Free through the Spark Program
$0
Research, design, page structure, and the full hand-coded build, funded by paid client work. Nothing is billed for the build now or later.
The Spark Program
Free Websites for Nonprofits, Funded by Client Work
Fire and Cloud Consulting builds free websites for nonprofits through the Spark Program. Every paid client project funds the program, and each quarter one nonprofit, church, or community organization in real need receives a complete website build at no build cost. You cover hosting at the standard rate. We cover the work.
Why We Build Free Websites for Nonprofits
Small nonprofits run on thin budgets, and the website is usually the first thing cut. Food pantries, recovery programs, youth mentoring groups, and neighborhood organizations often have no site at all, or one nobody has touched in years. Donors check before they give. Volunteers check before they show up. A missing or broken website costs your organization real support.
The Spark Program is how we put a dent in that. Paid client projects fund the business, and a set portion of that capacity is reserved for nonprofit builds. One organization per quarter receives the same build standard as our client website projects, at no build cost. The name is literal: every fire starts with a spark, and for an organization that has never had a real web presence, this is it.
To be plain about the exchange: Fire and Cloud gets a finished site in our portfolio, a small credit link in your footer, and working relationships in the communities where we do business. There is no hidden upsell and no obligation beyond hosting. You can read more about the mission behind Fire and Cloud on our About page.
What a Spark Build Includes
A Spark build is not a stripped-down version of our paid work. It follows the same rubric, the same performance targets, and the same search standards. Here is what your organization receives.
- Up to six pages: home, about, one or two program pages, a get involved or donate page, and contact, so visitors can see what you do and how to help
- Custom design in your branding: the site looks like your organization, not a template with your logo dropped in
- Mobile-first build: supporters and the people you serve can read, call, and give from a phone without pinching the screen
- Full on-site SEO: page titles, descriptions, image optimization, and schema markup, so search engines can find and understand your organization
- AI search ready structure: FAQ content and markup built so your pages have a fair shot at being cited in AI-generated answers
- Contact form with email notifications: inquiries land in your inbox instead of going unseen
- Donation and volunteer links wired to the tools you already use: givers reach your existing donation processor in one click
- Google Analytics and Search Console setup, required on every Spark build: both are set up under your organization as owner, so you can see traffic and search visibility from day one and keep that history if you ever move the site
What a Free Nonprofit Website Costs Your Organization
The build is free. Hosting is the one required cost, and it starts when you check out. Website Care is optional and priced for nonprofits.
Same rate every client pays
$30/month or $330/year
Covers hosting, your SSL certificate, form handling, and publishing. Hosting starts the day you check out, before the build begins. Annual saves $30 a year. Cancel any time and the site files go with you.
A punch card for changes after launch
$20/month
Six months, paid up front as one $120 block. The six months start the day your site launches.
- Six change requests, each up to 30 minutes of edits: text, hours, photos, staff, events, or links
- One new page built
- Uptime and form monitoring
The block ends at six months or when every request and the page are used, whichever comes first. One added page alone is $250 at our standard rate.
Checkout for hosting and Website Care is sent privately to your organization once it is selected, so there is nothing to pay before you are accepted.
Who Qualifies
The program exists for organizations that are ready to use it. These are the requirements, and they are firm.
- A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, verifiable through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search or your determination letter. Churches and community organizations without 501(c)(3) status can apply too when they show real need and describe the work they do and who they serve.
- Based in the United States, since verification and hosting terms are built around US organizations.
- No current website, or one that genuinely needs replacing rather than editing.
- One named point of contact with authority to approve content and design decisions, so the build does not stall in committee.
- Your content ready by the agreed deadline: text, photos, and logo delivered before your build slot opens.
- Agreement to host the finished site with Fire and Cloud at $30 per month or $330 per year, starting the day you check out.
- Agreement to have Google Analytics and Search Console set up on the site, owned by your organization. Both are required on a Spark build, because a free site nobody can measure is not much of a gift.
How Selection Works
Apply
Submit the application form below with your organization's name, your EIN if you have one, a sentence or two on your mission and who you serve, your current website address if one exists, and why this quarter is the right time.
Verification and selection
We confirm 501(c)(3) status, or review what a church or community group sends about its work, and select one organization for the quarter. Every applicant gets an answer either way, and organizations not selected stay eligible for future quarters without reapplying.
Content gathering
Your contact receives a short checklist, a deadline, and a private checkout link. Hosting starts when you check out, and Website Care can be added in the same checkout. If the content is not ready when your slot opens, the slot passes to the next organization and you keep your eligibility for a later quarter. This rule protects the program for everyone in it.
Build and launch
We build the site, review it with your contact, launch it on your domain, and walk your team through what was built and how to request changes.
What Happens After Launch
Hosting started the day you checked out and keeps running on the cycle you chose. If you added Website Care, its six months start the day your site launches. Send a change whenever you need one, whether that is new hours, a staff photo, or an event date, and each request uses one of your six.
When a care block ends, at six months or when everything is used, you can buy another at the same rate or stop. Hosting carries on either way.
Spark sites carry a small "Website by Fire and Cloud Consulting" credit link in the footer, and that is the extent of our presence on your site.
The domain is registered in your organization's name and stays there. The site files are yours, and so are the Google Analytics and Search Console properties. If your organization ever moves on, the site and its search history are portable and go with you.
Common Questions
Common Questions from Nonprofit Leaders
Is the website really free?
The build is free. Your organization pays hosting at $30 per month or $330 per year, starting the day you check out, which is the one required cost. Website Care after launch is optional at $20 per month. There is nothing else to buy.
Do we need 501(c)(3) status to apply?
No. A 501(c)(3) is the simplest case, because we can confirm it through the IRS. Churches and community organizations without that status can apply when they show real need, and we ask them to describe the work they do and who they serve.
How does Website Care work?
Website Care is $20 per month, sold six months at a time and paid up front as one $120 block. It works like a punch card: six change requests of up to 30 minutes each, one new page, and uptime and form monitoring.
The six months start the day your site launches. The block ends at six months or when every request and the page are used, whichever comes first, and you can buy another block then or add one later if your site is already live.
What does Fire and Cloud get out of this?
Paid client work funds the program, so it costs your organization nothing to exist. In return, Fire and Cloud gets a portfolio piece, a small footer credit link, and relationships in the communities where we work. That is the whole trade.
How do you choose which organization gets the build?
We verify the organization first, then select the one where a website will do the most good and where content is ready to go. Readiness matters as much as need, because a build slot only helps an organization that can use it.
What if our content is not ready by the deadline?
The slot passes to the next organization for that quarter, and you keep your eligibility for a future one. Nothing is lost except time, and the checklist we send makes the content work as small as possible.
We already have a website. Can we still apply?
Yes, if the current site genuinely needs replacing rather than editing. Replacement builds ship on our platform, and we map your existing page addresses with redirects so search engines follow your pages to the new site.
Who owns the website and the domain?
Your organization does. The domain is registered in your name, the site files belong to you, and hosting with us is the only ongoing tie. If you ever leave, the site goes with you.
Apply for a Spark Build
Use the form below and select Spark Program (Nonprofit) as the service if it is not already set. In the details box, include your organization's name, your EIN, one or two sentences on your mission and who you serve, your current website address if you have one, and why this quarter is the right time. Applications are reviewed each quarter and every organization hears back.
Your Project Funds the Next Spark Build
Every client website, SEO engagement, and automation project moves the program forward. If your business needs work done, you now know exactly where part of that investment goes.