Specialist IT support for charities, CICs and community groups

Your Microsoft charity licences changed. Most charities found out at renewal.

In July 2025, Microsoft retired the free Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Office 365 E1 grants that thousands of UK charities relied on. Because the change bites at each charity's renewal date, organisations are still hitting it now — often as a surprise, and often losing security features they didn't know they had.

If your charity uses Microsoft 365, I'll review your setup free of charge — what you're on, what it now costs, what you can get free or discounted, and whether the change has quietly left you exposed.

Book a free licensing review

What changed, in plain English

The free Business Premium (10 users) and Office 365 E1 grants are gone.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic remains free for up to 300 users — but it's web-only Office and, crucially, none of the security tools (Intune, Defender, Conditional Access) that Business Premium included.
Discounted plans (roughly 75% off) are still available — but now typically require annual upfront payment; monthly billing costs more.
Microsoft's on-premises donation programme ended too — old donated copies of Office and Windows Server won't be refreshed.

The trap: charities dropping everyone to free Business Basic to save money often lose their security layer without anyone deciding to. Trustees have a duty of care over data — that gap matters.

How I help charities

Licensing that fits your actual needs — the right mix of free Business Basic, discounted Premium, Google Workspace for Nonprofits, and donated software via the Charity Digital Exchange (savings of 90%+ on many products). Most charities are eligible; registration is free and I'll handle it with you.
Security appropriate to a charity — MFA, backup, and access control that protects beneficiary and donor data without enterprise complexity or cost.
Cyber Essentials — increasingly required on grant applications. I prepare you, fix the gaps, and guide you through certification.
Ongoing support trustees can budget for — a fixed monthly cost, charity-rated, with plain-English reporting your board can actually read.
Volunteer-proof setups — systems that survive high turnover: easy onboarding, easy offboarding, nothing living in one person's personal account.

Eligibility note: most programmes require registration with the Charity Commission (England & Wales), OSCR, or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. CICs qualify for some schemes but not all — I'll tell you honestly which.

Questions charities ask me

What replaces the free Microsoft charity licence?

Three realistic routes: free Microsoft 365 Business Basic (up to 300 users, web-only Office, none of the advanced security tools), discounted plans at roughly 75% off (now usually billed annually upfront), or Google Workspace for Nonprofits. Most charities end up with a mix, topped up with donated software via the Charity Digital Exchange. The right blend depends on what your team actually uses — which is what the free review works out.

Does my charity need Cyber Essentials for grant applications?

Increasingly, yes — many funders, tenders and insurers now ask for it. It isn't universal yet, but if grants are part of your funding, having it removes a blocker before it appears. I prepare charities for it, fix the gaps and guide you through certification.

We already renewed and paid the new price — is a review still worth it?

Yes. A review often finds licences you're paying for but not using, a cheaper mix you can move to at the next renewal, and — most importantly — security features you may have silently lost when the plans changed. You don't need to wait for renewal to close that gap.

Why charities work with me

I'm one person with low overheads, which means charity budgets stretch further — and I explain everything in plain English, which matters when decisions go through a board of trustees who don't live in the tech world.

Your Microsoft charity licences changed. Most charities found out at renewal.

What changed, in plain English

How I help charities

Questions charities ask me

Why charities work with me

Find out where you stand — free