Not too long ago, organizations relied on bulky servers, outdated hardware, and hours of manual processing to manage their data. But as the world became more connected and the volume of data exploded, a quiet revolution took place. Cloud computing emerged — not just as a tech upgrade, but as a game-changer. Today, scalable, secure, and flexible cloud solutions are empowering organizations to do more than harness data. They are using it to reimagine how to reach new audiences, innovate and transform how they deliver value like never before.
Like most organizations, nonprofits handle a vast amount of data — think donor records, beneficiaries, impact metrics, operations, volunteer networks, and program insights. Managing all of this using outdated systems drains time and resources. In today’s rapidly evolving social impact landscape, nonprofits need tools that can help them streamline operations, scale impact, and make smarter decisions.
This is where cloud technology comes in. Cloud technology is the on-demand delivery of IT resources, like storage, database management, and computing power, over the internet. For nonprofits navigating tight budgets and rising demands, cloud technology isn’t just a convenience — it’s a lifeline. It offers a sustainable digital foundation that helps mission-driven teams work smarter, move faster, and reach farther. From streamlining operations to tapping into powerful tools like machine learning and generative AI, cloud solutions are giving nonprofits the edge they need to take on some of the world’s toughest social and environmental challenges.
AWS: A Powerful Ally for Nonprofits
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon and a leading provider of cloud technology. With a team dedicated to nonprofits, it provides organizations with scalable infrastructure and cost-effective tools to unlock powerful data-driven insights. AWS currently supports over 94,000 nonprofits worldwide with cloud expertise, grants and programs that advance the use of cloud technology to solve the world's most pressing challenges. Here’s how AWS supports nonprofits:
- AWS Imagine Grant: Since 2018, the AWS Imagine Grant has provided over $14 million in unrestricted cash funding and tech resources to more than 130 nonprofits, helping them scale impact with cloud solutions. This public grant opportunity is open to registered nonprofit organizations who are using cloud technology to accelerate their mission.
- AWS Nonprofit Credit Program: To support nonprofits with up to $5,000 promotional credits, this program has distributed over $40 million in AWS credits to nonprofits globally, enabling them to access cloud-based tools without large upfront costs.
- The AWS Public Sector Generative AI Impact Initiative: This initiative supports public sector organizations and nonprofits in leveraging AWS's generative AI services to address critical societal challenges, from public health to climate action.
Other AWS programs include Amazon Research Awards (ARA), AWS Disaster Response, Open Data on AWS, and Migration Acceleration.
How Are Nonprofits Transformed by AWS?
Global Citizen
For over a decade, AWS has quietly powered the engine behind Global Citizen’s global movement. Behind the scenes, it hosts the website and mobile app that connect millions of users — but it does much more than that. AWS makes it possible for Global Citizen to operate seamlessly across languages, time zones, and continents, all while helping to keep our data and systems secure.
Every action taken, every pledge made, and every campaign launched is supported by AWS’s infrastructure — from tracking impact and storing vital data to surfacing insights that help shape smarter, more effective campaigns.
For example, in 2023, a series of natural disasters around the world inspired Global Citizen to launch the Power Our Planet campaign to galvanize global support for financial reforms to help low-income countries adapt and respond to the climate crisis. AWS helped make that global call to action possible by delivering a seamless digital experience that fueled action.
AWS also supported Global Citizen during their 2024 Global Citizen Festival where over 1 million Global Citizens from around the world tuned in to watch the livestream, and took a record 3.4 million actions to defeat poverty and defend the planet.
Thanks to this technological support, Global Citizen has so far seen more than 40 million actions taken by Global Citizens in more than 200 countries around the world.
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a recent winner of the AWS Imagine Grant, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to building a sustainable future where humans and nature can exist and flourish. With support from AWS, The Nature Conservancy has been able to leverage advanced technologies to further its global environmental conservation efforts.
With the help of AWS’s machine learning tools, TNC is turning complex environmental data into life-saving insights. These advanced technologies allow the organization to predict patterns, map critical habitats, and make smarter decisions about how to protect land and water. But it’s not just scientists doing the work — thanks to AWS-powered citizen science initiatives, everyday people around the world can now take part in TNC’s mission, contributing data and observations that help protect our planet.
Additionally, TNC uses AWS's artificial intelligence (AI) services to enhance its biodiversity research and species identification, and relies on AWS’s high-performance computing capabilities to provide crucial insights on the impacts of climate change that inform TNC’s policy and action initiatives.
That’s not all. Building on this foundation with support from AWS, TNC is developing the first Generative AI suite for Nature-based Science. This innovation is designed to extract and distill complex conservation data and scientific literature into clear and actionable insights that researchers and citizens can use to make informed, impactful, and sustainable decisions.
These impact stories highlight how AWS is helping nonprofits leverage its cloud technology to tackle the world’s biggest challenges — from climate to inequality — while scaling their mission. And they are doing it with one simple goal in mind: use tech to drive progress where it matters most.