Annual Azure Grant

Annual Azure Grant is sponsored by Microsoft. This grant provides eligible nonprofit organizations with annual Azure credits to support cloud services such as hosting websites, running virtual machines, managing databases, and deploying AI-powered solutions.

Activate Your Azure Grant - Microsoft for Nonprofits | Microsoft Learn Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories . Access to this page requires authorization.

You can try changing directories . Activate your Azure grant Summarize this article for me Once your organization is approved for Microsoft’s nonprofit programs, you can access the $2,000 USD annual Azure Sponsorship grant whic is a designed to help nonprofits migrate to the cloud, unify data, and build AI-powered solutions to accelerate mission impact.

This article walks you through how to activate your Azure grant and manage it effectively. Proper setup can help you avoid common issues like expiration or conversion to pay-as-you-go billing. To activate your Azure grant, ensure that: You completed the nonprofit eligibility validation.

You're the primary contact listed on the Azure grant. The primary contact is typically the email address that's tied to the validation account. You can identify it in the email titled An Azure grant for organization name has been added to your account .

You may access a Guided Demo for additional support View the Azure Sponsorship Demo Activate your Azure Sponsorship grant Go to the Offers tab and locate the Azure $2,000 Sponsorship offer. Select the Activate button next to the Azure grant. Complete the guided setup.

Follow the instructions to: Accept the Azure Sponsorship terms. Choose whether to activate the credit on an existing billing profile or create a new one. Set up your Azure subscription environment.

You must activate your Azure credit within 90 days of offer issuance. If you don't activate the credit, it might expire and become inaccessible. Important notes about activation Only the primary contact listed on the offer can activate the credit.

After activation, the credit is shared across all subscriptions under the chosen billing profile. Azure Sponsorship credit applies only to first-party Microsoft Azure services. It can't be used for: Third-party marketplace offers.

Check your credit balance You can check your balance and view usage from the Microsoft Azure portal: On the left pane, go to Billing > Payment Methods . On the Azure Credits tab, view the current balance and usage details. If the balance doesn't appear: Ensure that you selected the correct billing account or billing profile.

If necessary, follow the steps in Billing accounts and scopes in the Azure portal to confirm that the right scope is active. View all available grants and discounts To access all offers available to you: The Offers page in the Nonprofit Hub is your central dashboard for accessing and viewing available grants and discounts. It shows: A list of your organization's current nonprofit offers.

The status of your Microsoft 365 and Azure benefits. Activation prompts for unclaimed benefits. Expiration dates for time-limited offers.

Notifications related to account usage or potential deactivation. Choose any available benefit to review details or activate on the link to Microsoft Admin Center . What can I expect after activation?

Your Azure credit is active for one year and must be renewed annually. You might receive renewal emails and usage alerts, such as: M365 Utilization Grant Requirements M365 Nonprofit Subscription Expiring M365 Nonprofit Licenses will be Disabled These notifications help ensure that you remain compliant with usage thresholds and avoid grant deactivation or pay-as-you-go conversion. What are the post-activation best practices?

To help protect your grant and environment: Enable Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication to help protect admin access. Use Azure Monitor or Microsoft Cost Management to set usage alerts. Enable Azure Service Health alerts to stay informed about system events.

Use Azure Information Protection to monitor and mitigate high-risk users. Review Azure subscription policies to avoid unauthorized subscription movement. Set up billing contacts and export usage data for internal tracking.

What are the terms of the grant? Your credit does not roll over from year to year. A valid credit card might be required during setup, but you won't be charged if you stay within the $2,000 grant limit.

When you get close to your limit or end date, you receive a notification email before your account converts to pay-as-you-go pricing. To renew your grant, respond to the renewal email before your expiration date. Microsoft reserves the right to suspend or terminate Azure usage that violates nonprofit terms.

Can I increase or extend my grant? Currently, Microsoft does not increase or extend nonprofit grants (such as the Azure $2,000 allocation) beyond the standard annual amount. The grant is intended to provide foundational cloud access.

If your organization exceeds the grant amount, standard Azure pay-as-you-go pricing will apply for additional consumption. There is no formal application process to increase Azure grant limits. However, Microsoft encourages nonprofits to optimize usage with the free tools and guidance provided in the Azure Sponsorships portal .

Can I roll over my grant or sponsorship? Unused Azure grant credits or Microsoft 365 licenses do not roll over into the following year. To retain eligibility for renewal, organizations must remain active and compliant with Microsoft's nonprofit program requirements.

Not meeting M365 utilization grant requirements might result in notifications or ineligibility for renewal. To avoid loss of benefits: Use your grant credits throughout the year. Regularly review usage patterns and optimize costs.

Keep your nonprofit profile and contact information current in the Nonprofit Hub. Can I transfer ownership to a different billing profile? If you activated your Azure grant under the wrong billing profile or you need to change ownership within the same tenant, see Create a product transfer request .

Transferring ownership ensures that the credit continues to apply properly and prevents conversion to pay-as-you-go billing. If you encounter errors or are unsure which benefits apply to you, submit a support request through our Contact Us form . Need help with this topic?

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