Quick take: A lot of "free software for nonprofits" lists floating around are stale — Microsoft actually ended its long-running free Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant back in July 2025, and several other "free" articles never got updated to reflect that. Here's what's genuinely active right now, verified against each vendor's current program terms.
Who This Is For
This is for a registered nonprofit (typically 501(c)(3) or equivalent) trying to cut software costs without losing capability. Every fee saved here is money that stays in the mission instead of going to a SaaS subscription.
What's Actually Still Free or Discounted
- Canva for Nonprofits — free Canva Pro for verified 501(c)(3)s, including brand kits, background remover, and premium templates. Arguably the single biggest free design upgrade most small nonprofits can claim.
- Salesforce Power of Us — 10 free Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (CRM) licenses per organization, with discounted rates on additional seats past that.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic — still free for up to 300 users through Microsoft's nonprofit program, even after the Business Premium/Office 365 E1 grant ended in July 2025. Paid tiers (Business Premium) are discounted, not free.
- Google for Nonprofits — includes free access to Google Analytics 360-level features and integration with Google Ad Grants (worth up to $10,000/month in free search ads for eligible organizations).
- Zoom — free tier caps meetings at 40 minutes for up to 100 participants; discounted (not free) nonprofit pricing available on paid tiers.
What Changed Recently (Don't Rely on Old Articles)
Microsoft's free Business Premium and Office 365 E1 grants for nonprofits ended for new renewals on or after July 1, 2025 — around 400,000 nonprofits that relied on the old program had to either move to the still-free Business Basic tier (capped at 300 users) or pay a discounted rate for Premium. If you're reading a "free Microsoft 365 for nonprofits" article that doesn't mention this change, it's outdated. Slack's free tier remains available but message history and integration counts are limited; its 85% nonprofit discount applies only to paid plans, not a free upgrade.
How to Actually Apply
- Register with TechSoup first if you're not already — many of these programs (including Microsoft's) verify nonprofit status through TechSoup rather than handling verification themselves
- Apply for Google for Nonprofits and Microsoft's nonprofit portal directly using your verified status
- Canva for Nonprofits has its own direct application on Canva's site — no TechSoup step required
- Salesforce's Power of Us program is applied for directly through Salesforce.org
Final Verdict
Start with Canva and Microsoft 365 Business Basic — both are genuinely free with minimal verification friction, and together cover design and core office productivity at zero cost. Salesforce's 10 free CRM licenses are worth claiming even if you end up using a different day-to-day CRM, since it costs nothing to hold the seats in reserve. Always re-verify "free" claims against the vendor's own nonprofit program page before budgeting around them — this space changes without much warning, as the 2025 Microsoft shift showed.
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