Category guide
Grant research software
Grant tools answer two questions: which funders are worth your hours, and how fast can you get a strong application out the door. Credible options run from about $199 a year to $500 a month, and the right one depends on your application volume.
How to choose
Match the tool to your volume. A handful of applications a year: GrantStation (about $199/yr through TechSoup) plus free library access to Candid covers the research, and Grantable speeds up the writing from a free plan. Ten or more concurrent applications: Instrumentl (from $179/mo) replaces both the searching and the tracking spreadsheet, and its 14-day trial is the fastest way to see whether the matching earns the price for your programs.
One rule keeps this category honest: buy research software when finding funders is the bottleneck, and buy writing software when drafting is. More prospects won't fix a writing backlog, and faster drafts won't fix an empty pipeline.
The tools, at a glance
From ~$449/yr; free at partner libraries
Deep due diligence on specific foundations and their 990 giving history
Free plan; paid from $50/mo
Small shops that want AI help drafting grant applications without hiring a writer
50% off first year for nonprofits under $500k budget
Free
Established organizations with the capacity to compete for federal funding
~$199/yr via TechSoup
Budget-conscious shops that want a broad funder database and will run their own searches
From $179/mo (billed annually)
Shops managing 10+ grant applications that want matching and deadline tracking in one place
Related reading
- How many grants should a shop your size actually pursue?
- How to build a grant calendar a two-person team can keep
- Is paid grant research software worth it for a small nonprofit?
- Instrumentl vs GrantStation for a one-person shop
- How to vet a foundation before you apply
- How to read a 990 to find your next funder
See where grant tools fit in the grassroots stack, the $250k-$1M stack, and the $1M-$5M stack.