An executive director sits down with her board and walks them through the same slide for the third year running. The case management system the team relies on is held together with workarounds. Reporting takes weeks to assemble. Two staff members spend most of their Fridays cleaning data the system should be capturing on its own. Everyone in the room agrees the project needs to happen. Everyone also knows the operating budget cannot absorb it.
So the project gets deferred. Again. And every quarter the deferral continues, the mission pays a little more of the cost.
We see this pattern often. Nonprofits know exactly what a technology project would unlock, and they know the math does not work inside their normal operating budget. What most do not realize is that funding for nonprofit technology projects exists, in more places than they expect, and the bigger problem is usually how to find it, how to scope the project, and position themselves so a funder is most likely to say yes.
This is a starting point for 2026. It is not exhaustive (no list ever is in this category), but it covers the resources we point clients toward most often, the new programs that have launched in the last twelve months, and the practical filters that make a search actually useful.
Key Takeaways
- Funding for nonprofit technology projects exists, but it is fragmented across product donation marketplaces, general grant databases, corporate technology programs, federal portals, and private foundations. No single place lists it all.
- Many nonprofits skip the single biggest source of tech savings before they ever look at grants. TechSoup alone routinely cuts licensing costs of software and some hardware by as much as 90 percent below retail.
- 2026 is the most active year for nonprofit technology funding in recent memory, driven by AI. A new $500M pooled coalition (Humanity AI) launched with funding commitments beginning this year, alongside expanded programs from Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Mozilla, GitLab Foundation, and the major cloud providers.
- Securing funding usually requires a clearly scoped project before you apply, not after. The clarity and perceived value of the ask are the largest factors in whether a technology grant gets funded.
Why Tech Projects Get Deferred
The structural reason is simple. A nonprofit’s operating budget is built to cover ongoing program delivery, payroll, and overhead. A technology project is closer to a capital expense: a defined scope, a defined cost, and a defined window where the work happens. The two do not naturally fit together.
When the cost of the project exceeds what the operating budget can flex, the project waits. It waits until next fiscal year. Then the next. In the meantime, the systems that should be amplifying the mission start to drag on it instead. Staff time goes to workarounds. Reporting confidence erodes. Strategic decisions are made on numbers no one fully trusts.
The fix is rarely “find the money inside the operating budget.” The fix is to treat the project as the discrete, fundable initiative it actually is, and to look in the places where that kind of funding lives.
Start Here: The Lowest-Hanging Cost Reduction
Before you write a single grant application, the most leveraged thing most nonprofits can do is reduce the cost of the project itself (including even hardware refreshes or ongoing existing licensing). TechSoup is the platform that makes that possible.
TechSoup is a product donation and discount marketplace specifically for verified 501(c)(3) organizations. It is the central distribution channel for nonprofit pricing on hardware and licensing from technology vendors including Microsoft, AWS, Adobe, Cisco, Intuit, Norton, Autodesk, and dozens of others. A nonprofit that has not validated its TechSoup eligibility is leaving real money on the table, often before any grant conversation needs to happen.
A few representative examples:
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium is available to eligible nonprofits at a 75 percent discount, with significant additional grants and discounts on Microsoft Cloud products.
- Adobe Creative Cloud is available at significant nonprofit discount through TechSoup.
- AWS Credits at discounts as deep as 90% of retail.
- Cisco hardware and security products are available at significant discount through the TechSoup catalog.
- Intuit QuickBooks is offered at deep discount for nonprofit financial management.
- Refurbished laptops from Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Apple are available through TechSoup at heavily reduced pricing.
If you are scoping a project that includes any of these vendors, validate your TechSoup eligibility first. The discount alone may change the size of grant you actually need to ask for.
Where to Look: A Starting Point
We have grouped the most useful funding sources into five categories. Each one serves a different need, and most nonprofits will get the best results by working across two or three of them rather than relying on any single source.
Programs and eligibility details below are current as of April 2026. We recommend confirming directly with each provider before applying, as offerings can change.
1. Corporate Technology Programs
These are run directly by technology companies. Many combine cash grants with software licenses, cloud credits, or in-kind services, which can stretch a budget further than a cash-only grant.
- Salesforce Power of Us is one of the largest nonprofit technology programs in existence. Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations receive 10 free Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud (or Sales/Service Cloud) licenses, with significant discounts on additional licenses and add-on products. For nonprofits considering a CRM or case management overhaul, this is the first program to evaluate.
- Google for Nonprofits provides access to Google Workspace, Google Ad Grants (up to $10,000 per month in search advertising), and the YouTube Nonprofit Program at no cost. This is distinct from Google.org grants.
- Google.org runs cash grant programs and periodic technology challenges for nonprofits, often focused on AI, applied research, and large-scale societal challenges.
- Microsoft for Nonprofits combines product donations and discounts (delivered through TechSoup) with annual Azure credits of $2,000 USD per eligible nonprofit, plus selective AI for Good cash grants. Microsoft 365 Business Premium is available at a 75 percent discount and Microsoft 365 Copilot at a 15 percent discount for eligible nonprofits.
- AWS IMAGINE Grant is one of the most generous tech grant programs available to U.S. nonprofits. It runs three award categories: the Pathfinder Award (up to $200,000 in unrestricted funding plus $100,000 in AWS credits, focused on frontier AI projects), the Go Further, Faster Award (up to $150,000 plus $100,000 in credits, for innovative cloud-based projects), and the Momentum to Modernize Award (up to $50,000 plus $20,000 in credits, for foundational infrastructure projects). Applications open annually in March. AWS also runs the separate AWS Nonprofit Credit Program, which provides up to $5,000 in annual credits via TechSoup for organizations not ready for the full IMAGINE grant.
- Oracle NetSuite Social Impact offers free NetSuite cloud ERP software activation through the Suite Donation program, plus consulting through Suite Pro Bono. For nonprofits outgrowing entry-level financial systems, this is one of the most generous offers in the category.
- ServiceNow Partnership for Good Grant provides ServiceNow technology and consulting services to nonprofits pursuing digital transformation. The program has committed up to $2M in technology and services to the sector.
- Cisco Technology Grant Program offers product grants of up to $100,000 in in-kind support to nonprofits aligned with Cisco’s social impact priorities (climate, economic empowerment, education, crisis response). Reviewed quarterly. Cisco hardware is also available through TechSoup.
- Twilio.org Impact Fund provides grants and investments to nonprofits using communications technology (SMS, voice, video) to advance their mission. Note: active grant rounds are currently invitation-only, though the Impact Access Program provides product credits to a broader pool of eligible organizations.
- Okta for Good is a $50M, five-year commitment to identity and security technology for nonprofits, including product donations, the Nonprofit Technology Fellowship, and direct cash grants.
2. AI-Specific Funders (the 2026 Story)
The largest single shift in nonprofit technology funding over the last twelve months has been the surge in AI-specific funding. If your technology project has any AI component (data preparation, model deployment, AI-assisted service delivery), look here first.
- Patrick J. McGovern Foundation is currently the most active funder of AI for nonprofits in the United States. Their core grants run from $50,000 to $500,000 for AI and data tools in health, climate, journalism, and equity. Their Data Practice Accelerator provides $125,000 plus technical support to build internal data and AI capacity.
- Humanity AI is a new $500M, five-year pooled grantmaking coalition co-chaired by Omidyar Network and MacArthur Foundation. The ten founding members include the Doris Duke Foundation, Ford Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Kapor Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Omidyar Network, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Siegel Family Endowment. The coalition has identified five priority areas: democracy, education, humanities and culture, labor and economy, and security. Pooled grants are expected to begin in 2026, managed through Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors as fiscal sponsor. This is a new initiative and worth watching closely. The specifics of how funding will be distributed are still taking shape, so organizations interested in this space should sign up for updates at humanityai.ai rather than treating it as a near-term application target.
- Mozilla Foundation runs grantmaking programs for civic AI and open-source technology, in addition to its participation in the Humanity AI coalition.
- GitLab Foundation runs the AI for Economic Opportunity Fund, which most recently awarded $6M across six grantees scaling AI solutions for workforce and economic mobility. Grants typically range up to $250,000 with additional OpenAI support for selected recipients.
- Knight Foundation funds arts, journalism, and community initiatives in the 26 communities tied to the Knight brothers’ historical newspaper operations. Knight regularly funds digital infrastructure, technology adoption, and AI research within these communities.
3. Federal Sources
Federal technology funding for nonprofits flows through more agencies than most nonprofits realize. Grants.gov is the central portal, but several individual agencies are worth tracking directly:
- Grants.gov is the federal government’s central grant portal. Search by category and watch for opportunities under information technology, capacity building, and infrastructure.
- IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) funds technology upgrades for libraries and museums, including digital literacy programs, AI projects, and modernization. IMLS has been actively funding AI initiatives in 2026.
- USDA Rural Utilities Service funds broadband and rural technology infrastructure, including the ReConnect Program.
- HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) funds telehealth, electronic health records, and digital health technology for community health organizations.
- USAC E-Rate provides discounts on telecommunications and internet services for eligible schools and libraries (including nonprofit private schools and library systems). If your programming has an education component to it, you should check eligibility for this program.
- State broadband offices and state Digital Equity Act programs. Following the federal Digital Equity Act, most states stood up their own digital equity programs. Important caveat: in 2025, NTIA terminated portions of the federal Digital Equity Act competitive grant program, and several state programs were affected. Some state-funded continuations are ongoing. Check your state broadband office or your state’s digital equity coordinator for current status.
4. Foundation and Grant Databases
These platforms aggregate large numbers of grant opportunities and let you filter by focus area. Use them to discover funders you would not find through direct search.
- Instrumentl is a paid platform with one of the strongest tech filters in the market. As of this writing, Instrumentl lists 56 active U.S. technology grants totaling $15.7M, with a $50K median award.
- GrantStation is a paid subscription with hundreds of technology-related opportunities.
- GrantWatch lists 270+ active U.S. technology grants covering AI, cybersecurity, software, hardware, and broadband. Inexpensive subscription.
- Keela Grants Directory includes a dedicated technology category and is a reasonable free entry point.
- Zeffy Grant Finder is free and lets you filter by terms like technology access and digital inclusion.
- Philanthropy News Digest RFPs is a free, regularly updated feed of open RFPs across all categories, including technology.
- Inside Philanthropy offers paid grant research focused on the philanthropy beat and is particularly strong on tech equity and innovation funders.
- GrantForward and Pivot-RP are research-grade databases more common in academic settings, useful if you have access through a partner institution.
5. AI-Assisted Matching and Proposal Tools
A newer category, these tools help with the discovery and writing side of the process rather than the funding itself.
- OpenGrants uses AI to match nonprofits with grant opportunities and connects organizations with grant writers when needed.
- Grantable provides proposal drafting and application support, useful when internal writing capacity is the bottleneck rather than funding identification.
- Grant Assistant by Foundant offers AI-assisted proposal support inside the broader Foundant grant management ecosystem.
How to Filter These Resources for Technology Projects
Most of these databases will work harder for you if you know how to search them. A few practical pointers:
Use the language funders actually use. Searching for “technology” is often less effective than searching for capacity building, infrastructure, digital transformation, data systems, modernization, or digital inclusion. Many grants that fund technology projects are not labeled as technology grants.
Look at the funder’s recent grant history, not just their RFP language. A foundation that has never written “technology” in a stated priority may have funded three CRM rollouts in the last eighteen months. The grant history is more reliable than the program description.
Watch for unrestricted and general operating grants. These can fund technology projects even when the funder has no dedicated technology program. If the relationship is strong and the case is clear, an unrestricted grant can become the cleanest path to a tech budget.
Filter by award size that matches the project, not the wishlist. If your scoped project is $80,000, applying for a $250,000 grant is usually a longer road than applying for two $40,000 grants. Match the ask to the actual scope.
Think about layering. The most successful technology funding strategies we see combine three or four sources: TechSoup discounts to reduce the hard cost, a corporate program (Salesforce, AWS, NetSuite) to cover platform and credits, a foundation grant for implementation and change management, and unrestricted operating dollars for the long tail of stewardship after go-live. Oftentimes, there is also an ability to break projects into phases so that you can daisy chain funding sources as the initiative matures and shows value.
How to Think About Budgeting a Nonprofit Technology Project
This is where most funding asks fall apart, and it is the single area where we see the biggest difference between nonprofits that get funded and nonprofits that do not.
A few of the things we tell clients before they take a project to a funder:
The hard costs (software licenses, implementation fees, integration work) are usually 40 to 60 percent of the true total. The rest sits in data migration, change management, training, and ongoing stewardship after go-live. A budget that only covers the hard costs is a budget that has under-estimated the project, and funders can see that immediately.
A funder needs to see a scoped project, not a wish. The clarity of the ask is the largest single factor in whether it gets funded. “We need a new CRM” is not a project. “We need to replace our current contact database with a system that supports case management for 1,200 active clients, integrates with our existing accounting platform, and includes data migration, staff training, and twelve months of post-launch stewardship, at an estimated total cost of $X” is a better defined project. Funders are much more likely to fund the second one.
Multi-year asks are sometimes more fundable for technology than single-year asks. Funders who understand technology know that a system that goes live in year one needs continuity in years two and three, and they would rather fund the full arc once than be asked again every twelve months. If your project has a three-year horizon, ask for three years.
A Note for Grantmakers
If you fund nonprofit organizations and you want to make bold, mission-multiplying bets, technology projects are one of the highest leverage opportunities available right now. A well-scoped technology investment can increase a nonprofit’s program capacity by a meaningful percentage without adding headcount, and the benefit compounds for years. The reason these projects do not get funded more often is rarely lack of interest from funders. It is that the asks arrive under-scoped, and funders cannot get comfortable with the uncertainty.
This is one of the gaps we work in, on both sides of the conversation. We help nonprofits scope a project tightly enough to be fundable, and we help grantmakers evaluate technology asks with confidence.
If a Tech Project Has Been Sitting on Your Shelf
Most of the nonprofits we talk with already know which project needs to happen. The question is not what to do. It is how to fund it, and how to present it in a way a funder can say yes to.
If your organization is sitting on a deferred technology project and you are not sure how to scope it for a funding conversation, that is a conversation we have often. We are happy to walk through it with you, look at the project alongside the funding landscape above, and help you think through what a fundable version of the ask would look like. Get in touch.
