Microsoft Cloud eligibility criteria and guidelines

  • Quantity:
    • Organisations can request an unlimited number of discounted products and cloud offers from Microsoft.
    • Requests that an organisation places for discounted products must include at least five licenses. The five licenses can be for the same product or a combination of different products. This requirement is waived for some products.
  • Budget: Organisations with annual operating budgets of any size are eligible for products in this programme.
  • Nonprofits and libraries only:
    • Products are available to nonprofits and to libraries.
    • Microsoft requires organisations that request discounted products to register at its nonprofit portal and send an eligibility validation certificate for Microsoft software discounts to Connecting Up.
    • Microsoft reserves the right to grant or deny an organisation's request at any time, for any reason.
  • Eligible organisation types: Only nonprofit organisations whose missions benefit the local community are eligible for discounted products and cloud offers from Microsoft. This could include organisations with the following missions:
    • Providing relief to the poor
    • Advancing education
    • Improving social welfare
    • Preserving culture
    • Preserving or restoring the environment
    • Promoting human rights
    • Establishment of civil society
  • Ineligible organisation types: Not all nonprofits organisation are eligible for discounted products and cloud offers from Microsoft. Ineligible organisations include the following:
    • Governmental organisations or agencies.
    • Educational institutions, including K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and trade schools.
    • Libraries.
    • Healthcare organisations, including hospitals, healthcare networks, health plans, ambulatory healthcare services, home healthcare and assisted living healthcare organisations, health research organisations, and laboratories. Exceptions include independent nonprofit organisations with the following missions: community, behavioral and women's health clinics; hospices; emergency services; and blood, tissue and organ banks.
    • Professional, commerce, and trade associations.
    • Professional and semiprofessional sports organisations.
    • Political, labor, and fraternal organisations.
    • Refurbishers that will be installing the software on refurbished computers to be distributed or donated to nonprofits or schools. Please visit the Registered Refurbisher Programme.
    • Nonpublic, including private libraries, school libraries, specialty libraries, armed forces libraries, and libraries in government agencies.
  • Terms of service: Organisations that request Microsoft products must agree to any applicable terms of service.
  • Amendments: Microsoft reserves the right to supplement or amend these eligibility guidelines at any time without notice.
  • Anti-discrimination policy: Microsoft values and respects individual and cultural differences and is committed to providing an inclusive environment that is welcoming and free from discrimination. Therefore, organisations are not eligible to participate in this programme if they have a policy or mission of discrimination in hiring, compensation, promotion, termination, retirement, training, programmes, 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. The only exception to this policy is for religious organisations that are exempt from laws that prohibit such discrimination.
  • FAQ: For more information about Microsoft's resources for nonprofits and programme eligibility, see its Nonprofit FAQ.
  • Product distribution:
    • Products will be distributed under this programme to qualifying organisations and libraries only, not to individuals.
    • Products are intended only for use by paid nonprofit employees and unpaid full-time equivalent (FTE) staff who have material day-to-day managerial, operational, and fiduciary responsibilities, and who will not use the license for personal income generation. Volunteers, members, and beneficiaries of the nonprofit are not eligible for nonprofit licenses and subscriptions
    • Recipient organisations may not transfer or resell Microsoft products to other organisations, including partner nonprofits or legally independent sister organisations.
    • Microsoft products may not be installed on computers that will be given to or sold to other organisations or individuals, even as part of a charitable programme.