Microsoft Nonprofit Licensing for Irish Charities

Microsoft's nonprofit programme combines:

• Granted licences, which are free but limited in scope and user eligibility.
• Discounted paid licences, which provide access to a broader range of plans and may be assigned to a wider group of nonprofit workers.

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic remains available as a grant for up to 300 eligible users.
• Business Premium and Office 365 E1 are no longer available as free grants following the July 2025 change.
• Business Premium, Business Standard, Office 365 E1 and other eligible offers may remain available at nonprofit pricing.
• Microsoft describes discounts of up to 75% on many nonprofit offers, but this is a ceiling rather than a guaranteed discount on every product.
• Actual availability, products, pricing and eligibility must be checked at quote stage.

An organisation should generally be ready to demonstrate:

• Recognised legal charitable or qualifying non-profit status.
• A mission that benefits the wider community.
• Entry in the Irish Register of Charities, where applicable.
• Compliance with Microsoft's current eligibility and non-discrimination requirements.
• That the organisation is not applying under an excluded category.

Registration with the Charities Regulator may support an Irish organisation's application, but Microsoft independently validates eligibility and makes the final decision.

Schools, colleges and other education institutions normally use Microsoft's education programme rather than the nonprofit programme. See Microsoft 365 Education licensing for Irish schools.

Microsoft excludes certain organisation types and activities under its current eligibility rules. The organisation should check Microsoft's current criteria before relying on an offer.

• The organisation applies through Microsoft's nonprofit registration experience.
• Microsoft validates eligibility.
• Approved organisations can then review available grants and discounted offers through the relevant Microsoft portal or admin experience.
• Approval for the programme does not mean every Microsoft product is free.
• The offers visible to the organisation depend on current eligibility, country availability and Microsoft's programme terms.

See the current Microsoft Learn — nonprofit registration and validation guidance.

• The requirement applies to granted Microsoft cloud licences.
• It does not apply simply because a licence is purchased at discounted nonprofit pricing.
• At least 85% of assigned granted licences must meet Microsoft's active-use requirement.
• Microsoft assesses qualifying cloud-service activity over the relevant 90-day period.
• Assigning a grant to a user who never signs in can reduce the organisation's usage percentage.
• Microsoft may send utilisation warnings or other notifications.
• Persistent underuse can place continued grant access at risk.

Many charities may use a mix of:

• Business Basic granted licences for eligible users with core requirements.
• Discounted Business Standard or Business Premium licences for users who need desktop applications, management or security features.
• Discounted licences for volunteers who are not eligible for grants.

• The mix should follow Microsoft's assignment and eligibility rules.
• Exact offer combinations must be checked in the organisation's tenant.
• Different users can have different requirements.
• The cheapest-looking option is not necessarily appropriate for every user.

Begin before the current subscription ends. Review:

• The renewal date.
• Current Business Basic, Business Premium or Office 365 E1 subscriptions.
• Whether any former grant is due to stop renewing.
• Assigned users.
• Granted-licence usage.
• Users requiring desktop applications.
• Security and device-management needs.
• Volunteer access.
• Licences no longer required.

For an affected Business Premium or Office 365 E1 grant, the charity may need to select replacement offers and reassign users before the old grant ends.