Are you eligible?

Please read this criteria thoroughly to determine if our Hardware Grants program can appropriately serve your organization’s needs.

• Must be a 501c(3) nonprofit organization, under fiscal sponsorship of a nonprofit, or a public entity. 
  • Please note that due to limited resources we are currently prioritizing organizations serving community basic human needs.
• Must be located in Oregon or Washington.
• Please note that laptops are only available to eligible organizations in Oregon and Clark County, WA. 
• Pickup at Free Geek's location in Portland, OR is required.
• Must comply with Free Geek anti-discrimination policy.
• Must dispose of the hardware in an environmentally responsible manner when it has reached the end of its lifecycle.
• Must be able to pick up the hardware in person from Free Geek’s office in Portland, Oregon. Grants are provided unboxed. We do not ship technology to grantees. Please note that shipping your granted technology voids the tech support warranty.
• We ask that grant recipients cultivate a positive relationship with Free Geek, including posting about grants received on your newsletters and social media, to help raise awareness about our program.
• Eligible organizations may not submit multiple applications within a grants cycle.
• Eligible organizations must wait 6 months after the fulfillment of an organizational hardware grant to reapply.

Who is not eligible?

• Individuals
  • Are you an individual asking for technology for your personal use? Please see our programs for K-12 students and adults.
  • Are you applying for technology on behalf of your clients? See our Community Hardware Grants program.
• International organizations
  • We rarely make grants to international organizations due to limited capacity.
  • Check out the World Computer Exchange or TechSoup for international alternatives.
• We do not make grants to 501(c)4, 501(c)5, 501(c)6 or 501(c)7 organizations.

What do we grant?

Tower Desktop PCs

• i3 processor between 2.4 and 3.2GHz speed or faster
• 4 GB of DDR3 RAM
• 64-bit system
• DVD R/W optical drive
• On-board video
• Onboard Ethernet (WiFi capability unavailable) - wireless adapters may be purchased separately
• No webcam, microphone, or speakers
• Monitor, mouse, keyboard, power cables provided

Operating system:

• Linux Mint for free (not Windows)

Is the Windows operating system currently available?

Due to changes in Microsoft's Registered Refurbisher program, Free Geek has limited capacity to grant computers with the Windows operating system installed. By default, PCs are being granted with the free operating system Linux Mint installed. Linux Mint can be used for typical office tasks, such as word processing and browsing the web, but will not run software specific to Windows. If your organization needs Windows, it may be available for desktop towers upon request for a fee of $50 per computer.

Are there application deadlines?

Applications for our standard granted items are reviewed on a rolling basis. For time-sensitive grants, please apply at least 3 months in advance to allow time for processing your application and fulfilling your grant. We cannot guarantee that grants will be fulfilled by a requested date.

Applications temporarily closed