Grant databases compared: free and paid tools, honestly reviewed

Grant databases are sold as the answer to "where do I find grants?" They help, but none of them is magic, and the most expensive one won't fix a vague prospect strategy. The right question isn't "which database is best?" It's "which kind of funding am I chasing, and which tool covers it well?"

This page compares the main free and paid options honestly, including where each falls short. Pricing changes often, so we list prices only where the provider (or an official partner) publishes them, as of October 2026. Otherwise we say "check current pricing."

The short version

Free government sources

Grants.gov

Grants.gov is the official federal site for finding and applying to federal discretionary grant opportunities. Searching is free, and you can set up email notifications for new opportunities. It's the right place for federal competitive grants, but it doesn't list foundation grants and it doesn't show most state-administered subgrants that originate from federal formula funds.

Applying through Grants.gov requires registrations (including SAM.gov) that take time, so start early. Our Grants.gov guide covers the workflow.

SAM.gov Assistance Listings

Assistance Listings on SAM.gov, formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), describe federal assistance programs available to state and local governments, nonprofits, and others. They're not application portals. Their value is context: a listing tells you a program exists, who's eligible, how it's funded (including formula programs that flow through states), and which agency runs it. That helps you figure out who in your state might be passing the money through.

State grant portals

A growing number of states publish central grant portals. California's, run by the California State Library under the Grant Information Act of 2018, lists competitive and first-come grant and loan opportunities offered by California state agencies. Other states use clearinghouses, agency-by-agency listings, or their budget office. See government grants for how to track down yours.

Free foundation research sources

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

Free, fast, and grounded in IRS data. You can read a foundation's 990-PF grant list, see its assets and giving totals, and for many electronically filed returns, search the full text of filings to find foundations that funded a peer. What it doesn't do: tell you deadlines, match you to funders, or track anything. See researching funders with 990s.

IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS)

TEOS confirms whether an organization is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, flags automatic revocations, and provides copies of filings and determination letters. It's more of a verification tool than a prospecting tool, but it's essential for checking unfamiliar funders.

Foundation websites and annual reports

Not a database, but don't skip it. The funder's own site is the only authoritative source for current guidelines and deadlines.

Candid (Foundation Directory and GuideStar, now combined)

Candid formed from the 2019 merger of Foundation Center and GuideStar. In January 2026, it launched Candid search, which combines the data from Foundation Directory and GuideStar into one platform. At launch, Candid said the platform covers 1.9 million organizations and about 3 million grant transactions a year.

Free tier. Anyone who registers gets limited search results and basic profile views.

Paid plans. Candid's pricing page lists premium monthly and annual plans, an "Ultimate" annual plan, and custom enterprise pricing. Candid has said it uses tiered pricing, with lower rates for nonprofits and budget-limited organizations, and that small nonprofits (under $1 million in revenue or expenses) can receive premium access after earning a Gold Seal of Transparency. Because published figures have varied across Candid's own pages, check current pricing on candid.org before you budget.

Free full access at partner locations. Candid's community partner network, historically called the Funding Information Network, puts Candid resources in public libraries, community foundations, community colleges, and nonprofit resource centers around the country. At these locations, you can use the full database free, often with help from trained staff. Use Candid's "Candid near you" locator, and call ahead to confirm hours and how access works.

Strengths: The deepest foundation and grants data available; strong filters by geography, subject, and recipient type. Weaknesses: Full access costs money unless you go to a partner location; less focused on deadlines and workflow than tools built for grant writers.

Instrumentl

Instrumentl combines funder matching, funder research based on 990 data, and grant tracking in a single workflow. It says it covers private and community foundations, corporate funders, and federal and state government opportunities. Writers who manage many applications tend to value its saved-search alerts and pipeline tools.

Cost: Paid subscription with a 14-day free trial, per Instrumentl's site. Check current pricing; Instrumentl doesn't list it on the product pages we reviewed. Strengths: Matching plus tracking in one place; good for freelancers and teams managing many deadlines. Weaknesses: A real cost for small budgets; matches still need human qualification against guidelines and filings.

GrantStation

GrantStation is a subscription resource with searchable grantmaker profiles, newsletters, and tutorials. Many state nonprofit associations offer discounted access as a member benefit. For example, the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations lists a member price of $139 a year against a regular price of $199, as of October 2026.

Cost: Paid; check your state association for discounts. Strengths: Affordable; curated profiles; useful newsletters. Weaknesses: Smaller dataset than Candid; less workflow functionality than Instrumentl.

GrantWatch

GrantWatch aggregates current grant listings and describes them as human-verified. Some advanced search filters are free; full access requires a subscription. GrantWatch's subscription page listed weekly ($22), monthly ($49), quarterly ($100), and annual ($249) MemberPlus plans as of October 2026.

Strengths: Easy browsing of open opportunities across many funder types. Weaknesses: Listings are summaries of other organizations' opportunities, so always verify details with the funder. Less useful for researching invitation-only foundations or giving patterns.

How to choose

Match the tool to your funding mix:

Getting the most out of any database

Whichever tools you use, a few habits make them far more productive:

1. Start with your fit criteria. Decide geography, cause, grant size, and support type before you search, then set filters to match. See grant prospecting.
2. Search by grantee, not just by keyword. Look up peer organizations to see who funds them. That's often more productive than searching subject terms.
3. Save searches and set alerts where the tool allows, so new opportunities come to you.
4. Verify everything. Treat database entries as leads. Confirm deadlines and eligibility on the funder's own site and check grant patterns in its filings.
5. Record what you learn. Move qualified prospects into your tracker with notes on why they fit, so the research isn't lost when someone leaves.

Questions to ask before you pay for a subscription

• Which funder types does it cover well, and which does it miss?
• How often is the data updated, and where does it come from?
• Can you search by grantee and by geography?
• Does it include deadlines and alerts, or only funder profiles?
• How many users can share an account?
• Is there a free trial, a nonprofit discount, or a discount through your state nonprofit association?
• Can you export your data if you cancel?

What no database can do for you

• Judge fit. Databases filter on keywords and stated priorities. Only you can check the actual grants and decide.
• Build relationships. Many of the best funders are invitation-only or relationship-driven.
• Guarantee anything. Be wary of any service that promises grants in exchange for fees.

Whatever you use, verify every opportunity against the funder's own guidelines, then score it with the Funder Fit Scorecard before you invest writing time.