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affectionate_warrior13d4
Participant
September 2, 2026
Question

Goodstack denied our nonprofit based on eligibility criteria I cannot find in Adobe’s published policy

  • September 2, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 13 views

Hope Biosciences Research Foundation (HBRF) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has historically received Adobe nonprofit pricing through TechSoup. Following Adobe’s transition to Goodstack for verification, we were surprised to learn that we are no longer eligible.

Goodstack has fully verified our nonprofit status and my association with the organization. The denial is not a verification issue.

After escalating our case to Goodstack Senior Support, they determined that our correct primary classification is “Medical Research.” We do not dispute that classification. The concern is what Goodstack told us next:

Goodstack stated that organizations classified as Medical Research are ineligible because “organizations within the broader Health & Medicine category are currently not eligible for Adobe’s nonprofit program.” They further clarified that these are eligibility policies established by Adobe that Goodstack is required to follow.

However, I have reviewed Adobe’s published nonprofit eligibility guidelines and cannot find a blanket exclusion for Medical Research organizations or the entire Health & Medicine category. Adobe’s published criteria identify certain specific types of healthcare organizations as ineligible, but that appears quite different from excluding every nonprofit whose primary mission falls under Health & Medicine.

This distinction matters. HBRF is not a hospital, health system, HMO, PPO, or government research laboratory. We are an independent charitable research foundation. More importantly, we previously qualified for Adobe nonprofit pricing through TechSoup, and neither our nonprofit status nor our mission has changed.

We therefore seem to have lost our longstanding Adobe nonprofit eligibility following the transition from TechSoup to Goodstack because Goodstack is applying an Adobe eligibility restriction that we cannot locate in Adobe’s published eligibility guidelines.

Could someone from Adobe please clarify whether all Medical Research/Health & Medicine nonprofits are in fact excluded from the Adobe nonprofit program? If so, where is this exclusion stated in Adobe’s published eligibility criteria?

If this is not Adobe’s intended policy, we would be extremely grateful if an Adobe representative could review or escalate our Goodstack determination.

We have already gone through multiple levels of review with Goodstack, including Senior Support, so another referral back to Goodstack is unlikely to resolve the underlying question. Goodstack has been very clear that Adobe—not Goodstack—establishes the eligibility criteria they are applying.

Thank you for any assistance or clarification Adobe can provide.

    3 replies

    Jeff_A_Wright
    Community Manager
    Jeff_A_WrightCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 2, 2026

    Thank you for posting, ​@affectionate_warrior13d4.

     

    Thank you for being a longtime participant in Adobe's nonprofit program. I understand why this situation would be frustrating, especially if your organization previously qualified through TechSoup.

     

    Based on the information you shared, it sounds like Goodstack has already completed its review and provided a determination regarding your organization's eligibility. Since Goodstack is the validation partner responsible for reviewing nonprofit applications and appeals, Adobe Community members and moderators do not have access to the validation process or the ability to override eligibility decisions.

     

    If you believe your organization was evaluated under the wrong criteria or that additional clarification is needed regarding the decision, I recommend continuing your appeal directly with Goodstack and requesting that they provide the specific eligibility policy or classification guidance used during their review. They are best positioned to explain the determination and review any additional information you may wish to provide.

     

    For questions about the nonprofit validation process, Goodstack can be contacted here:

    https://help.goodstack.org/

     

    I appreciate you taking the time to raise the question and provide the background regarding your previous eligibility through TechSoup. If you receive additional information from Goodstack and have further questions, please update this public discussion thread so we can review it.

    affectionate_warrior13d4Author
    Participant
    September 2, 2026

    Thank you for the quick response. I completely understand that Adobe Community moderators cannot override Goodstack's validation decisions.

    However, I may not have made the issue clear in my original post. We have already done exactly what you are recommending and escalated this with Goodstack. Our case was reviewed by Goodstack Senior Support, and they provided the specific policy explanation behind the denial.

    Goodstack confirmed that “Medical Research” is the correct classification for HBRF, and we are not disputing that classification.

    Goodstack then stated:

    “For this specific discount, organizations classified as Medical Research are not eligible.”

    They further clarified:

    “Organizations within the broader health & medicine category are currently not eligible for Adobe's nonprofit program.”

    Most importantly, Goodstack explained that these are “specific criteria established by our partner (Adobe)” and “internal eligibility policies that we are required to follow when reviewing applications.”

    This is therefore no longer a question about Goodstack's validation or classification of our organization. The question is whether the eligibility policy Goodstack says Adobe has instructed them to apply is in fact Adobe's policy.

    I cannot find an exclusion in Adobe's published nonprofit eligibility guidelines stating that all Medical Research organizations—or all organizations within Health & Medicine—are ineligible.

    Since Goodstack has now specifically directed us back to Adobe on the basis that Adobe establishes these criteria, while Adobe is directing us back to Goodstack, we seem to be caught between the two organizations.

    Could you please help escalate this specific policy question within Adobe:

    Does Adobe's nonprofit eligibility policy categorically exclude all organizations classified as Medical Research and/or all organizations within the Health & Medicine category? If so, where is that restriction published in Adobe's nonprofit eligibility guidelines?

    We are not asking the Community to override Goodstack's classification. We are asking Adobe to clarify Adobe's own eligibility policy, which Goodstack says it is applying on Adobe's behalf.

    I am happy to provide the complete correspondence from Goodstack Senior Support if that would assist with an internal review.

    Thank you again for looking into this.

    Jeff_A_Wright
    Community Manager
    Jeff_A_WrightCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 2, 2026

    I appreciate the update, ​@affectionate_warrior13d4.

     

    I do see that you have opened a support case ADB-46917951-Y4Y5 about your current request. Please use the steps listed at https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/customer-support-portal.html if you have any additional feedback that should be added.

     

    No actions will be taken from this public discussion thread, so please make sure that all of your concerns are captured in your current request, ​@affectionate_warrior13d4.

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