words, organizations that have a policy or mission of discrimination in hiring, compensation, promotion, termination, retirement, training, programs, activities, and/or services based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, political affiliation, union membership, or veteran status are not eligible.

To qualify for Microsoft Ad Grants or Microsoft Ads For Social Impact, organizations must:

• Hold recognized, legal charitable status as defined in their countries, or be a Public Library or Public Museum;
• Have a mission to benefit the broader community;
• Attest to Microsoft’s anti-discrimination policy;
• Only assign licenses to eligible staff;
• Only use the licenses for their organization and not license partner, affiliate, or sister organizations.

Terms of Use

Organizations can only assign licenses to eligible staff and only use licenses for their organization. Grants can be used only by paid staff and volunteers in leadership roles, while discounted nonprofit offers can be used by staff, volunteers, and contracted staff.

Ineligible Organizations

Organizations that are not eligible for the Microsoft Ads for Social Impact include:

• Nonprofit organizations that have not been granted legal status, such as the IRC 501c3 tax-exempt status
• Governmental organizations or agencies, including international governmental organizations, and United Nations Entities;
• Schools, Colleges, and Universities. This includes nonprofit schools, academic museums
• Healthcare organizations including, but not limited to, hospitals, healthcare networks, health plans, and ambulatory/outpatient healthcare organizations;
• 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
• Refurbisher that installs software on refurbished computers to be distributed or donated to nonprofits or schools.
• Individuals

Maintaining Eligibility

Typically, eligibility expires every two years. To continue benefiting from grants and licenses, grantees are required to regularly complete an attestation to its donor rules to maintain eligibility. Microsoft will send a reminder when an attestation is due, and your nonprofit must complete and submit it in a timely manner to continue benefiting from the ad grants and other licenses.

If you have any questions, please contact us.