Verification partner

TechSoup (United States) and the TechSoup Global Network

TechSoup is a US nonprofit that checks your charity status once, then gives you access to donated and discounted products from big tech companies (for example Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco and Bitdefender) for a small administration fee. In other countries the same service is run by a local partner in the TechSoup Global Network.

Official page ↗

What you get

A free TechSoup membership and one nonprofit 'qualification' check that unlocks the product catalogue
Donated or heavily discounted software, cloud subscriptions and some hardware, usually for a small administration fee per request rather than the retail price
Adobe Creative Cloud discounts (Adobe says Creative Cloud access is administered through TechSoup)
Windows 11 Professional licences (Microsoft lists grants of up to 50 licences through TechSoup) and other Microsoft products you request through TechSoup
Validation tokens that some corporate partners accept as proof of nonprofit status
Courses, webinars and advice on nonprofit technology

Who's eligible

TechSoup US (techsoup.org) serves organisations incorporated in the United States only. Everywhere else, you must use the TechSoup partner for your country (UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe have their own entries in this directory). Branches or offices outside the US may not take products donated to a US head office for full-time use.

Be recognised by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity (or covered by a group exemption letter that lists you)
Have your own EIN and legal name, and a named person (not a job title) to represent the organisation
Public libraries can also qualify using their FSCS ID even if they are not 501(c)(3)
Meet any extra rules set by each individual donor company (for example budget limits)

Usually not eligible

Other IRS tax-exempt types such as 501(c)(4) social welfare groups, 501(c)(6) trade associations and 501(c)(19) veterans organisations
Churches and other religious organisations (TechSoup treats these under separate rules; check its support article before applying)
Government bodies, schools and universities for most programs
Organisations outside the US (use your local partner)

How to apply

1Go to techsoup.org and sign up for a free membership with your own first and last name and a work email address.
2Click the link in the 'Email Confirmation Required' email (check your spam folder).
3Log in, go to Your Account and click Add Organization. Enter your EIN, address and annual budget.
4Wait for the qualification review. Most are done automatically within about two business days. If TechSoup needs a document it will email you.
5Reply to the email (or send to the qualifications address given in the email) with the document attached, ideally a determination letter dated within 12 months.
6Once qualified, browse the catalogue, add the products you want and pay the administration fee shown for each one.
7For Microsoft products you also need a separate validated Microsoft for Nonprofits account (see the Microsoft entry): since August 2025 Microsoft, not TechSoup, validates you.
8If a vendor asks for proof of nonprofit status, create a validation token in your TechSoup account and give it to the vendor.

Typical approval time: Typically about two business days for qualification (TechSoup's own wording: 'within two days' or 'two business days'); longer if documents are requested.

Have these ready

Your EIN and your organisation's legal name and address
Only if TechSoup cannot confirm you automatically: a 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter dated within the last 12 months, an IRS affirmation letter, or a group exemption letter
Not accepted: an EIN assignment letter or a state tax-exemption certificate on its own
If asked, proof that you are authorised to represent the organisation (for example a work email address on your organisation's domain)

Tips

Membership is free. You only pay an administration fee when you request a product. Fees vary by product and are published in the catalogue (independent guides report a range of roughly US$5 to US$125 per product; check the current fee on each product page).
Zoom left the TechSoup catalogue in May 2025 and now works with Goodstack; Microsoft stopped using TechSoup for validation in August 2025. Do not assume older blog posts are still right.
Your TechSoup account, your Microsoft 365 admin account and your Microsoft for Nonprofits account are three separate things. You need all three to request Microsoft cloud products from the catalogue.
Use a work email on your organisation's own domain. It helps TechSoup confirm you are authorised to act for the organisation.
Only the organisation that owns the account may use the products. Do not request licences for another organisation.