Microsoft Ends Nonprofit Ad Grants in December
▼ Summary
– Microsoft Advertising is ending its Ads for Social Impact grant program, which provided free ad credits to nonprofits, with final grants issued by November 30, 2025.
– Nonprofits must pause their campaigns by early January 2026 to avoid automatic charges on their payment methods starting January 1.
– Microsoft will continue offering discounted tools to nonprofits through its Tech for Social Impact program, including Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365.
– Critics, such as George Weiner, view the cut as a cost-saving move tied to AI priorities, despite Microsoft’s significant financial resources and AI investments.
– Microsoft Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins acknowledged disappointment but emphasized the company’s ongoing commitment to other nonprofit initiatives.
Microsoft is discontinuing its Ads for Social Impact grant program, which previously supplied qualifying nonprofit organizations with complimentary advertising credits to promote their missions. The final grants will be distributed by November 30, 2025, and recipients will have a 45-day period to utilize these funds before the program officially concludes in December 2025.
This change is significant because it removes a valuable source of free promotional support for the nonprofit sector. Beginning in 2026, any nonprofit that does not manually pause its advertising campaigns risks having their linked payment method automatically charged. To avoid unexpected fees, organizations must ensure all campaigns are paused by early January if their grant funds are depleted.
Despite ending the ad grant initiative, Microsoft highlights that nonprofits can still access discounted technology tools via its Tech for Social Impact program. This includes popular services like Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365. Additionally, Microsoft’s employee volunteer and donation matching efforts will continue, offering alternative avenues for community support.
Industry experts have voiced concerns about the decision. George Weiner, Founder of Whole Whale, publicly shared a notification about the program’s termination on LinkedIn. He suggested that for a corporation valued at over $3 trillion, eliminating a relatively modest philanthropic program sends a negative message, especially in light of Microsoft’s massive $13 billion investment in artificial intelligence. Weiner interprets the move as a cost-cutting measure, indicating that the company no longer views the goodwill generated by free ads as worth the expense.
Microsoft Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins confirmed the program’s closure and recognized that some partners may be disappointed. She reiterated Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to nonprofits through its other social impact channels.
With one of the major tech ad grant programs coming to an end, nonprofits must now adjust their outreach strategies. They will need to either allocate budget for Microsoft Ads out-of-pocket or redirect their advertising efforts to other platforms to maintain visibility and engagement.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
