A guide for nonprofits

Free and discounted software for Quebec nonprofits

Before paying full price for licences, a nonprofit should look at what Microsoft, Google and TechSoup Canada offer. The rules changed in 2025, and many guides online are out of date.

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A Quebec nonprofit can get free or discounted software through three programs: Microsoft for Nonprofits, which grants up to 300 Microsoft 365 Business Basic licences, Google for Nonprofits, and TechSoup Canada. Each one first checks the organization’s legal status and has the final say on the application.

The three programs

What software can a nonprofit get for free or at a discount?

Three programs come up for Quebec organizations. Microsoft grants Microsoft 365 Business Basic licences and discounts its other plans. Google has its own nonprofit program, validated by Goodstack. TechSoup Canada, a program of the TechSoup Global Network, gives access to donated or discounted software from several vendors for a low administrative fee. None of them is automatic: each one checks the organization’s status, and each one can accept or decline. An organization can register with more than one.

Program	What is offered	Who validates	Worth knowing
Microsoft for Nonprofits	Up to 300 donated Microsoft 365 Business Basic licences, and discounts of up to 75% on many Microsoft 365 offers, including Business Premium and Business Standard.	A validation partner designated by Microsoft, within up to 3 business days.	The Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant ended on July 1, 2025.
Google for Nonprofits	Google’s program for eligible organizations.	Goodstack, Google’s validation partner.	Government entities, hospitals and schools are excluded; their foundations may qualify.
TechSoup Canada	Donated and discounted software, such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud or Bitdefender, for a low administrative fee.	TechSoup, then each donor partner’s own criteria.	Since April 5, 2022, most donated Microsoft products through TechSoup are limited to organizations that operate computer labs.

Business Premium

Is the Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant still available?

No. Microsoft discontinued the Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant on July 1, 2025, along with the Office 365 E1 grant. Licences already granted expire on the next renewal date and do not renew. Microsoft recommends moving users to Business Basic or another nonprofit offer before cancellation, to avoid disruption or data loss.

List the accounts that have a Premium licence
Decide, account by account, between Business Basic and a discounted offer
Switch licences before the renewal date

Microsoft’s conditions. One validated tenant per organization. An attestation to complete regularly. And at least 85% active usage of granted licences: leaving licences of departed people unused can cost access to the offers.

What is still offered

Up to 300 donated Business Basic licences, and discounts of up to 75% on many offers, including Business Premium and Business Standard. For an organization that had Business Premium for free, the question becomes: who really needs the Premium tools, and who can move to Business Basic?

Eligibility

Which organizations qualify, program by program?

Each program has its own list. A Quebec nonprofit that qualifies for one does not necessarily qualify for another.

Microsoft

A nonprofit or non-governmental organization with recognized legal status in its country. Excluded, among others: government organizations, schools, colleges and universities, financial institutions, professional and trade associations, and political, labour and fraternal organizations.

Google

In Canada: a charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency, a tax-exempt nonprofit operating entity, or a federal or provincial nonprofit corporation. Verification goes through Goodstack.

TechSoup Canada

Charities registered with the CRA, certain qualified donees, public libraries and, in Quebec, nonprofits incorporated under Part III of the Companies Act. Other nonprofit legal persons may be considered case by case.

Applying

How does a nonprofit apply, step by step?

Gather proof of statusThe documents that establish the organization’s legal status and, if it applies, its charity registration number. The name must match those documents exactly.
Make sure there is only one tenantMicrosoft accepts one validated tenant per organization. Two accounts opened over the years means a duplicate application.
Register with the programMicrosoft’s Nonprofit Hub, Google for Nonprofits or TechSoup Canada, with an email address and phone number verified in the organization’s name.
Wait for validationUp to 3 business days at Microsoft, longer if a document is missing. The answer arrives by email.
Activate, assign, maintainActivate the offers, assign licences to the right people, then remove the ones nobody uses, on a fixed schedule.

Why an application stalls

According to Microsoft, delays mostly come from a few simple mistakes:

A legal identifier or tax document that does not match
An organization name or contact details that differ from one document to another
An unverified phone number or email address
Two applications sent from two tenants

Our role

How does OKTO help an organization put these benefits in place?

The application belongs to the organization, and the answer to the program. What we handle is everything around it: making sure there is only one Microsoft 365 tenant, preparing information that matches your documents, then, once the offers are granted, assigning licences, securing accounts with multifactor authentication and cleaning up access. For an organization losing its Business Premium grant, we plan the licence switch before the renewal date. We do it at the nonprofit rate, like the rest of our commitment to nonprofits. Our services are detailed on the IT for nonprofits page, and our nonprofit websites show the online donation side.

Facts checked on October 20, 2026 at the official sources: Microsoft for Nonprofits updates, Microsoft eligibility, Google eligibility and TechSoup Canada eligibility. Programs change: if anything differs, the program’s page prevails.

Questions and answers

Nonprofit questions about software donations

Is free Microsoft 365 Business Premium still available to nonprofits?

No. According to Microsoft, the Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant ended on July 1, 2025: existing licences expire on the next renewal date and do not renew. Business Premium is still available to nonprofits at a discount.

How many free Microsoft 365 licences can a nonprofit get?

Microsoft grants up to 300 Microsoft 365 Business Basic licences to eligible organizations. Other offers, such as Business Standard and Business Premium, are discounted.

Is a nonprofit that is not a registered charity eligible?

It depends on the program. TechSoup Canada accepts Quebec nonprofits incorporated under Part III of the Companies Act, and reviews other nonprofit legal persons case by case. In Canada, Google accepts provincial nonprofits among others. Microsoft requires a recognized legal status, and its validation decides.

What happens if we don’t use all the donated licences?

Microsoft may reduce or remove an organization’s access to its offers if it does not keep at least 85% active usage of granted licences. Licences of people who have left should be removed.

How long does Microsoft validation take?

Up to 3 business days, according to Microsoft, and longer if the validation partner needs more documents. Delays often come from a name or number that does not match the official documents.

Let’s look at your licences together

Tell us what your organization uses today. We tell you what could be donated or discounted, and how to switch without losing anything.