Microsoft offers Microsoft 365 grants and discounts to eligible nonprofits. A Swiss legal form or the label “association” or “NGO” is not sufficient by itself, and offers, prices, and availability can change.
Fact-check date: 8 September 2026. The authoritative references are Microsoft's eligibility rules, current offer page, and the offer shown for Switzerland after validation in the Nonprofit Hub.
Who qualifies?
Microsoft requires recognised nonprofit or NGO legal status in the relevant country, an eligible community-benefit mission, and compliance with its additional terms. Microsoft expressly lists government bodies, formal educational institutions, professional, commerce and trade associations, and political organisations among ineligible examples. An association under Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code or a foundation is therefore not automatically eligible; purpose and activities matter, and Microsoft makes the decision.
Registration must be completed by an employee or strategic volunteer of the nonprofit, not its external IT provider. Microsoft's Nonprofit FAQ says its validation supplier checks Microsoft's criteria, public records, and any additional documents requested. Validation can take up to seven business days. Current Microsoft material does not support the previous claim that every Swiss application must go through TechSoup.ch.
Who may use the licences?
Microsoft distinguishes grants from discounts:
- Grant licences are for paid employees and unpaid executive staff, subject to country availability and quantity limits.
- Discounted licences may also be assigned to volunteers and temporary staff.
- Beneficiaries, donors, and ordinary members of a club or association do not qualify merely because of that role.
Microsoft also requires recurring attestation and cites at least 85% active use of granted licences. Unused grant seats should be removed.
Plans and pricing
On the review date, Microsoft's public US page described Microsoft 365 Business Basic as a grant for up to 300 eligible users and listed discounted US prices for Business Standard and Business Premium. Microsoft also warns that not every programme is available in every country. The former CHF figures and annual savings calculations were therefore not a verifiable Swiss quotation and have been removed. Check currency, tax, commitment, Teams variant, and availability in the Swiss tenant or with an authorised licensing partner.
Business Basic is publicly described as including web and mobile Office apps, business email, Teams, SharePoint, and 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user. Business Premium adds desktop apps, device management, identity controls, and advanced threat protection. Confirm the current composition on Microsoft's nonprofit plans page. Microsoft 365 Copilot, some Purview capabilities, premium Power Apps connectors, and other services can require separate licensing or usage charges.
Guests, canvas apps, and external portals
External board members can generally be invited as Teams guests. Guest access still requires tenant configuration, least-privilege permissions, identity controls, and periodic reviews; see Teams guest access.
A SharePoint member area can suit a defined group of authenticated guests. A canvas app is not automatically a public or large-scale B2C portal: it is shared with Entra guests, and each user needs rights matching the app and its data sources. Power Pages is Microsoft's product for external sites with anonymous or authenticated users, with a separate capacity and licensing model. See sharing canvas apps with guests and the Power Platform licensing FAQ.
Recommended process
- 1Check legal status, mission, and activities against Microsoft's rules.
- 2Have an authorised person inside the organisation register in the Nonprofit Hub.
- 3Document the actual Swiss offer and which users qualify.
- 4Design identity, guest access, privacy, and information architecture before rollout.
- 5Price Power Apps, Power Pages, Purview, Copilot, telephony, and other add-ons separately.
Conclusion
Microsoft 365 can be substantially less expensive for an eligible Swiss nonprofit. A reliable proposal must nevertheless distinguish the base licence, add-ons, implementation effort, and current country-specific availability.