Forum Discussion
Microsoft 365 Setup and Nonprofit Support – Volunteer Assisting UK Nonprofit Organisation
Dear Microsoft Support Team,
I am a volunteer supporting a UK-based nonprofit organisation with its IT and Microsoft 365 setup.
The organisation would like to establish a Microsoft 365 environment and, if eligible, take advantage of the Microsoft for Nonprofits grants or discounted licensing.
I would like to work with Microsoft Support to ensure that the organisation is registered correctly and that the Microsoft 365 tenant is established in the nonprofit organisation's own name and under its ownership.
I am providing technical assistance as a volunteer and am not the owner of the organisation.
Could you please advise us on the following:
- What are the eligibility requirements for this UK-based nonprofit organisation?
- What documentation does the organisation need to provide for nonprofit validation?
- Should the organisation create a new Microsoft 365 tenant, or does it need to register an existing tenant?
- What Microsoft 365 nonprofit grants or discounted plans are currently available to the organisation?
- Which licences can be provided through a nonprofit grant and which would require payment?
- Are there specific Microsoft 365 offers available for volunteers supporting the organisation?
- Can I, as a volunteer, assist with the Microsoft 365 technical configuration?
- What is the recommended way for the organisation to provide me with appropriate administrative access while retaining ownership and control of the tenant?
- Can Microsoft Support work with me as the technical volunteer while the authorised representative of the nonprofit remains the account owner?
- Are there any costs associated with Microsoft Support, tenant creation, nonprofit registration, or Microsoft 365 setup?
- What DNS/domain information will be required to configure the organization’s email?
- What security configuration does Microsoft recommend for the initial setup, particularly MFA and administrator accounts?
Organization information
Legal organization name: ADAM SMITH GLOBAL FOUNDATION
UK charity/nonprofit registration number: SC042981
Organization website: https://www.adamsmithglobalfoundation.com/
Organization domain: http://adamsmithglobal.org/
Number of users/staff: 3
Number of volunteers requiring access: 7
Existing Microsoft 365 tenant: NO
Existing Microsoft subscription: NONE
Authorized organization contact: Justyna Majewska
Organization contact email: mailto:email address removed for privacy reasons, mailto:email address removed for privacy reasons
My details
Name: Lagna Ray
Role: Volunteer / Technical Volunteer
Relationship to organisation: Volunteer providing IT support
Email: email address removed for privacy reasons
Telephone: +447459740743
We would like to ensure that the Microsoft 365 tenant, nonprofit benefits, domain and subscriptions remain under the ownership and control of the nonprofit organisation, while I assist with the technical implementation.
Please advise us on the correct registration and support process and let us know whether an authorised representative of the organisation needs to initiate or approve the request.
Kind regards,
LAGNA RAY
Volunteer / Technical Support
1 Reply
Your proposed setup is feasible, but eligibility and licensing should be confirmed before you build the tenant. Microsoft requires a recognized charitable status, a community-benefit mission, and validation through its nonprofit verification partner; it may request registration documents. Use the organization’s details and domain when registering because nonprofit grants and billing attach to one approved tenant and cannot simply be transferred later. After approval, review the offers shown in the nonprofit portal rather than assuming a particular grant or price. Paid employees and unpaid executive staff can qualify for granted licenses; ordinary volunteers generally use discounted licenses or guest access. The nonprofit should create and own the tenant, DNS records, billing, and a break-glass administrator account. It may assign you an admin account, but only the least-privileged roles needed, with multifactor authentication enabled. For validation or offer problems, the organization should open a Microsoft Nonprofit support request from its portal.
