Microsoft Advertising is ending its Ads for Social Impact grant program by December 2025, with final grants issued on November 30, 2025. Nonprofits must pause campaigns by early January 2026 or risk being charged on stored payment methods, though discounts for Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365 will continue via Tech for Social Impact, and employee giving/matching remains. The post urges nonprofits to replace credits with real budgets and set audit reminders for mid-November 2025 and early January 2026. Contractors are advised to tighten PPC controls, prioritize phone-call conversions, schedule spend for staffed hours, and test automation against manual baselines.

Microsoft Kills Nonprofit Ad Grants—What It Signals For Your PPC Budget (And How To Stay In Control)

TL;DR Microsoft Advertising is ending its Ads for Social Impact grant program by December 2025, with the final grants issued on November 30, 2025. Nonprofits must pause campaigns by early January 2026 or they’ll be charged on their saved payment methods. Discounts on Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365 continue through Tech for Social Impact. Microsoft employees can still donate and volunteer with matching. Bottom line: nonprofits must budget or reallocate. For contractors, the lesson is simple—free money ends, platforms change terms, and automation won’t protect your wallet. Own your spend and optimize for calls, not clicks.

If you run a nonprofit arm or partner with local charities, this hits directly. Even if you don’t, it’s a reminder that platforms are moving from “credit” to “cash.” Don’t rely on autopilot billing, and don’t let automated bidding run your margins into the ground.

What’s changing and when

Here are the hard dates and facts:

• Microsoft Advertising will end its Ads for Social Impact grant program by December 2025.
• Final grants issue on November 30, 2025.
• Nonprofits must pause campaigns by early January 2026 or charges will hit their payment methods automatically.
• After the shutdown, nonprofits can still access discounted Microsoft tools (Azure, Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365) via Tech for Social Impact.
• Microsoft employees can continue supporting nonprofits through volunteer and donation matching programs.

Translation: if you’ve been running on credits, that cushion disappears. Budgets need to be real dollars, backed by active management. Set a calendar reminder now for mid-November 2025 to audit every nonprofit account you touch—and again the first week of January 2026 to confirm spend is paused or funded.

Why contractors should care (even if you’re not a nonprofit)

Platforms prioritize their revenue, not your cost per lead. Credits, grants, and promo coupons are short-term acquisition tools—then the meter starts. If you let automated bidding and open budgets run, you get volume, not profitable calls. The Microsoft change is a wake-up call to tighten your process:

• Validate billing and budgets quarterly. Make sure caps, alerts, and shared budgets are sane.
• Track phone calls as primary conversions. Stop letting “clicks” or soft form fills steer bidding.
• Control when and where dollars run. Schedule for staffed hours and service areas that convert.
• Test automation; don’t trust it. Keep a manual control group so you know what “good” costs.

Quick contractor example: manual vs. automated bidding

You’re an HVAC shop. July heat, phones ring off the hook from 7 a.m.–8 p.m. “Maximize Conversions” looks tempting, but it often chases cheap after-hours form fills and broad queries. Instead, run a two-week holdout test:

• Campaign A (control): Manual CPC with tight match types, call-focused RSAs, ad schedule 6 a.m.–9 p.m., +50% bid adjustments for call extensions and mobile, negative keywords updated daily.
• Campaign B (test): Maximize Conversions with