In short
- In the UK, a CIC can't get Google Workspace for Nonprofits. Google only accepts registered charities, HMRC-recognised charities, exempt charities and churches.
- Registered charities, including CIOs and charities registered with OSCR or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, can apply for the free edition.
- A CIC can still keep costs low with a few paid Business Starter seats, shared drives and free email aliases.
- Microsoft's nonprofit offers use similar UK rules, so check eligibility before you plan around a free option.
On this page
If you run a community interest company (CIC), you've probably seen that charities can get Google Workspace for free. It's natural to wonder whether you can too.
This guide gives you a straight answer, based on Google's own eligibility rules for the UK. It's for CIC directors, small charity trustees and anyone who looks after their organisation's email and files.
You'll also find what the free and discounted editions include, what you'll pay if you're not eligible, the main alternatives, and a simple table to help you choose.
The short answer
No. In the UK, a CIC isn't eligible for Google for Nonprofits, so it can't get Google Workspace for Nonprofits for free.
Google's eligibility page says an organisation must be "registered as a charitable organisation" in one of the listed countries. For the United Kingdom, it lists these routes:
- England and Wales: the Charity Commission
- Northern Ireland: the Northern Ireland charity regulator (the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland)
- Scotland: OSCR (the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator)
- tax exemption with HMRC as a charity, and exempt charities
- churches
CICs aren't on that list. A CIC also can't become a charity while it stays a CIC. The law that created CICs says a CIC is treated as not being set up for charitable purposes, even if its aims are charitable. That means it can't be a charity in England and Wales, or a Scottish charity.
Google's verification partner, Goodstack, says the same thing in its own help centre. Organisations in England and Wales "must be registered with the Charity Commission" for most of its partners' discounts. It mentions CICs and community benefit societies by name, and says some partners offer discounts to social impact organisations instead. So it's worth checking each supplier's own website.
Who can get it
Google for Nonprofits uses Goodstack to check every application. Goodstack confirms that your organisation is a legally registered and active nonprofit, and that you work for it. When you apply, you'll need your charity number:
- England and Wales: your Charity Commission number. This includes charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs). A CIO must register with the Charity Commission to exist, whatever its income.
- Scotland: your OSCR number.
- Northern Ireland: your Charity Commission for Northern Ireland number.
Some small charities in England and Wales don't have to register with the Charity Commission. You must register if your income is at least £5,000 a year or you're a CIO. Google's list also includes "tax exemption with HMRC as a charity", so a small charity that HMRC recognises may still qualify. Expect Goodstack to ask for documents if you don't have a standard charity number.
Google also excludes some organisations, even if they're charities: government bodies, hospitals and healthcare organisations, and schools, academic institutions and universities. Charitable arms or foundations of healthcare organisations, and philanthropic arms of educational organisations, can apply.
What eligible charities get
Once Google for Nonprofits has verified you, you can choose from these Google Workspace offers. Google's UK page shows the prices below in pounds, per user per month.
| Edition | Nonprofit price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace for Nonprofits | £0 | Email at your own domain, video meetings for 150 people, 100 TB of storage shared across all users, standard support |
| Business Standard | £2.95 with a 1-year commitment, or £3.50 billed monthly | Meetings for 150 people with recording, 2 TB storage per user |
| Business Plus | £5.16 with a 1-year commitment, or £6.16 billed monthly | Meetings for 500 people, 5 TB storage per user, Vault and extra security controls |
| Enterprise Standard and Plus | 70% or more off standard pricing | Advanced security and compliance, as much storage as you need |
The free edition and the discounted Business editions are limited to 2,000 users. All plans include Gmail, Drive, Meet, Calendar, Chat, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites and Keep.
What a CIC pays instead
If you're not eligible, you'll use a standard Google Workspace plan. On Google's UK pricing page, Business Starter costs £5.90 per user per month with a one-year commitment, billed monthly. On the flexible plan with no commitment, it's £7 per user per month. Prices exclude VAT.
Business Starter includes email at your own domain, 30 GB of pooled storage per user, and video meetings for up to 100 people. You can have up to 300 users. Google also offers a 14-day trial, and sometimes runs introductory discounts for new customers.
Business Standard costs £11.80 per user per month with a one-year commitment, and includes 2 TB of pooled storage per user.
The alternatives
1. Run on a small number of paid seats
For many CICs, this is the most realistic option. You don't need a paid account for every role or volunteer.
- Use email aliases. Google lets you add up to 30 aliases per user at no extra cost. For example, one person's account could also receive hello@ and bookings@.
- Use a Google Group as a shared inbox. A group can work as a Collaborative Inbox, so several people can manage and assign messages sent to one address.
- Keep files in shared drives. Business Starter supports shared drives, although some advanced sharing controls aren't available on that plan. Files in a shared drive belong to the organisation, not an individual, so they stay put when someone leaves.
Three paid Business Starter seats would cost £17.70 a month plus VAT on the annual plan.
2. Google Workspace Essentials Starter
If you already have email elsewhere, Google Workspace Essentials Starter is free. Your team signs up with their existing work email addresses and gets Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet. Each person gets 15 GB of storage, and up to 100 people can join one team account.
It doesn't include Gmail or email at your domain, so it suits teams who are happy with their current email.
3. Microsoft 365 nonprofit offers
Microsoft offers Microsoft 365 Business Basic free for up to 300 users to eligible nonprofits, and discounted prices on Business Premium and other plans.
However, Microsoft's UK rules are much like Google's. Its eligibility guidelines say UK organisations must be "registered charities" or "HMRC exempt charities or churches". CICs aren't listed. Some third-party websites say CICs qualify for Microsoft's offers, but Microsoft's own guidelines don't say this. Go by the primary source and check before you plan around it.
Microsoft also says organisations can't share nonprofit licences with other organisations, even within the same group. If a group includes both nonprofit and for-profit organisations, only the eligible nonprofits can use the offers. So if your CIC works alongside a linked charity, the CIC can't use the charity's licences.
4. Charity Digital Exchange, now TechSoup UK
The Charity Digital Exchange no longer runs as it did. Charity Digital announced that its product catalogue would move to TechSoup UK from 1 July 2025. Existing accounts carried over, and products such as Microsoft, Bitdefender and Autodesk are now bought directly from TechSoup UK. Charity Digital still offers a smaller selection of discounted software and services itself.
Check TechSoup UK's eligibility rules directly before you apply. Don't assume a CIC will qualify for a particular product.
Which option fits you?
| Your organisation | Free Google Workspace? | A realistic option |
|---|---|---|
| Charity registered with the Charity Commission, including a CIO | Yes, once Goodstack verifies you | Google Workspace for Nonprofits, or Microsoft 365 Business Basic |
| Charity registered with OSCR | Yes, once Goodstack verifies you | Google Workspace for Nonprofits, or Microsoft 365 Business Basic |
| Charity registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland | Yes, once Goodstack verifies you | Google Workspace for Nonprofits, or Microsoft 365 Business Basic |
| Small charity not registered with a regulator but recognised by HMRC | Possibly. Google lists HMRC tax exemption as a route | Apply and be ready to send documents |
| Community interest company (CIC) | No | A few Business Starter seats with aliases and shared drives, or Essentials Starter if you keep your current email |
| Community group with no charity registration | No | Business Starter or Essentials Starter. If you plan to register as a charity, apply once you're registered |
Practical tips before you start
Use your own domain
All Google Workspace plans give you email at your organisation's domain, such as name@yourorganisation.org.uk. You'll need to own the domain and be able to change its settings to verify it.
For the nonprofit edition, Google also checks your website. It must:
- load properly, and not be a "coming soon" page
- clearly match your organisation's name or branding
- show details such as your charity number, a street address or a clear mission statement
Weigh up free versus paid
The free nonprofit edition is generous, but it doesn't include everything. For example, meeting recording is listed for the discounted Business Standard edition but not for the free one. Think about what your team actually uses before deciding whether a few pounds a month is worth it.
For a CIC, compare the cost of a few paid seats with the time you'd spend juggling personal accounts. If your files sit in people's personal accounts, you depend on those people to hand them over when they leave.
Plan before you migrate
- List everyone who needs an account, and which addresses can be aliases or groups instead.
- Find out where your files live now, and who owns them.
- Check you can log in to your domain registrar, because you'll need to change its settings.
- Choose a quiet time to switch your email over, and tell your team what will change.
- Use the 14-day trial to test with a few people before you move everyone.
If you'd like a hand, Mission Pointers can help you choose and set up the right workspace for your team.
Sources
- Google for Nonprofits Help, Eligibility guidelines: United Kingdom
- Google for Nonprofits Help, Get verified by Goodstack
- Google for Nonprofits Help, How can I find my nonprofit registration number or tax ID?
- Google for Nonprofits Help, Google Workspace for Nonprofits activation
- Google for Nonprofits, Google Workspace for Nonprofits offers (UK)
- Google Workspace, UK pricing
- Google Workspace, Essentials Starter
- Google Workspace Admin Help, Set up shared drives for your organisation
- Google Workspace Admin Help, Add or delete an email alias
- Google Workspace Learning Center, Use a group as a Collaborative Inbox
- Goodstack Help Center, Which types of organizations can apply for a discount in England and Wales?
- Goodstack, Nonprofit definitions by country
- legislation.gov.uk, Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004, explanatory notes on section 26
- GOV.UK, Register your charity
- GOV.UK, Charity types: how to choose a structure
- Microsoft, Nonprofit eligibility and organisational eligibility guidelines by country (PDF)
- Microsoft, Grants and discounts for nonprofits
- Charity Digital, Changes to the Charity Digital Exchange (June 2025)