How Irish Charities Apply for Technology Grants

1. Write the job before you look for money

Name the problem in one sentence: shared email, files that only one volunteer can open, a website, devices, or staff who need to learn a tool. Note who will use it after the project ends, and what it will cost to keep running. A grant that buys a year of software and nothing for year two is a bill, not a saving.

Separate three different things. A vendor discount is not a grant. A grant towards a purchase is not the same as money for training. Microsoft’s nonprofit offers, a cash fund, and a training support each have their own rules.

2. Microsoft nonprofit licences are one route

Eligible charities can register for Microsoft’s nonprofit programme. What Microsoft grants, and what it only discounts, changes. Our guide to Microsoft’s nonprofit grants sets out the current split, and the Microsoft 365 guide for Irish charities covers registration and setup. Microsoft’s own Irish pricing page is here. Microsoft decides who qualifies.

NuaVantage sets up Microsoft nonprofit licences at a reduced cost. That setup is not free. Someone from your organisation still submits the registration. We can guide the preparation. We do not treat our fee as a grant.

3. Read the funder’s page, then check you are the right organisation

Many supports that sound like “digital grants for Ireland” are for commercial businesses. Skillnet Ireland’s Upskill SME Training Grant lists charity or not-for-profit organisations as ineligible. The Local Enterprise Office Grow Digital Voucher can include some charities that carry on activities which would be taxable trading income but for section 208 of the Taxes Consolidation Act. Companies with charitable status that do not meet that test are not eligible. Do not assume a trading-business scheme covers a charity.

If you are a trading business looking at AI training supports, use grants and supports for AI training in Ireland and still check eligibility.

4. One current nonprofit AI fund to read carefully

Rethink Ireland’s AI for Good Fund is a competitive call for not-for-profit organisations, supported by Google.org and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The published application window is 30 September 2026 to 9 November 2026. Confirm that date on their page before you spend time on a form. Deadlines move.

The page describes cash grants of up to €15,000 for organisations selected onto a 12-month accelerator, and says the board may award less than the amount requested. Applicants need a not-for-profit legal form and must meet both Rethink Ireland’s criteria and the fund’s own criteria, including two people ready to take part and one of them in a leadership role. Commercial companies cannot apply. This is not a promise that your organisation will be funded.

For other community programmes, Pobal’s programme list is the place to see what a government scheme currently covers. Open the specific programme. A scheme for core costs, or a call that has closed, is not a technology grant you can draw down today.

5. Apply in the organisation’s name, before you spend

A trustee, employee or officer prepares the form. A supplier can help you gather facts. They should not pretend to be the applicant.
Collect the documents the page asks for: legal name, charity or company number, accounts, and a short description of the technology job. Do not invent a budget line to make the form look larger.
If the rules say you must apply before you order or pay, do that. Starting early can make the project ineligible.
Keep the written decision. An email that says “you might qualify” is not an award.
If you are unsure, ask the funder. Check eligibility rather than treating this page as approval.

Want help with the Microsoft side?

We set up Microsoft nonprofit licences at a reduced cost. The setup is not free. Microsoft still decides eligibility, and someone from your organisation submits the registration.

Book a discovery call Charity Microsoft 365 setup guide