Learn more about Microsoft's guidelines for eligibility, requesting software, and returning products.
Organization Types Eligible for Microsoft Products
You can use our
Eligibility Check to find out whether your organization might be eligible to receive donations from Microsoft.
Microsoft Discount and Cloud Offers
Discounted Microsoft products and cloud offers are available to nonprofits with a 501(c)(3) designation only. Some types of nonprofits are not eligible, such as libraries, educational institutions, political organizations, and healthcare networks. See the
Microsoft discount and cloud offer restrictions for a full list of ineligible organization types.
To receive discounted Microsoft software products, you must first register at Microsoft's nonprofit portal. Then you'll use the portal to send TechSoup a certificate that validates your organization's eligibility for discounts. Each certificate lasts one year.
If TechSoup has not received a certificate from your organization, you'll receive instructions for sending one after you check out with a discounted Microsoft software product in your cart. TechSoup will not approve your request until we've received your certificate.
Microsoft Software Donations
Microsoft software donations offered through TechSoup are available to nonprofits with a 501(c)(3) designation, charities, and to public libraries. Some types of nonprofits are not eligible, such as educational institutions, political organizations, healthcare networks, and nonpublic libraries. See the
Microsoft software donation restrictions for a full list of ineligible organization types.
Public libraries may request donated Microsoft products for public access computers only. The software can only be used on public access computers or computers used to manage the public access computers or the library's public access program.
Participating libraries must also make their collection and basic services available to the population of their legal service area without charges to individual users (excluding incidental fees such as printing charges). If they choose to do so, libraries may impose charges on users outside the legal service area, and they may provide products and services (beyond basic services) to the public at large, with or without individual charges.
Quantity and Frequency of Microsoft Requests
Microsoft Discount and Cloud Offers
Organizations can request an
unlimited number of discounted Microsoft products or cloud offers .
Requests that an organization places for discounted Microsoft products must include at least five licenses. The five licenses can be the same product or a combination of different products. This requirement is waived for the products listed below.
Products That Can Be Requested with No Minimum Quantity
The following server products can be requested without the usual requirement for at least five licenses per request.
- BizTalk Server Standard (Discounted)
- Dynamics 365 for Customer Service On-Premises Device CAL (Discounted)
- Dynamics 365 for Customer Service On-Premises User CAL (Discounted)
- Dynamics 365 for Sales On-Premises Device CAL (Discounted)
- Dynamics 365 for Sales On-Premises User CAL (Discounted)
- Dynamics 365 for Team Members On-Premises Device CAL (Discounted)
- Dynamics 365 for Team Members On-Premises User CAL (Discounted)
- SQL Server Standard Edition, Core-Based Licensing (Discounted)
- SQL Server Enterprise Edition, Core-Based Licensing (Discounted)
- System Center Datacenter (Discounted)
- System Center Standard (Discounted)
- Visual Studio Enterprise with MSDN (Discounted)
- Visual Studio Professional with MSDN (Discounted)
- Visual Studio Test Professional with MSDN (Discounted)
- Windows Remote Desktop Services – External Connector License (Discounted)
- Windows Server Datacenter (Discounted)
- Windows Server External Connector License (Discounted)
Low-Cost Products That Can Help Meet the Quantity Minimum
These discounted Microsoft products have administrative fees of $9 to $13. They can be included in requests for discounted products to help an organization meet the five-product minimum.
Microsoft Software Donations
Microsoft provides nonprofits, charities, and libraries with an allotment of product donations that can be requested per two-year cycle. Your organization's first donation request after July 27, 2011, marks the beginning of its recurring two-year cycle. Within a two-year cycle, each eligible nonprofit or public library may request
- Up to 50 of each donated desktop product or CAL (see below for details)
- Up to 25 donated Windows Server Standard
- Up to five donated server products that are not Windows Server Standard; the five products can be the same product or a combination of different products
There is no limit to the number of times an organization can make a Microsoft donation request within the two-year cycle as long as they have not used up their full allotment. After two years, a new cycle begins, and the allotment is reset.
About the 50-Product Maximum for Donated Desktop Products and CALs
This limit applies to
- Donated products that run on an individual computer (such as Office or Windows)
- Donated client access licenses (CALs)
The 50-product allotment usually allows an organization to install a particular type of product on up to 50 computers. However, organizations that run multiple Windows operating systems on a single computer generally can install only as many instances of the product as they have licenses. For more information, see the
Product Use Rights section of Licensing Details for Microsoft Products.
About the Two-Year Cycle for Donated Products
Your organization's Microsoft two-year donation cycle begins when your organization places its first request for Microsoft product donations. The donation cycle will run for two years from this initial start date, and then it will reset.
For example, if an organization's first cycle starts on October 12, 2017, its new cycle will begin at 12:00 a.m. Pacific time on October 12, 2019, at which point the organization has a new allotment.
Note that if your organization requested any Microsoft donations prior to July 27, 2011, its cycle was reset, and its new cycle began on the date of its first Microsoft donation request after July 27, 2011.
Refunds and Returns
If you want to return or exchange the Microsoft donated or discounted products you've received, you will need to return all Microsoft products in the request and place a new request for the Microsoft items you want.
Since all Microsoft products are download-only, returns will be accepted only if none of the software has been installed and if you received the product no more than 60 days previously.
If you want to return or exchange your Microsoft software product, please contact
TechSoup Customer Service.
The donation limits on your account will normally be reset within eight business days after a return is complete.
Note that products available through the Get Genuine Windows Agreement for Small and Medium Organizations have different policies than products available through the standard Microsoft Donation Program. Read more about
Get Genuine products.
