How Nonprofits Can Get Microsoft 365 Grants and Discounts in 2026

Eligible nonprofit organizations can still use Microsoft’s nonprofit program to access donated and discounted Microsoft 365 licenses—but the process, terminology, security expectations, and partner access model have changed since the original 2020 guide.

What changed since the original guide

Microsoft nonprofit licensing remains a strong option for charities, associations, foundations, and other eligible mission-driven organizations. However, nonprofit validation, Microsoft 365 plan names, admin portals, security defaults, and partner authorization have all evolved. Microsoft Entra ID has replaced the Azure AD name, Windows 10 should no longer be used as the standard target operating system, and Microsoft partners should now use Granular Delegated Admin Privileges (GDAP) instead of legacy Delegated Admin Privileges (DAP). Microsoft also updates nonprofit grant limits, pricing, country availability, and eligibility rules, so always confirm the current terms on Microsoft’s nonprofit website before ordering.

Which Microsoft 365 nonprofit plan should you choose?

For many nonprofits, the best starting point is Microsoft’s nonprofit offers page, where eligible organizations can compare donated and discounted plans. Microsoft commonly offers a donated Microsoft 365 Business Basic option for eligible nonprofits, plus discounted options for plans with desktop apps, advanced security, and device management. Microsoft 365 Business Premium is often the best fit for small and midsized nonprofits that need Microsoft 365 Apps, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Defender for Business, Microsoft Intune, and Entra ID security capabilities in one package. Larger nonprofits or organizations with advanced compliance needs may need Microsoft 365 E3, E5, or other enterprise nonprofit plans. The right choice depends on your user count, whether staff need desktop Office apps, whether devices are organization-managed, and how much cybersecurity protection you require.

Step 1: Register for Microsoft nonprofit eligibility

Start at Microsoft’s official nonprofit portal: https://www.microsoft.com/nonprofits. From there, register your organization and begin the eligibility validation process. You may need to provide your legal organization name, address, website, tax or charity registration information, and documentation that proves nonprofit status. Microsoft’s validation requirements vary by country and organization type. The person who creates the Microsoft 365 tenant during registration may become a Global Administrator, so use a role-based administrative account where possible and plan to add at least one additional emergency admin after setup.

Step 2: Understand your Microsoft 365 tenant and Microsoft Entra ID

During onboarding, Microsoft creates or uses a Microsoft 365 tenant for your organization. The tenant is your dedicated Microsoft cloud environment and includes Microsoft Entra ID, which stores users, groups, roles, authentication settings, and application access. A newly created tenant is not automatically eligible for nonprofit pricing until Microsoft completes validation and tags the tenant as nonprofit-eligible. After approval, eligible nonprofit grants and discounts should become available through the Microsoft 365 admin center or through an authorized Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider, depending on the offer and region.

Step 3: Wait for validation and review available offers

Microsoft’s validation timeline can vary. Some organizations are approved quickly, while others require additional documentation or review. After approval, sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center with an administrator account and review available nonprofit subscriptions under Billing and Purchase services. Do not assume that every Microsoft commercial plan has a nonprofit grant equivalent. Microsoft may also apply limits to donated seats and offer discounted pricing for additional users. Paid nonprofit subscriptions may be subject to the current Microsoft commerce model, including subscription terms, cancellation windows, renewal settings, and seat-change rules.

Step 4: Decide whether to buy direct or work with a Microsoft partner

Some nonprofits can acquire eligible licenses directly in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Others prefer to work with a Microsoft partner for license planning, migration, security configuration, device management, and ongoing support. If IT Partner assists your organization, we will confirm the current licensing route, help map users to the correct plans, and avoid over-licensing. For paid licenses, Microsoft’s New Commerce Experience may affect billing terms, renewals, and seat adjustments, so it is important to review the subscription term before placing an order.

Step 5: Use GDAP—not legacy DAP—for partner access

The old DAP-based partner invitation process should no longer be used as a default. In 2026, partner access should follow the principle of least privilege using Granular Delegated Admin Privileges. With GDAP, your organization approves specific administrative roles for a defined duration instead of granting broad, long-term Global Admin access. IT Partner can provide a current GDAP relationship request when support is needed. Your nonprofit should periodically review partner relationships, remove unused access, and require multifactor authentication for all administrative accounts.

Step 6: Assign licenses and add your domain

After the licenses are available, go to the Microsoft 365 admin center to add users, assign licenses, and configure your organization’s verified domain. Adding your domain requires DNS changes such as TXT verification records and, for email, MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. If you are moving from another email system, plan the migration before changing mail flow. A clean setup typically includes user identity planning, mailbox migration, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint structure, OneDrive configuration, and license assignment policies.

Step 7: Configure security before broad rollout

For 2026, MFA alone is not enough. At minimum, nonprofits should enable security defaults or configure Conditional Access where licensed, protect all admin accounts with strong authentication, review Microsoft Secure Score, configure anti-phishing and anti-spam policies in Exchange Online Protection, enable audit logging, and deploy Microsoft Defender for Business where included. Microsoft 365 Business Premium customers should also configure Intune device compliance, app protection policies, BitLocker, Windows security baselines, endpoint detection and response, and safe onboarding for Windows 11 devices. Security should be part of the initial rollout, not a later project.

Step 8: Migrate email, files, and collaboration carefully

Most nonprofits need more than license activation. Common migration tasks include moving historical mailboxes to Exchange Online, migrating files to SharePoint and OneDrive, setting Teams governance rules, and training users on secure sharing. Before migration, decide how you will structure departments, external sharing, retention, naming conventions, and ownership of Teams and SharePoint sites. Also review backup, retention, eDiscovery, and compliance requirements. Microsoft provides native retention and recovery features, but they are not a substitute for every backup or legal retention scenario.

Step 9: Train users and modernize devices

User adoption is critical. Staff and volunteers should learn how to use Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft 365 Apps, and secure sharing practices. Replace old Windows 10 rollout guidance with Windows 11 planning, because Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025 except for Extended Security Updates scenarios. If your nonprofit uses Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Intune can help standardize Windows 11 device configuration, enforce compliance, deploy apps, and protect organizational data on mobile devices.

Step 10: Review Azure and additional nonprofit resources

Microsoft also offers nonprofit resources beyond Microsoft 365, including Azure credits or sponsorships for eligible organizations, Dynamics 365 nonprofit solutions, Power Platform options, and training resources. The exact Azure grant amount, renewal model, and eligibility requirements can change, so verify current details on Microsoft’s nonprofit Azure page before planning workloads. Azure is useful for hosting applications, identity integrations, data projects, and infrastructure modernization, but it should be governed carefully to avoid unexpected costs.

Key takeaways

• Eligible nonprofits can still access Microsoft 365 donated and discounted offers, but grant limits, prices, and availability must be verified with Microsoft at the time of ordering.
• Use current terminology: Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365 admin center, Windows 11, Defender for Business, Intune, and GDAP.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium is often the best nonprofit security bundle for small and midsized organizations because it combines productivity, identity protection, endpoint security, and device management.
• Do not use legacy DAP partner access. Approve time-bound, least-privilege GDAP roles instead.
• A successful nonprofit rollout includes licensing, domain setup, migration, security baselines, device management, and user training—not just activating free licenses.

If your nonprofit needs help validating Microsoft 365 offers, choosing the right nonprofit licenses, migrating email and files, or securing Microsoft 365 Business Premium, IT Partner can help with nonprofit licensing guidance, Microsoft 365 migration, security baseline configuration, Defender for Business, Intune, and ongoing managed Microsoft 365 support.