What software can our charity get free or cheap?
- TimeNot established by the research
- CostNot established by the research — no prices were gathered; the programmes offer free and discounted tiers
- Doing itYou can do this yourself
Free software for charities is widely available, but Microsoft's free tier covers paid staff and trustees only; volunteers get discounted prices instead. Microsoft states the line plainly, and most sector content leaves it out. Plan licences in two groups before you apply: staff and trustees, and volunteers. The programmes' terms are theirs, not law, and they change, so read each one's page on the day you apply.
Do this first
England and Wales: This page sets out the position in full. Scotland: the same — these are UK-wide programmes. Northern Ireland: the same — UK-wide programmes, with no difference in principle.
The line is drawn by employment status, not by product
Free software for charities is divided by who the person is, not by product. Paid staff and trustees can have free licences. Under Microsoft’s terms, volunteers get only discounts. This is the useful detail, and it is almost never stated.
The terms are the programmes’ own, not law. They are the same for a charity anywhere in the UK. The manager or treasurer who applies needs them before counting licences. Claim them only after you have chosen and set up your core digital tools: the discount should follow the choice, not lead it.
Microsoft for Nonprofits offers two different things. Its grants are free or heavily subsidised licences. Its discounts are reduced commercial prices. Who can have which depends on the person’s role in the charity, not on which product you want.
| Who | Grant (free or heavily subsidised) | Discount (reduced price) |
|---|---|---|
| Paid employees | Yes | Yes |
| Unpaid executive staff — board, president, officer, executive director | Yes | Yes |
| Volunteers, and temporary or contracted staff | No | Yes |
| Beneficiaries, donors and members | No | Not stated |
Microsoft’s own eligibility material said this when this guide read it on 7 August 2026. It says discounts are available to all staff “including volunteers”. It does not say whether beneficiaries, donors or members can have them, so the table does not either.
This affects the figures when you build your first annual budget. A charity with six staff and eighty volunteers should not plan on eighty-six free licences. It should plan on free licences for the staff and trustees. For any volunteer who needs an account, it should plan on a paid, discounted one.
The three free software programmes for charities
These are the programmes this guide read. Each sets its own terms, and none of them is law. Each was read on 7 August 2026. Check the programme’s own page when you apply.
- Google for Nonprofits. For a registered charitable organisation, with verification through a service called Goodstack. Google excludes government entities, hospitals and healthcare organisations, and schools and universities. But the charitable arm of a hospital, and the philanthropic arm of a school or university, are still eligible. Google’s UK-specific requirements did not display when this guide tried to read them. So they are not set out here.
- Microsoft for Nonprofits. Microsoft’s published test is a non-profit with status equivalent to a US 501(c)(3), or a public library or public museum. It excludes governmental organisations, schools, colleges and universities, and public utilities. It also excludes financial institutions including insurers, and professional and trade associations. Political, labour and fraternal organisations are excluded, and so are individuals. The grants-versus-discounts line in the first section is Microsoft’s.
- TechSoup UK. The donated-software catalogue many charities knew as the Charity Digital Exchange. Its eligibility criteria could not be read for this guide. So none are stated here. Apply and see.
The Charity Digital Exchange is now TechSoup UK
From 1 July 2025, TechSoup UK has managed the catalogue directly. Charity Digital used to run it.
Any page that still describes the Charity Digital Exchange as run by Charity Digital is out of date. That may include the page that sent you here. Look for TechSoup UK instead.
Apply in order, and record the result
- Start from your tool list. Only apply to programmes for tools already on your tool list.
- Split your people into paid staff and trustees on one side and volunteers on the other, before you count licences. Where a role’s status is unclear, decide whether this is a volunteer role or a job first.
- Verify the charity with each programme you need, using its own route — for Google, Goodstack.
- Record what you got: which programme, which account, which tier, and who manages it. Add it to your tool list. Then the licences have an owner when the person who applied moves on.
Next: We need somewhere to work. What should we sign? The hub moves from digital tools to premises.
Common mistake: assuming the free licences cover volunteers
“Free for charities” is read as free for everyone in the charity. But the line is drawn by employment status, not product.
Microsoft’s grants are for paid employees and unpaid executive staff — board, officers, executive director — only. Volunteers, beneficiaries, donors and members are excluded from grants. Volunteers can get discounts. A charity with six staff and eighty volunteers should budget for that.
Common mistake: looking for the Charity Digital Exchange
Sector content still describes the catalogue as run by Charity Digital. It moved to direct management by TechSoup UK from 1 July 2025. Content describing the old arrangement is out of date. TechSoup UK’s own eligibility criteria could not be read for this guide. So this page names and links the programme and states no eligibility detail.
Worked example
Saltmarsh Trust has paid staff and a large volunteer base. It applies to all three programmes.
For Google, the Trust is a registered charity and verifies through Goodstack. Google’s UK-specific sub-requirements did not display for this guide. So the Trust follows what Google’s own page asks on the day.
For Microsoft, the Trust splits its people before applying. Grant licences go to the paid staff and the unpaid executives — the trustees. The volunteers who need accounts get discounted licences, budgeted as a cost.
For TechSoup UK, the eligibility criteria could not be read in advance. So the Trust applies and sees what it is offered.
The outcome is verified accounts on the programmes the Trust qualifies for. The Trust also has a licence plan that separates staff from volunteers. It does not assume one free tier covers everyone.
What you should have at the end
Verified accounts on the programmes you qualify for.
Verification unlocks the pricing. The charity holds it, not the person who applied. Recording it on the tool list stops the charity losing it when that person leaves.
Common questions
No. Microsoft for Nonprofits limits its grants, the free or heavily subsidised licences, to paid employees and unpaid executive staff such as trustees. Volunteers, and temporary or contracted staff, can have its discounted prices instead. Budget for paid, discounted licences for any volunteer who needs an account.
From 1 July 2025 the catalogue previously run by Charity Digital moved to direct management by TechSoup UK. A page that still describes the Charity Digital Exchange as run by Charity Digital is out of date, so look for TechSoup UK instead.