Forum Discussion
Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant is being discontinued
Thank you for your feedback. We encourage you to listen to the Office Hours session that was just released if you were unable to attend. Also, please reach out via the Partner Desk with questions and support options.
This is a real pity. I'm at a very small charity and we had just this year started using 3 users for writing our administration documents and sharing on Sharepoint and for meetings on Teams. We had been about to switch over our domain to Office 365 to use email but I'm glad we didn't as it does not look like a good idea to rely on these grants from Microsoft. We're not a big enough charity to justify spending on these while there are free alternatives available (though less convenient for sure!) so in our case this decision isn't going to earn Microsoft anything, so I'm kind of surprised they thought it worthwhile doing.
Remember that you can still gain access to the Office basic for no cost, but these are limited to working on the documents within a browser rather than the desktop applications. Still a very viable option for a startup NFP.
- Leslie_Robbins
Microsoft
Thank you for your feedback. We encourage you to listen to the Office Hours session that was just released if you were unable to attend. Also, please reach out via the Partner Desk with questions and support options.
It sounds like a real faff to get access to this, has anything actually changed or does the session just repeat what has already been posted here? Given that no-one seems to have posted any updates from it I'm guessing it's the latter so it doesn't sound like it's worth the complication involved in getting access. Is there some other reason we should be registered as partners?
- Leslie_Robbins
Thanks for raising this, it’s a great question and a valid concern.
You're absolutely right that some of the recent Office Hours and communications around the Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant retirement were targeted toward nonprofit partners. Please note that:
- The Office Hours sessions/gated content are designed to support Microsoft nonprofit partners who are helping nonprofit customers navigate licensing transitions. These sessions often reiterate and expand on the same guidance shared in the partner-only documents.
- If you’re already aware of the grant retirement timelines (e.g., Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Office 365 E1 grants ending at renewal after July 1, 2025), and you’ve seen the nonprofit pricing page, then you’re likely already up to speed on the key changes.
- Registering as a Microsoft partner is not required, but it does unlock access to additional resources, support, and communications, especially useful if your organization regularly manages Microsoft licensing or IT services internally.
- Find a Microsoft Nonprofit Partner (optional): If you’d like help with licensing, deployment, or training, this is a good place to start, but again, it’s not required.
Hope this helps clarify things!
I registered as a partner in order to watch the office hours, yet it is still not letting me. PLEASE just summarize the information!
I did go to the Office Hours chat and recall that the rep was very nice but had no other information. He did explain that because of the glitch in the discontinued version rollout, that those folks that did get an automatic renewal between July one and the 22nd (I think), got a year renewal. He also confirmed that the funds we had spent on getting Office Standard would probably be refunded, which they were. That was about it as I remember.
I spent 30 minutes trying to get access to that podcast, had to register as a partner organization (I'm not) then go through employment verification, providing proof of employment (I'm the CEO and owner of the Microsoft 365 subscription)... And I still don't have access to "Office Hours".
Please just summarize it.
Check out Business Basic. It’s still free but you don’t get to download Office apps, just use online. But the Outlook email etc is still free online.
