Can Non-Profits Get M365 Licensing Without a 501(c)(3)?

I’ve been through this for a public library, and let me tell you, it was a hassle. If you are a registered 501(c)(3), things are straightforward. But if you’re not, you have to deal with approvals from actual people at Microsoft, which involved a lot of back-and-forth. I had to provide them with public documents supporting our eligibility—it was quite the process!

In Austria, I managed to secure non-profit status for a choir. They outsourced the approval process to local partners, and the only important points were doing community work, not making a profit, and being registered as an association. It might be worth checking if similar rules apply where you are.

Once you apply and set up a tenant, Microsoft usually gets back to you eventually. You can only access up to 300 Business Basic licenses now, but the non-profit discount is pretty attractive at 75% off retail pricing if you want more advanced apps or features.

We’re a public library that attempted to get the non-profit status, but it wasn't easy. Microsoft removed some premium licenses, making it more challenging. If you want better options, you’ll have to pay for the upgrades. Still, it’s cheaper than the regular rates.

From what I've seen, many hospitals often don't qualify for this directly unless they separate their clinics as their own entities to get better pricing. In poorer areas, our focus has been on finding a reseller who can handle the application process to save us the headache.