Microsoft’s new charitable division Microsoft Philanthropies have announced that they will donate $1bn in cloud computing resources to 70,000 nonprofits and university researchers globally over the next three years.
The news is a huge expansion of their long-established Office 365 donation program and comes in three parts:
Serving nonprofits – Providing free access to Microsoft Azure, Enterprise Mobility Suite, Microsoft Dynamics and Office 365, including Power BI. The program will begin in the spring and the company aim to serve 70,000 NGOs by the end of 2017.
Increased cloud access for universities – A 50% expansion of their Microsoft Azure for Research Program which provides free cloud access to university researchers, allowing them to harness Azure and the cloud to accelerate cutting edge projects.
Bringing connectivity to under-served rural and remote locations – Increasing their Affordable Access Initiative which provides grants and solutions for innovative commercial projects that serve communities with little or no access to internet of cloud services. The initiative is already at work in countries like Kenya and the Philippines.
In a recently published post, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said: “Philanthropy is a start, but to truly harness the public cloud for public good, businesses, governments and NGOs must come together with a shared vision and relentless passion to improve the human condition and drive new growth equally.”
Microsoft Philanthropies was launched last year and aims to drive digital inclusion and empowerment globally. In the video below, Mary Snapp, heading up the division, explains more:
Visit the Microsoft Philanthropies site
