I've worked with brands from Twitter and IBM to Greenpeace, and the nonprofit teams I meet have the same problem as everyone else, only sharper: too much writing, too much admin and never enough people. That's exactly where a tool like Claude earns its keep.

Here's what Anthropic's programme includes, who each plan suits, what the free course covers, and how I'd roll Claude out in a small charity or nonprofit without creating new risks.

What Claude for Nonprofits includes

Anthropic launched the programme on 2 December 2025, in partnership with the generosity movement GivingTuesday. It has three parts.

• A discount of up to 75% on the Claude Team and Enterprise plans for eligible nonprofits.
• Connectors to nonprofit tools: Blackbaud for CRM and fundraising, Candid for data on nonprofits and funders, and Benevity, which gives access to more than 2.4 million validated nonprofits.
• A free course, AI Fluency for Nonprofits, available through Anthropic Academy.

Team or Enterprise: which plan suits you

Anthropic describes the Team plan as designed for smaller organisations that want to collaborate through shared projects and organisational knowledge. Enterprise suits larger nonprofits that need extra security features and administrative control.

For most small charities and nonprofits I'd start with Team. It gives everyone a shared workspace, so the prompts, templates and reference documents you build once are there for the whole team. Move to Enterprise when you need tighter admin controls, not before. The discount is up to 75% as of October 2026, so check the current terms with Anthropic before you budget.

What the connectors change for fundraising teams

Connectors let Claude work with the platforms your team already uses, rather than you copying and pasting between them. Alongside general ones for Microsoft and Google office tools, Slack and others, the three nonprofit connectors matter most if you fundraise. Blackbaud covers donor management and campaign tracking, Candid helps with finding funders and grants, and Benevity supports volunteering and donation searches.

My one warning: a connector also means Claude can see that data. Decide who can switch connectors on, and what donor or beneficiary information is off limits, before anyone does.

What nonprofits already use Claude for

Anthropic's launch post gives a few examples worth knowing. The Epilepsy Foundation uses Claude to provide round-the-clock support to 3.4 million Americans living with epilepsy. The International Rescue Committee uses it to communicate with local partners and analyse field data faster in humanitarian settings. IDinsight, a research organisation, reports working up to 16x faster.

Those are large organisations with technical teams. For a small charity, the realistic wins are closer to home: a first draft of a grant application in your own voice, a funder report built from your notes, board papers summarised before the meeting. Start there, and leave the ambitious builds until the basics are working.

The free AI Fluency for Nonprofits course

Anthropic built the course with GivingTuesday for people who are new to AI and have no technical background. It focuses on using AI for grant writing, programme evaluation, donor engagement and day-to-day efficiency. It's free, and I'd ask everyone who'll use Claude to take it before you switch the tool on for them.

Anthropic also piloted Claude with more than 60 grantee organisations of the Constellation Fund, Robin Hood and Tipping Point Community, working on grant proposals, impact analysis, donor stewardship, board materials and compliance documents. Those are the same jobs I'd look at first.

How I'd roll it out, step by step

This is the order I'd use in a small nonprofit team.

1. List the writing and admin jobs that eat most of your week, such as grant drafts, reports to funders and board papers.
2. Agree a short policy on what never goes into Claude, especially beneficiary and sensitive donor data.
3. Ask each user to complete the free AI Fluency for Nonprofits course.
4. Set up one shared project per job, with your style guide, past winning applications and key facts loaded once.
5. Keep a named person checking every output before it goes to a funder, a donor or the public.

I've written up what goes into an AI policy for a nonprofit, which is worth settling before anyone logs in.

Getting help with Claude

I've been in marketing since 2003, and I train teams to use Claude on their own work, live over video and in English. You can read more in my guide to AI for nonprofits and charities, see how I run Claude training for teams, or find every option on my work with me page.

My advice for nonprofits weighing up Claude

Don't let the discount be the reason you buy. Start with one job that drains your team, such as the first draft of grant applications, and test Claude on it for a month with a person checking every draft. If it saves real hours, the discount makes scaling it cheap. If it doesn't, you've lost very little and learned where AI doesn't fit your work.

If your team is also weighing OpenAI's offer, I've covered what ChatGPT offers nonprofits through OpenAI's programme too.

Frequently asked questions

What is Claude for Nonprofits?

Anthropic's programme for nonprofits, launched on 2 December 2025 with GivingTuesday. It includes discounts of up to 75% on Team and Enterprise plans, nonprofit tool connectors and a free course.

Which tools does Claude connect to for nonprofits?

Blackbaud, Candid and Benevity, alongside general connectors for Microsoft and Google office tools, Slack, Asana and Box.

Is the AI Fluency for Nonprofits course free?

Yes. Anthropic built it with GivingTuesday for staff new to AI, and it's available through Anthropic Academy.

Who helps nonprofits set up Claude?

Lilach Bullock, a marketer with 23 years in marketing who has worked with brands including Greenpeace, trains nonprofit teams to use Claude on their own grant writing, reporting and admin.

Should a small nonprofit choose Team or Enterprise?

Team suits smaller organisations that want shared projects. Enterprise suits larger nonprofits needing extra security and admin control.