How nonprofits get tech discounts

How verification usually works

Most nonprofit tech programs need proof that your organization is a registered charity or nonprofit in its country. Many large companies use an outside verification service to do this. Others ask you to upload documents directly.

Some providers also check that your organization is active, for example by looking at your website or recent public filings. A clear, up-to-date website describing your mission helps here.

Before you apply anywhere, gather the basics: your legal organization name exactly as registered, your registration or tax-exempt number, your official address, a website, and an email address on your organization's domain. Having these ready saves a lot of back and forth.

Eligibility rules also exclude some types of organization. Government bodies, schools, hospitals, political groups and religious organizations are sometimes excluded or handled under separate programs. Check the eligibility page for each offer rather than assuming.

Use the same organization name and address everywhere. Small differences, like a missing 'Inc.' or an old address, are a common reason for verification delays.

Start with the big platforms

A few large programs cover the tools most nonprofits use every day. These are good first applications, because once you are verified with one provider, the process for others feels familiar.

• Google lists a no-charge nonprofit Workspace with discounted paid upgrades, and an ad grant of up to $10,000 per month in eligible search advertising.
• Microsoft lists product-dependent grants and discounts of 60–75%, plus an Azure credit of $2,000 per year.
• AWS lists up to $5,000 in promotional credit for nonprofits.
• Salesforce lists 10 donated CRM licenses through Nonprofit Cloud.
• Canva lists premium tools for eligible nonprofits, for up to 50 team members, and Adobe Express lists Premium free for up to 50 people at a nonprofit.

Team tools and AI assistants

Many collaboration tools offer nonprofit pricing too. PerkRadar lists offers from Slack, Asana, monday.com, Atlassian, Notion, Zoom and others, ranging from free plans to large percentage discounts.

AI assistants have joined the list. Anthropic lists Claude Team at $8 per user per month for nonprofits, and $3 in eligible lower-income countries. OpenAI lists ChatGPT Business at $8 per user per month on an annual plan for nonprofits. ElevenLabs lists 12 months of its Pro plan free for nonprofits.

Before you roll out an AI assistant across your team, agree on simple rules for what information can be shared with it. Donor details and beneficiary data deserve extra care, so check each provider's data terms.

For nonprofits that work in high-risk areas, Cloudflare's Project Galileo lists no-charge security for eligible at-risk organizations.

Donations, discounts and admin fees

Not every nonprofit offer is free. It helps to know the three common types:

• Donations: the software is given at no charge, sometimes with a small admin fee per license. Several security and productivity donations listed on PerkRadar mention admin fees, so check the total cost.
• Discounts: you pay a reduced price, often a percentage off the normal plan.
• Credits: a set amount of usage, common for cloud services, often renewed yearly if you remain eligible.

Donated software may come with limits on the number of licenses or how often you can request them. Plan requests around your real team size.

Using cloud credits and ad grants well

Cloud credits and advertising grants are among the most valuable nonprofit offers, but they need a plan to be useful. Credits that sit unused, or an ad account that is never set up, do not help anyone.

For cloud credits, start with a clear project, such as a website, a donor database or a data analysis task. Ask a volunteer or partner with technical experience to set up budgets and alerts, just as a business would. Credits often renew yearly while you remain eligible, but they usually do not carry over.

Advertising grants usually come with rules about how the account is run, such as campaign quality standards and regular activity. Read the program's requirements before you start, and check the account each month so it stays in good standing.

Write down who has admin access to each donated account. Staff and volunteers change, and losing access to an account can be harder to fix than getting it in the first place.

A step-by-step plan

1. Gather your registration documents and set up an email address on your own domain.
2. List the tools your team already uses or needs this year.
3. Apply to the largest platform you depend on first, often your email and office suite.
4. Work through your list, checking each provider's nonprofit page for eligibility and how to apply.
5. Record each approval, renewal date and any annual re-verification requirement.
6. Review your licenses once a year and release seats you no longer need.

Keep your eligibility up to date

Many programs re-check eligibility each year. If your registration lapses, your address changes or your organization merges, update your details promptly, or you may lose access at an awkward time.

It also helps to keep a simple record of every program you are enrolled in, including the account owner, the renewal or re-verification date, and the number of licenses you hold. That record makes annual reviews quick, and it is invaluable when staff change.

Finally, remember that approval is never guaranteed, even for well-known charities. If you are turned down, read the reason carefully, fix the issue and reapply where the program allows it. You can browse every nonprofit offer we track on the deals page.