How to Apply for FREE Nonprofit Microsoft 365 Services
In this article, we'll review how nonprofits can apply for the free Microsoft 365 offering. To review the benefits for this program, please see our Nonprofit Tech Toolkit.
We no longer recommend purchasing the licenses through TechSoup because as of December 2022, they add a $1/user/month charge to all licenses. These Microsoft services are free, and these guides will help you to configure them for free.
🏁 Prerequisites
Nonprofit 501(c)(3) status, and the Letter of Exemption from the IRS. We'll need to upload this with the application. See all eligibility requirements here.
Organization’s physical address.
Organization’s online contact information.
Follow the instructions in the section that aligns with your nonprofit
If your org doesn't have a Microsoft 365 tenant/login, use the instructions in section 1.
If your org already has a Microsoft 365 tenant, use the instructions in section 2. If your nonprofit tenant was verified by someone else, your user must be assigned the "Nonprofit Portal' license to access the Microsoft Nonprofit portal.
👀 You can always check the status of your nonprofit application in the Microsoft Nonprofit portal.
🆕 1. Applying for a new Microsoft 365 Nonprofit Tenant
Use these steps if you currently are not using Microsoft 365 and need to create a new tenant for your nonprofit.
Navigate to the Microsoft Nonprofit Portal: https://nonprofit.microsoft.com
Click Register Now.
Fill out each page of the multi-step form and upload the Letter of Exemption from the IRS when prompted.
After completing all the steps in the application, you'll have to wait to get approved. It can take anywhere from 2 to 30 business days. Once the application has been processed, you'll receive an email notification with the result. If more information is required, the Microsoft team will ask for additional documentation.
After verification, you can add free licenses to your account from the catalog screen of the Micrsofot 365 admin portal. See our next article on configuring Microsoft 365 for nonprofits.
➕ 2. Adding Nonprofit Status to an Existing Microsoft 365 Tenant
Often, nonprofits purchase Microsoft 365 before they realize they can receive free and highly discounted services. Here's how to verify your existing Microsoft 365 tenant as a nonprofit and gain access to free and discounted services.
Navigate to https://nonprofit.microsoft.com/signin
Click Sign in and enter your Microsoft 365 account username and password.
Upon login, you'll see a message to complete your nonprofit profile, including your 501(c)(3) verification letter from the IRS or other supporting documents. Click Complete my nonprofit profile.
Enter the requested information and click Continue. Note: The following fields will be pre-populated for you based on information in your Microsoft 365 tenant:
Legal Name
Address (if available)
Country Code (not editable)
Primary contact first name, last name, and email
Click Confirm, then click Continue to the portal to see your eligibility status.
After completing all the steps in the application, you'll have to wait to get approved. It can take anywhere from 2 to 30 business days. Once the application has been processed, you'll receive an email notification with the result. If more information is required, the Microsoft team will ask for additional documentation.
After verification, you can add free licenses to your account from the catalog screen of the Micrsofot 365 admin portal. See our next article on configuring Microsoft 365 for nonprofits.
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