If you’re managing IT for a charity or nonprofit in the UK, you’ve probably already seen the not-so-welcome news: Microsoft is pulling Business Premium licenses from nonprofit tenants. Quietly, and without much fanfare, they’ve started enforcing the change — and it’s left many of us in the sector scratching our heads, if not outright fuming.
Microsoft Business Premium has been a solid mainstay for small nonprofits. Microsoft provided 10 licenses for free. That was perfect and gave charities as start with a good toolset to work with. It bundled all the key tools — Microsoft 365 apps, Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, and crucially, advanced security features like Intune and Defender for Microsoft 365. It was the license that made sense. Now? It’s simply no longer available under nonprofit pricing. Existing licenses are being retired, and charities are being told to “review their options.” Translation: spend, or make do with an inferior setup.
Let’s be clear — I understand the need for sustainability and fair pricing, even in the charity sector. But this move feels like it misses the mark. Charities rely on Business Premium not just for Word and Excel, but for endpoint management, device security, and advanced compliance — the very features that help small IT teams keep their environments secure and running smoothly.
Without Business Premium, nonprofits are left to stitch together a Frankenstein-license combos to achieve what they need. This will obvious increase cost and, it’s also more complex to manage. And let’s not forget the strain this puts on overstretched volunteer teams and underfunded tech departments who don’t have time for licence jigsaw puzzles.
Microsoft says Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) is available under nonprofit pricing. True — but EMS E3 is still an extra cost and adds another layer of licence management. And EMS by itself doesn’t include Office apps, which means you’re now maintaining at least two licence types per user just to get back to where you were.
From an IT consultancy point of view, this isn’t just annoying — it’s counterproductive. The charities we support need fewer barriers, not more. They need secure, well-managed, user-friendly systems that just work. Stripping away Business Premium removes one of the most versatile, charity-friendly tools we had at our disposal.
What should you do if you’re affected?
- Audit your current licence use – Check which users need Intune, Defender, etc., and which don’t.
- Can you use Microsoft Business Basic to meet your needs?
- Explore Microsoft 365 Business Standard + add-ons, or the Business Premium with non profit discounts applied. – You may be forced into this route if you want to retain core features.
- Consider EMS E3 or E5 for advanced users – Especially for admin and finance staff who need heightened security.
- Speak to us – Drop us a message to figure out your licensing options.
To be fair, Microsoft’s nonprofit programme still offers significant value. But the removal of Business Premium feels like a self-inflicted wound — a move that punishes smaller, tech-savvy charities trying to do things properly.
Let’s hope they listen to feedback. In the meantime, we’ll keep helping our clients make sense of the mess — but honestly, Microsoft, we are still unsure why you’ve made this move.