Ultimate Guide to Technology Grants: Unlocking Funding for Nonprofits in 2025

Introduction to Tech Grants for any Nonprofit.

In 2025 technology has been fully ingrained into the daily operational wheels of nonprofit organizations. Technology has become essential to their ability to operate, scale up their impact and effectively serve their communities. 

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Today, nonprofits rely heavily on technology to do all sorts of tasks. From managing programs, stakeholder communication, cloud- based databases, measuring and showcasing impact as well as meeting compliance requirements and soft wares like customer services management or CRMs. Without technology at the core of any nonprofit, the risk of becoming unsustainable is too high.

Technology grants provide funding for nonprofits to adopt digital tools, enhancing efficiency and impact. These technology grants help nonprofits strengthen and boost their internal operations, enhance their service delivery effectiveness and provide the capability to greatly expand their reach given today’s highly digitized and interconnected world. In this way, technology grants allow nonprofits to invest strategically in long-term capacity rather than short-term projects.

Perhaps no other area is the impact of technology more evident than in mission scaling. The ability to serve a much greater number of people and extend your reach even further all while keeping costs low is a critical element of success and effectiveness of the nonprofits and non-government organizations.

A well known example of technology grant is Google Ad Grants among several others. Google Ad Grants aims to provide all eligible nonprofits and organizations with in-kind advertising credits for Google Ads. This support enables organizations to greatly increase their visibility and presence online with the end result of attracting donors, volunteers and other supporters, funneling them to their website at zero cost. 

In this article, we will be taking a deeper dive into how technology grants play a crucial role in today's world of nonprofits and fundraising.From being a “neat thing to have if you can afford it” to “it is a must for success”.

We will help define what a technology grant is, and review the many benefits of securing technology grants for nonprofits. We will look at some of the most effective strategies for applying to technology grants before looking at current popular trends in grant funding for 2025. Reviewing expected  challenges to applying for technology grants and weaving out some lessons learned and highlighting some case studies will further prepare and familiarize you with the grant writing process.

You can further explore How To Secure Funding For Your New Organization to learn more.

What are Technology Grants?

In essence, these types of grants are funding opportunities for nonprofits designed to support organizations in adopting and-or strengthening software, hardware and digital initiatives. With the express aim of equipping organizations with the necessary modern tools and resources needed to improve and enhance operational efficiency, greatly expand reach, and in general achieve mission goals in a more effective manner leading to greater long-term sustainability.

Technology grants have become an essential source for funding crucial capacity-building projects making nonprofits and organizations highly reliant on these grants for digital systems and technology upgrades to engage supports, measure impact and better serve their target communities.

Types of Technology Grants

There are 7 types of technology grants.

1. Software Subscriptions
These grants specifically cover the cost of adopting software tools that support daily nonprofit operations. Some examples of vital software tools include: Donor and client management systems (CRMs), software for accounting and financial management., project management tools, email marketing and digital fundraising platforms.

2. Hardware Upgrade Grants
These are designed to support the purchase or replacement of physical equipment needed to operate efficiently. Examples include: laptops, servers, scanners, etc.

3. Cloud & Infrastructure Grants
These grants focus on modernizing infrastructure through cloud based solutions. 

For example: cloud storage and file-sharing systems and virtual servers and databases. 

4. Cybersecurity and Data Protection Grants
These grants are designed specifically to aid organizations in protecting sensitive data and reduce risk.  Some common examples are: security software and firewalls, data encryption and backup system, as well as, staff training.

5. Digital Marketing and Social Media Outreach Grants
These grants provide financial support to organizations to increase their online presence and reach. Examples include: SEO tools and website upgrades, social media management platforms and online advertising.

6. Data Evaluation and Reporting Grants
These grants aim to support tools that improve decision-making and accountability and transparency. Some common examples are: program evaluation platforms, data collection and analytics software and grant outcome reporting tools.

7.Training and Digital Capacity-Building Grants
These grants' main focus is on strengthening and boosting human capital. Common examples are: staff technological training, digital literacy programs and IT consulting support.

Eligibility
Who qualifies for technology grants? Eligible nonprofits typically need 501(c)(3) status and a mission aligned with the grant’s goals. In other words, organizations have to be recognized as nonprofits. However, many grantors also require a clear and cohesive plan that demonstrates how the proposed technology will be used to advance the organization’s goals and mission statement by improving service delivery and sustainability in the long-term. Grantors of this nature focus on long-term impact rather than short-term gains.

Here is a quick breakdown of the eligibility criteria for nonprofits and organizations.
- Verified Nonprofit Status such as 501(c)(3)

- Mission Alignment

- Non-discriminatory practices

- Clear Plan for Technological Use

- Active Operations

- Implementation Capacity and Maintenance of the proposed technology

Examples of Major Technology Grant Providers

Three major examples of grant providers in this area include:

Google for Nonprofits.

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They focus on supporting visibility, engagement, data insights through advertising, analytics and other tools.
Check out the Official Google page detailing the Ad Grants program, offering up to $10,000 monthly in free ads.
Explore Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits 

Microsoft for Nonprofits

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Microsoft focuses on supporting organization;s efforts to adopt cloud based software, security, collaboration and overall digital resilience.
You can check out  Microsoft’s nonprofit hub with details on tech grants and cloud solutions. Learn Microsoft’s Nonprofit Tech Grants 

TechSoup

TechSoup provides technology solutions and grant opportunities for nonprofits. It essentially acts as a central access point for nonprofits to obtain technology donations, access training from multiple participating partners and even access discounts.
Discover TechSoup’s Grant Resources 

Benefits of Technology Grants for Nonprofits

As we have noted, technology grants have the potential to drive significant long-term sustainability by directly supporting an organization's efforts to modernize their operations, expand their impact and deepen their reach and operate with greater efficiency in a modern digital world.

To maximize the impact of technology grants, it is important for nonprofits to first assess current technology gaps and weaknesses, carefully align tech investments with strategic organizational goals, budget for long-term maintenance, create measurable metrics and goals, as well as, properly training staff accordingly.

For a deeper insight into how technology grants can be leveraged to benefit organizations here are the top 5 benefits of securing technology grants.

1. Enabling Digital Transformation
For most nonprofit organizations access to digital tools such as modern software, cloud platforms, cybersecurity systems and data management software are financially out of reach. Fortunately, technology grants are the key to unlocking access to these digital tools such as CRMs. These grants enable a digital transformation to move from outdated and archaic  manual paper based systems and processes and move towards a data driven and scalable framework for daily operations.

2. Generate Significant Cost Savings
Leveraging technology grants can and often does generate significant reduction in costs. Because these grants help finance the costs of digital multi-year subscriptions, IT consulting, licensing vital software and more, their impact on budget constraints is significant and adds to long term sustainability.

3. Increased Reach and Engagement
When nonprofits are equipped with the latest technology, organizations can scale up with high cost efficiency, allowing them to  not only reach more people and to engage with them more effectively. To this end, these types of grants can support donor management systems, implementation of digital marketing tools and strategies, virtual service platforms and more. The end result is that nonprofits will be able to connect with donors, volunteers and beneficiaries across a much wider geographic area while greatly enhancing communications, transparency and trust.

4. Improved Operational Efficiency
Another important benefit of technological grants is that they help nonprofits streamline daily operations. The automation of critical day-to-day tasks such as reporting, case management, financial tracking and scheduling will allow greater efficiency in administrative management. By freeing up valuable time for staff to focus on mission-driven work rather than administrative tasks

5.Stronger Data and Decision-Making
Collecting, managing and analyzing data can be very arduous and time consuming work in addition to very technical. Technology grants provide the capacity for organizations to collect, analyze and use the data more effectively by directly funding analytics tools and integrated systems that aid in measuring outcomes, track performances and highlight impact for donors and supporters. 

Strategies for Securing a Technology Grant

Securing technology grants requires careful preparation and a good amount of research. Technology grants are vital to driving long term change, improved efficiency, larger scope and reach, as well as, greater impact. Success in acquiring these grants not only depends on finding the right opportunities, but in submitting and presenting a compelling proposal that clearly communicates an organization's mission, clear goals and measurable outcome. In addition to nurturing strong relationships with the grantors over time.

To accomplish this, grant writers and nonprofits leaders will have to implement a disciplined approach in order to identify needs, research opportunities, write strong proposals and deliver results. 

Here is a Step-by-Step guide to finding and applying to technology grants that can serve as a guide for nonprofits and organization leaders.

Step 1: Identify Organizational Needs
It is important to begin your proposal by clearly defining your organization's technology needs. Performing an assessment of technological gaps and weaknesses prior would serve to properly identify tech needs. These needs can include actions like upgrading hardware systems, improving and strengthening cybersecurity, implementing a CRM or adopting cloud-based tools. Do not forget to clearly tie your organization's tech needs directly with your mission goals. Most importantly, how the acquisition or enhancement of these tech tools will solve a specific operational or service-delivery problem.

Step 2: Research Grant Opportunities
Performing thorough grant opportunity research is vital in order to properly identify available grants across distinct platforms. Organizations and nonprofits are encouraged to use grant research tools such as GrantStation, or Foundation Directory Online, TechSoup in addition to Government portals. Through these various platform organizations are able to filter grant opportunities. You can check out this guide to help you navigate grant databases, Grant Data Bases for Nonprofits.

Step 3: Assess Eligibility and Fit
Equally important it is to carefully review the eligibility criteria and funding priorities of the grantor. It is crucial to make a strong connection and alignment between your project and the funder's mission. This will significantly increase your chances of securing these funds. 

Here are some Grant Writing Best Practices
Start with stating clear objectives that will explain what technology will be implemented and why it is needed. Make sure the proposal is clear, concise and out-come focused.

Define your measurable outcomes. For example, enhanced reporting capabilities or boosting outreach.

Best to include a timeline for deliverables, describing staff roles, beneficiaries and others. Budgets should be as detailed as possible but also grounded. It is important to show exactly how the funds will be used and for what. It is vital to strike confidence that your budget can deliver the results you propose.

Finally, the importance of good compelling story-telling cannot be overstated. Describe in a clear and concise manner in which the technology funds will directly improve or benefit the organization, its mission and its target beneficiaries. It is vital to detail the change.

Securing Long Term Success Through Relationship Building
To ensure long term success it is critical to nurture a strong relationship with funders and grantors. Some ways to do this include attending a funder's webinar, or  funder's events and when possible reach out with carefully thought out questions before applying.With time, funders will be more inclined to support organizations they are familiar with and trust. 

You can check out Nonprofit Grant Writers: Everything You Need To Know About Grant Writing For Non-Profits to to get some more in-depth tips.

Trends in Technology Grants for 2025

In 2025 the world of technology grant writing made it pretty clear it was evolving beyond research funding. Trends that had been subtle before have become much more salient for organizations and grantos. These trends play an increasingly bigger role in influencing grant awards for technology.

Here the top 5 most dominant trends for 2025 that grantors look for:

1.Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Grantors and private funders alike are increasingly focusing and allocating financial support to projects that AI for both innovation and social benefit. AI is indeed a cornerstone of technology in 2025.

Grants that are tailored to AI literacy, civic engagement, economic opportunity and safety research have become much more common.  To note an example, take the OpenAI Foundation. In recent years they have awarded tens of millions to nonprofits working on AI related solutions for multiple areas of focus

2. Digital Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
One of the long-time peripheral goals of grantors in technology funding is closing the digital divide. In 2025, that goal has been cemented as central to any tech grant program. This laser focused goal from both government and non-government organizations can be seen in their multi-million dollars efforts towards expanding broadband access, digital training and boosting and even building community tech hubs to promote broader usage and access.

Spectrum’s Digital Education Grants is a glaring example of how private funders support technological solutions for organizations and nonprofits. Spectrum’s grants help finance investment in technology skills and digital tools for under-served populations.

3. Accessible Grantmaking Platforms and Inclusive Processes.
This emerging trend comes at the realization by organizations and grantors alike that the grant-making platforms and systems themselves must be made more equitable. The aim of this focus trend is to ensure that organizations in low-bandwidth or under-served regions are not excluded from accessing and applying to grants. Grantors, to that end, are awarded funds towards the adoption of digital-native, accessible workflows that would allow SMS based application portals, as well as, multi-language portals. 

4.Tech for Social Good

2025 has seen a shift away from grant supporting purely innovation goals to technological grants that offer real tech-based solution social problems. Such grants link technological advancement directly to measurable social impact outcomes. In this way, funders are emphasizing community-driven solutions.

One good example is the F5 organization's Tech for Good grants that help fund nonprofits adopting AI and other digital solutions for climate, agriculture and education throughout communities.

5. Emphasis on Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity funding has quickly become one of the top trends in tech grants to keep in mind. This new focus is centered around the awareness of how important digital safety has become not just across nonprofits and non-governmental organizations, but also at government and private entities, too.

Funding for cybersecurity has grown dramatically in scale and focus. In the US for example, the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program or SLCGP and the Tribal Cybersecurity Grant Program or TCGP have distributed millions specifically targeted towards cybersecurity planning and workforce hiring, threat mitigation and cyber infrastructure strengthening and enhancement.

Challenges in Applying to Grants for Technology

Like all grants, applying to technology grants has many challenges and obstacles for grant seeking organizations. Ensuring sufficient time and strategic planning, careful research and the right tools nonprofits organizations can strengthen their application and boost their chances of successfully acquiring a grant award to advance their technological goals.

The entire application process can indeed feel daunting with complex applications, intense competition and strict eligibility requirements. However, these challenges are not insurmountable.

Let’s take a look at the most common challenges an organization can face when applying to highly sought after tech grants.

1.Complex Application Process
This is perhaps one of the most common challenges for any nonprofit or organization. Especially for smaller organizations with limited staff or grant-writing experience.

Technology grant proposals are time consuming and typically require detailed project narratives, technical specifications, detailed and realistic budgets, timeline of deliverables and a slew of supporting documentation. All in all, months in preparation.

Some nonprofits may choose to hire a grant writer or raise donations specifically to cover the salary of a grant writer.

2.High Competition
Intense competition is another major challenge when applying to tech grants. Because technology grants attract not just a high volume of applicants but also big organizations with established and seasoned grant writing teams, standing out can be a major challenge.

To increase chances of success it is vital to demonstrate unequivocally the impact of the tech innovation and its alignment with the grantor’s mission and goals.

3.Ensuring Alignment between Grantor and Applicant
This brings us to the challenge of aligning your technological proposal with the funder’s goals. Grantmakers in this area will commonly focus on specific objectives like cybersecurity, digital equity, data upgrades, workforce IT development and others.

Some organizations will struggle to fit their technology needs with these priorities without sacrificing some of their core tech needs.

4.Strict Eligibility Requirements
When it comes to who is eligible for receiving tech grants, grant seekers must carefully navigate the eligibility requirements. It is important to not waste precious time and resources if one does not pass the eligibility requirements.

Every grant has their own strict criteria that is generally related to organizational type, geography, scope of the project and target populations or beneficiaries. Not meeting even one requirement will lead to automatic rejection of your proposal, regardless of anything else or how good the quality of the proposal may be.

5.Limited Internal Capacity
One challenge, particularly for rapidly growing organizations, is limited internal capacity with regards to implementing, using and maintaining the technological support they need. This can pose a significant barrier. Simply put, too many organizations lack the time, expertise, or resources to research opportunities, have strong grant writing know-how or to be able to adequately manage compliance requirements.

Without boosting internal capacity through capacity building initiatives, adequate support and planning acquiring tech grants will prove difficult. 

Learn more about overcoming this challenge here: Nonprofit Capacity Building

Case Studies: Success Stories with Technology Grants

Let’s highlight some glaring examples of success stories that organizations have had with technology grants and their outcomes. These examples serve to highlight the transformative potential of tech grants for nonprofits.

In all these examples we find increased nonprofits have successfully boosted and enhanced visibility, operational efficiency, improved collaboration and more. Undoubtedly access to digital tools provides nonprofits the opportunity to do more with the limited resources. Technology grants are game changers.

Case Study #1: Kiva and Google Ad Grants Program
Kiva is a global micro-lending non-profit that benefited from being awarded through the Google Ad Grants program. Thanks to Google Ad Grants programs, Kiva was able to access digital marketing services and run targeted search campaigns through Google Ad Grants’ in-kind advertising funding. This led to a dramatic increase in their online visibility or footprint.

By reaching potential donors and supporters through targeted search ads at the right moment Kiva was able to increase web traffic by 67% which directly led to an increase in donations of around 33%. In this way Kiva turned online visibility into greater financial support.

Case Study #2: Marin Food Bank and TechSoup
Marin Food Bank is a San Francisco based charity food bank for the needy. Thanks to TechSoup it was able to locate and secure donated software that then allowed them to upgrade and modernize their operations.

Thanks to this much needed software Marin Food Bank was able to enhance their data systems and productivity tools, as well as, greatly improve coordination among staff and team.

The end result was a large boost in efficiencies that directly translated into improved service delivery to beneficiaries. Staff at the food bank was able to identify and ensure that food was able to reach beneficiaries with more reliance and speed.

Case Study #3:National Wildlife Federation and Microsoft’s Cloud Grants

The National Wildlife Federation is a Virginia based environmental nonprofit organization. By accessing and leveraging tech grants the organization was able to induce a transformative change in how their teams collaborated and analyzed data.

The aim was to migrate completely to cloud-based tools. In this fashion, staff across multiple locations and time zones were able to access documents, information and data and reporting portals in real time.This instant communication and flow of information led to a dramatic shift that improved collaboration,data driven decision making and increased engagement with supporters as well.

FAQs on Grants for Technology

What are technology grants for nonprofits?
Tech grants for nonprofits are funding opportunities designed to help organizations gain access to and acquire critical software, hardware, digital tools and other technological infrastructure needed to boost, enhance or strengthen their operational capacity and service delivery efficiency.

Who is eligible for technology grants?
Eligible organizations and entities for tech grants include any registered non-profit organization with a valid tax exempt status or a 501(c)(3) by the US government. Additionally, in specific cases, some grants can also support schools, libraries, and tribal organizations.

Grantors may also require explicit financial transparency and demand mission alignment,as well as alignment with targeted geographic area and population to be considered eligible.

How do I apply for a technology grant?
The application process to any grant always starts with a thorough research of available and potential grant opportunities. Grant applications require a clear and well-thought out proposal with detailed project descriptions, well defined goals and objectives, a realistic budget and measurable outcomes from which to evaluate the project.

The best applications demonstrate clearly how the tech grants will positively impact daily operations, increase efficiency, expand reach, improve service delivery all while aligning with the grantors mission.

What types of technology can grants fund?

There are several types of tech grants. Software license subscriptions, hardware upgrades, cloud services, cybersecurity solutions, data analytics systems and digital marketing tools. Additionally, some grants can even support website development and CRMs as well as staff training and development.

What are the best resources for finding technology grants?
In order to identify the best go-to resources for finding tech grants, applicants typically search in nonprofit grant databases, corporate giving programs and professional networks. But also, several platforms have become key to locating and identifying opportunities like: GrantStation, Candid and TechSoup. All of these provide listings of tech based funding opportunities.

If you would like to dive deeper into Government resources, you can explore more here: Government Grants for Nonprofits

Conclusion: Let's Wrap Things Up For Your Tech Fundraising Needs

Why should nonprofits pursue technology grants in 2025? They empower organizations to adopt cutting-edge tools, boosting efficiency and impact.

To put all this in a nutshell, technological grants are funding opportunities that nonprofits can leverage to improve or implement vital tech infrastructure with the ultimate aim of enhancing and boosting a nonprofit's efficiency, impact and reach. 

There are several benefits to tech grants for an organization. The most notable benefits to leverage from these grants are that they i) enable a digital transformation, ii) generate significant cost saving and financial efficiency, iii) they dramatically increase reach and engagement, iv) greatly improve operational efficiency and v) strengthen data analysis for better decision-making opportunities.

However, securing these highly sought after grants can be difficult. Some strategies an organization can employ early in the process to ensure success are to identify organizational needs first, perform a careful and thorough research of potential grant opportunities before assessing eligibility and fit.

When a grant has been identified and eligibility determined, make sure the development of the proposal is clear, concise and compelling. And of course, make sure your tech needs and target demographics align with the donor’s mission. 

You may also want to keep in mind the 2025 most popular trends for tech grants and funders. These trends can also help you towards success. These trends include opportunities focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, highlighting digital equity, inclusion, and accessibility, emphasizing cybersecurity needs, and technology that can generate valuable social goods and finally, a focus on making grantmaking platforms more accessible with inclusive processes.

Finally, it is important to be aware of the challenges you face ahead, in order to better prepare and increase your chances of success. Many challenges can pop up but the most common ones an organization can face is navigating a highly complex application process, vying with a large number of applicants and intense competition, making sure your tech grant aligns with the funder's mission priorities, combing through strict eligibility requirements and struggling with limited internal capacity to seeing through your tech grant project.

If you are a nonprofit or nongovernmental organization in need of some serious technological upgrade or tech adoption strategy to improve your mission goals and better serve your community you should explore all the resources available and start working on your application process today. Remember, applying for tech grants is tedious and very time consuming. Never too early to start.

This guide will help you get your bearings and guide you to a successful technological grant award. And don't forget to leverage crucial platforms like TechSoup.

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