Goodstack-Validated Nonprofit Rejected After Forced Resubmission — No Escalation Path
I am posting this because Microsoft Elevate frontline support told me there are no further escalation paths available, and I believe this may affect other nonprofits. Timeline of facts: - June 19, 2026: Goodstack, Microsoft's authorized validation partner, confirmed our nonprofit (Opera Verace Foundation, EIN 33-2305878, California 501(c)(3)) was approved for Microsoft nonprofit grants and discounts. - June 23, 2026: Microsoft Elevate support informed me the original application was in an unrecoverable system error state due to an unrecoverable error in their system, and they instructed me to resubmit under a different email address. I only had one email directed to my business email and asked if I could use a Yahoo email. - June 30, 2026: The same Elevate representative confirmed in email to me that using a Yahoo email address as a temporary workaround was fully supported and "the correct and supported path forward." - July 2026: A different Microsoft Validation Team (not the one I had worked with originally) rejected the resubmission (likely due to use of a yahoo.com email as my business email address) and demanded documents not listed in the published eligibility requirements, including a bank statement. They stated the original Goodstack approval cannot be reinstated. - When I pointed out that Goodstack's validation was never rescinded, that my organization's nonprofit status can be confirmed on propublica online, and that the resubmission existed solely due to Microsoft's own system error and instructions, I was told this was a determination of another team and no further escalation paths exist. The core issue: Goodstack validated our organization on Microsoft's behalf. Microsoft's own system error forced resubmission. Microsoft's own representative authorized the (incorrect) workaround in writing. The Validation Team is now treating the workaround submission as a brand new independent submission requiring extraordinary measures for re-validation, ignoring the Goodstack validation, ignoring the request to check propublica, and ignoring the fact that thier reuest for additional documents is nowhere to be found in Microsoft's own document requirements in Microsoft's published nonprofit eligibility policies. Ticket number: 2606210040000788 Is anyone at Microsoft able to escalate this to someone with authority over the Validation Team? Has anyone else encountered this after being directed to use a personal email for resubmission?
Discontinuation of M365 Business Premium Grant Deeply Disappointing,Harmful to Small Nonprofits
As a Microsoft CSP partner supporting multiple nonprofit organizations, I am extremely disappointed by the decision to discontinue the Microsoft 365 Business Premium grant. This change disproportionately affects small nonprofits that rely on these tools to fulfill their missions with limited resources. The justification that this is about “alignment” or “sustainability” is disingenuous. Let’s be honest—this is a revenue-driven decision that undermines Microsoft’s long-standing commitment to empowering nonprofits. Removing access to essential tools like Office desktop apps and Intune from the grant program forces small organizations into paid plans they cannot afford, jeopardizing their operations and security. Microsoft has built goodwill in the nonprofit sector over the years. This move erodes that trust. I urge you to reconsider this decision or at least provide a longer transition period and more flexible options for small nonprofits. Please do better. The nonprofit sector deserves more than a corporate cost-cutting maneuver disguised as a strategic realignment.
applying a renewal Azure grant
Just a heads up that if you are approaching a renewal of your Azure grant, things have changed in the past 6 months, and you need intervention from Support to apply that renewal credit to your existing billing. The email you'll get from 'Microsoft Azure' (after approval) makes that clear -- and it is not a self-service within Azure Admin. The "approval notice" for a renewal that shows up in the Nonprofit Portal does not explain any of this, and in general the existing documentation is out of date. Msft began phasing out the Sponsorship Portal (and, in parallel, subscriptions under the older MOSP agreement) last December, in favor of a newer platform. To apply your renewal to the existing subscription, Support told me they first need to convert your subscription to the new platform, then apply the grant. I think it will appear as "Azure credits" in various places in the Azure Admin center -- and my guess is you might not see the new grant reflected in the balance shown in the older Sponsorship Portal. If you need to do this, you might get frustrated trying to file a support request in Azure Admin, but the response to my request sent via Nonprofit Support was prompt and helpful. Interested to hear from anyone else who has gone through the process in recent months. good luck -- Stew
Power Pages - Move to Azure App Service?
Hi all, A NonProfit we're helping are developing their website in Power Pages and “want to host it in Azure App Service”, I assume to make better use of grants. I see there are a couple of features in Preview that support some degree of code customization: Creating new Power Pages sites in Bootstrap version 5.2.2 is now Generally Available - Microsoft Power Platform Blog But from what I’ve seen, it’s not possible to export a Power Page to any codebase with full integrated functionality from the Power Pages portal but rather disconnected code snippets. Do we have a Power Pages expert here who might confirm or deny my suspicions and whether this request is feasible at all? Thank you all for reading.
Best way to merge non-profit onmicrosoft.com domain into existing Primary domain
We have an existing Entra tenant (ABCoriginal.net) configured and secured with 100 users. Our NFP was approved with domain AlaskaBCoriginal.onmicrosoft.com. Want to combine the 2 so I can buy NFP lic for ABCoriginal.net and keep all of the users and configurations. What steps are needed to get this done, and once complete will the Partner relationship with Tech Soup transfer into existing domain?NFP - Defender for Servers
Hi all, Microsoft seem to want orgs to use Defender for Servers Plan 1 or Plan 2 which is priced via Azure. Is there any discount for NFPs to use this service, or is it expected to use the Azure grant. There's a real price difference between Defender for Servers and the old Defender for Endpoint ServerHave your say: Nonprofit Leaders IT Strategy Survey 2024
Hello folks! Each year we conduct a research project to hear your IT priorities and challenges for the year ahead. This is a great chance to learn from your peers at other charities and see what they are focussing on. We'll play back the results in a report and a LinkedIn Live fireside chat. Please could you take 7 minutes to complete it https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=j5QSewZ5tU6-Xkn0-2yq7BZoVsXba85NoV978VAgghVUNENTT0dISDdaRUVOWkJZSUdCSDVLUU9BQi4u. (doesn't matter where your charity is based) You can see the 2023 report https://www.smartdesc.co.uk/charity-technology-leaders-report-2023/ too. Thanks a lot James
