One of the questions I’m asked frequently is where do you find grant opportunities?
Are you running out of grant opportunities? Does it seem like every time you search for grants, you can only find a few opportunities that are a good fit? Here is a startling fact:
Ninety percent of foundations do not have websites.
That means that if you search for grant opportunities in your favorite internet search engine, you're missing out on, well... 90% of the opportunities that are out there.
If you're wondering why, stay tuned for our next blog. But first, let me tell you what to do about it.
Check Out a Grants Research Database
Grant research databases give you access to thousands of grant opportunities. They basically make grantmakers' tax returns searchable by geographic focus, subject of interest, and the type of support offered.
You see, all foundation's tax returns are open to the public. If you know the name of a foundation, you can easily search for its 990 tax return.
A 990 tax return will list the organizations the grantmaker funded, the locations of the award recipients, the amount of the grant awards, and the types of projects funded. Valuable information!
But if you don't know the name of the foundation, this strategy is useless. That's where grant databases come in. They help you find foundations that match the criteria you are seeking.
Grant research databases became available online in the early 2000s. Today, there are dozens of these databases, but only a few are worth your time and investment. So, I'm going to tell you the Best Grant Databases of 2024. Plus, I have access to discount coupons and free trials of these databases, so you can check them out and learn which is best for you.
Criteria Used to Rate Databases
We compared a dozen different databases. To determine the best grant research databases for 2024, we looked at the following criteria:
Number of Hits: How many foundations are in the database?
Limitations by Grant Amount: Some databases do not include foundations that give grants under a threshold number, such as $5,000. These databases are not included because these smaller foundations are vital to rural nonprofits.
Mapping Feature: The ability to plot where grants were given on a map. This helps nonprofits pinpoint the specific locations where foundations make grants, for example, only in the eastern part of a state.
Push Notifications: The databases send you grant deadline reminders.
Grants Management: This allows you to track the grants you have submitted and plan to submit within the database.
The Best Grant Research Databases of 2024
1. Instrumentl - Instrumentl is a relative newcomer to the world of grants research, founded in 2015. We love that you can detail projects you want to be funded and then receive reminders of when grants are due and new prospect ideas to research.
The database has more funders than any other at 410,000 and 14,000+ active opportunities. The grants management component is unsurpassed by other companies. The main negative is the price—$299 per month.
*Best for grant writers who need ongoing deadline reminders and a tracking system.
2. Foundation Directory Online by Candid - Setting the industry standard, this database includes over 242,000 foundations, 24.7 million grants, and 2.2 million recipient profiles. It has the best mapping feature, allowing you to pinpoint where a foundation makes grants down to the city, county, or legislative district. This will really save you time! Priced at $219 per month, the user interface is intuitive, and it includes basic grant tracking features, such as saved searches. We have used this database since 2005, and it never lets us down.
*Best for mature nonprofits that are ready to dig deeper into grant research.
3. GrantStation - The best quality of GrantStation is its price. You can get a yearlong subscription to the database for $95 if you catch it on sale; otherwise, it is $699 per year or $58 per month. GrantStation has about 40,000 grantmaker hits in the database. While it does not have a mapping feature, it does include a geographic description in the text of the grantmaker's geographic focus that is surprisingly detailed. Spark the Fire students, email us for the discount code.
* Best for nonprofits just getting started with grant research.
Now you know the best grants databases. Many other choices are available, but consider the criteria we used to make your own choice. What databases do you love? How do they compare to our choices? We'd love to hear from you. Use the comments below to tell us and stay tuned for why some foundations don't have websites and what to do about funders who "don't accept applications" in our next blog.
Your friend in fundraising,
Allison