Grants and funding databases are centralized resources that compile information on available grants from government agencies, foundations, and corporations
. These databases help nonprofits, researchers, and individuals find and track potential funding opportunities. While some databases are free, many paid subscription services offer more comprehensive features. Free grant databases
- Grants.gov: The official clearinghouse for all discretionary federal grant funding opportunities in the U.S.
- Best for: Organizations and individuals seeking funding from U.S. government agencies.
- Features: Provides a searchable database of thousands of federal programs, application packages, training videos, and resources to help navigate the federal grants process.
- Foundation Directory Online (FDO) Quick Start: A free, basic search tool from Candid (formerly the Foundation Center) that provides access to information on over 100,000 foundations.
- Best for: Nonprofits beginning their search for foundation funding.
- Note: Many public libraries also offer free access to the more comprehensive, paid version of the Foundation Directory.
- Grant Gopher: This database is known for its focus on providing accessible research for smaller, grassroots nonprofits, schools, and municipalities.
- Best for: Small nonprofits or schools with a limited budget.
- Features: Offers a limited-functionality free plan, which includes basic searches and access to your first five search results.
Paid subscription databases
- Instrumentl: An all-in-one grant management platform that combines grant prospecting with tracking and management tools.
- Best for: Nonprofits and grant consultants who need an integrated system for managing the entire grant process.
- Features: Intelligent matching that delivers tailored grant opportunities, new match alerts, deadline tracking, reporting tools, and access to foundation profiles and IRS 990 data.
- Foundation Directory Online (Candid): A legacy grant database with extensive information on foundations.
- Best for: Any nonprofit seeking a comprehensive database of foundation and corporate grantmakers.
- Features: Provides in-depth profiles of hundreds of thousands of grantmakers and millions of recipient profiles.
- GrantStation: A service offering a comprehensive online database of grantmakers for nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies.
- Best for: Organizations with some grant-seeking experience that want to find a wide range of grant types from different funding sources.
- Features: Lists grants from government sources, private and corporate foundations, and more. It also provides funder profiles with detailed guidelines and contact information.
- GrantForward: A funding database built by academics for researchers.
- Best for: Academic researchers and institutions looking for funding opportunities, including grants, sponsors, and pre-solicitations.
- Features: An advanced search algorithm, personalized recommendations, and a continuously updated database covering a wide ecosystem of funding.
How to choose a grant database
- For U.S. Federal Grants: Use Grants.gov, the official and free resource for federal opportunities.
- For small nonprofits: Start with free options like Grants.gov and FDO Quick Start. Grant Gopher is also a strong, affordable choice.
- For comprehensive foundation research: Foundation Directory Online is the industry standard for researching private and corporate foundations.
- For academic research: GrantForward and Pivot are designed specifically for researchers in academic institutions.
- For an all-in-one platform: Instrumentl offers integrated tools for researching, tracking, and managing the grant lifecycle.
AI responses may include mistakes. For financial advice, consult a professional. Learn more