DigitalOcean for Nonprofits & Social Enterprises

Do more good with less complexity—web hosting for nonprofits and social enterprises to grow their digital presence.

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Our mission

DigitalOcean’s mission is to simplify cloud computing so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world. Through DO Impact, we’re empowering the nonprofits and social enterprises doing just that. Our goal is to enable the builders using DigitalOcean to reach more people and scale their impact by providing web hosting for nonprofits and other tools to help them grow.

Support your mission with our powerful and easy-to-use cloud infrastructure

How do we support nonprofits and social enterprises?

Credits

Up to $2,500 in one-time infrastructure credits for DigitalOcean’s cloud computing solutions

Discounts

Nonprofit discount for Cloudways managed hosting

Resources

Documentation, education, and tutorials

Nonprofits & social enterprises using DO to drive impact:

A technology nonprofit established in 2015 whose mission is to maximize capacity for charitable organizations through custom, low-cost technology solutions

A Canadian web development agency that develops software, websites, and applications for a wide range of businesses and non-profit organizations.

A Berlin-based startup gives customers access to cutting-edge, automated cleaning, analysis, and reporting tools.

A nonprofit, for-purpose EdTech organization based in India that works to provide accessible education to students in rural communities.

Why Nonprofits & Social Enterprises choose DigitalOcean

Simplicity

Easier adoption and higher productivity

Cost-effective

Predictable pricing

Support & Community

Support and resources at every step

Reliability

Global footprint and 99% uptime and availability

If you get the chance to speak to a child with cancer, you immediately feel an urgent need to act. That’s why we partnered with DigitalOcean - to act on that urgency. DigitalOcean enables us to build and improve our childhood cancer support tools fast. And the faster we build effective tools like the Hope Portal, the faster that all children with cancer and their families get to access the support resources they need now.
Joey McMahon

Joey McMahon

Co-creator, Hope Portal

I can confidently say DigitalOcean has been a game-changer for our organization. As compared to other infrastructure service technologies we tried, it's clear that DigitalOcean understands the importance of simplicity, support, and reliable technology for education. They have exceeded our expectations in every way.
Ross Cohen

Ross Cohen

Owner, Technology in Schools Initiative

DigitalOcean provides a safe and secure environment where our programs and services can scale. When you have infrastructure that grows with you—one you never have to worry about—it allows you to focus on the main mission of your organization.
John Hernandez

John Hernandez

Executive Director, Nonprofit Exchange

The documentation is great. It allows for a lot of self-help and for someone with limited technical background to be successful on DigitalOcean.
Laurie Wayne

Laurie Wayne

Project Director, Open Food Network USA

Resources to help you get started

DigitalOcean community glossary

Getting started with DigitalOcean Functions

Using visual studio code for remote development

For containers to Kubernetes with Node.js

An introduction to Databases

Python machine learning projects

How to use a remote Docker server to speed up your workflow

Need help managing & developing on DigitalOcean?

Get in touch with our partners

Cloudways

Simple and reliable cloud hosting

DigitalOcean Partner Directory

Easily find DO partners with the expertise and technical skills

Frequently asked questions

Collect metrics for visibility, monitor Droplet performance, and receive alerts if infrastructure issues arise – with no configuration required.

Who is eligible for infrastructure credits?
This program is intended to serve new eligible organizations, if your organization has already received credits from our former Hollie’s Hub for Good programs unfortunately you are not eligible to receive more credits. You can review our eligibility criteria here.
How does applying for infrastrucure credits work?

Applying for credits is a two-step process. First we partner with Percent, a validation service company, that confirms eliigibilty and then you must complete the application in order to recieve the credits.

When does the infrastructure credit expire?
Any unused credits will expire one year from the date of application. If you are approaching your expiration date and have unused credits, please email nonprofits@digitalocean.com to discuss extension opportunities.
How long will it take to hear back from DigitalOcean?

We are committed to replying to every application within 10 days of submission.

Does DigitalOcean have external partners that also help nonprofits?
Yes! DO Impact has partnered with multiple organizations that help in different ways.
  • Nixa - web development firm that helps nonprofits manage, develop, and build on DigitalOcean.

  • Bright Initiative powered by Bright Data - provides NGOs, NPOs, academic institutions and public bodies with pro-bono access to web data, technology and expertise. Bright Data’s solutions efficiently retrieve and analyze web data to advance critical research, education, public policy, social and environmental initiatives, human rights campaigns, web transparency and global regulations.
How can we join DigitalOcean as a partner in this effort?
If your company is interested in providing resources to support social impact projects, please email us at nonprofits@digitalocean.com with [PARTNER] in the subject line.
What does it mean if I give DigitalOcean permission to share my project?
If you are accepted into the DigitalOcean program, you are also providing permission for DigitalOcean to share information provided in your application—and identifiers like your project name, logo, and trademark—in any format we choose for promoting projects in this program. If you change your mind, or have concerns about how we are sharing your project, you can always reach out to us at nonprofits@digitalocean.com.
Should I deploy directly on DigitalOcean or should I use a DigitalOcean hosting partner?

You should consider using a DigitalOcean verified partner if you do not have the time or developer resources to manage the administration of your website or application on DigitalOcean. You should consider deploying directly on DigitalOcean if you want maximum control and have developer skills available.

What is web hosting?

Web hosting services provide nonprofits and other businesses with the infrastructure needed to host their websites, applications, and databases. Web hosting services include virtual machines and other Infrastructure as a Service tools, databases, storage products, and more. DigitalOcean is a web hosting provider.

What are DigitalOcean's tools for web hosting for nonprofits?

DigitalOcean provides several nonprofit web hosting tools, including Droplets, scalable virtual machines, Managed Databases, Managed Kubernetes, and Object Storage and Block Storage solutions. Together these products ensure nonprofits can host their websites and grow their impact while keeping their costs in check.

Does DigitalOcean provide free web hosting for nonprofits?
DigitalOcean supports nonprofit organizations through our infrastructure credits, which nonprofits may be eligible for—check out this page for more information. We also provide nonprofit discounts for some services such as Cloudways. Additional charges for nonprofit web hosting beyond those covered by credits are the responsibility of the nonprofit, so depending on your web hosting spend we may not provide completely free web hosting for nonprofits.
Can my organization receive both infrastructure credits and the Cloudways discount?

Your organization can receive either $2500 in infrastructure credits to host DigitalOcean yourself or $100 in infrastructure credits with a Cloudways discount if you need Cloudways to help you host DigitalOcean.

See what else DO Impact is up to!

A look back at the first official year of DO Impact

DO Impact at deploy

DO Impact: Reflecting on progress and the path ahead 

Celebrating the Good: Honoring Hollie Hagans

Hollie Haggans was a passionate community builder who supported developers and small business owners around the world. In her time at DigitalOcean, Hollie created a “Hub for Good” (later named Hollie’s Hub for Good) which allowed DigitalOcean to support our global community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hollie’s goal was always to find ways to support underserved, underrepresented, and under-resourced communities, using technology. Her original idea to make DigitalOcean a conduit for that work has been tremendously successful. We’re proud to remember Hollie, and her legacy will always live on through our DO Impact programming.

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