Navigating the landscape of grant management software can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to understanding pricing structures. As a grant professional, you need to ensure that the solution you choose aligns with your organization’s needs—including your budget.
In this article, we break down Amplifund’s pricing plans and key features so that you can make an informed decision on which plan is best for you. We also take a look at Amplifund alternatives, like Instrumentl, so that you can be certain you’re investing in the right software. By the end, you’ll feel confident in identifying a solution that fits your needs.
Let’s dive in!
Amplifund Pricing at a Glance
Amplifund offers customized pricing plans tailored to the unique needs of different organizations. While specific costs are not listed upfront, they provide a tiered approach based on the features and support levels required.
The lack of transparent pricing can be a pain point, but understanding the general structure and the platform’s key features can help you anticipate what to expect.
Although Amplifund primarily serves government agencies, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations, they do offer solutions for nonprofits. However, nonprofits looking to use Amplifund will need to contact them directly for specific pricing details and tailored plans.
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Amplifund is designed to streamline the grant management process through a range of robust features. Let’s take a look at some of them in more detail.
1. Identify Grant Opportunities
Finding new grant opportunities that fit your nonprofit’s needs can be challenging. That’s why choosing a grant management software that helps you identify good-fit opportunities is crucial.
Amplifund offers tools for sourcing new funding, especially for those seeking government grants. While its primary focus is on grant management, it also provides useful features to help you find RFPs efficiently.
With Amplifund you can:
Access a database of over 4,000 federal, state, municipal and local government grant opportunities.
Utilize advanced search filters to find the most relevant grants.
Receive automated alerts for new RFPs, ensuring you never miss a funding opportunity.
Additionally, Amplifund’s database includes over 200,000 independent, community, and corporate/foundation grant makers. However, these listings do not always include active grant opportunities, so you’ll need to do your own research to find those grant cycles. This could be time consuming, and could have a significant impact on the efficiency of your grant search.
2. Manage Tasks and Budgets
Amplifund provides comprehensive tools to help manage tasks and budgets in the post-award grants phase. Here’s a more in-depth look at those features:
Assignment Creation and Tracking: Assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and track progress to ensure timely completion.
Automatic Reminders: Receive reminders for upcoming deadlines, with integration capabilities for common calendar apps, like Outlook and Google.
Comprehensive Budget Tracking: Manage and track budgets, including indirect costs and matching requirements.
Payment Management: Track payment requests, receipts, and authorizations seamlessly.
Risk Management: Identify and flag at-risk items based on budget performance and reporting data points.
These features collectively ensure that grant projects stay on track and within budget, enhancing financial accountability and operational efficiency.
It’s important to note that most of Amplifund’s features are geared towards preparing for audits, generating reports, and detailed budget management, which makes sense considering their focus on government funding. However, these functions may not be as helpful or necessary for nonprofits that primarily apply for foundation or corporate grants.
3. Build Reports on Outcomes
Amplifund’s platform also offers robust reporting capabilities to help users effectively track and demonstrate the outcomes of their grant-funded projects. Key features include:
Customizable Reporting: Create tailored reports that meet the specific requirements of various stakeholders and funders.
Outcome Tracking: Monitor project performance and outcomes with real-time data to evaluate success and areas for improvement.
Compliance Reports: Generate reports that align with federal and organizational compliance standards.
4. Document Storage
Amplifund offers robust document storage features that allow you and your team to organize your grant documents and increase the efficiency of your grant management processes. Here are some of the key functions:
Centralized Storage: Store all grant-related documents in a single, secure location, making it easy for your team to access and manage important files.
Version Control: Keep track of document revisions and updates, ensuring that you always have the most current version.
Secure Access: Control user permissions and access levels to ensure that sensitive information is protected.
Easy Retrieval: Quickly find and retrieve documents using advanced search functionality.
These features help streamline document management, improve collaboration, and ensure compliance with grant requirements.
While Amplifund does not publish exact pricing details on their website, user reviews and industry insights suggest a custom pricing model based on the scope and scale of the required services.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from their pricing plans:
Grant Seeker - Core: This plan is designed for organizations seeking comprehensive solutions for finding funding opportunities, managing applications, and tracking post-award compliance. This plan starts at approximately $5,000 per year.
Grant Maker - Core: This plan offers more advanced features for organizations that manage grant distribution; the cost is around $6,000 per year.
Advanced/Enterprise Plans: For organizations with more complex needs, there are advanced or enterprise-level plans that are custom-built (and custom-priced) based on the organization’s specific requirements and scale.
Here’s the thing: Amplifund is pricey, and it might be out of reach for many nonprofits in terms of cost.Additionally, since it doesn’t focus heavily on prospecting or active RFPs, users will likely need to invest in additional databases and tools to meet their funding search needs. This will lead to increased costs and a smaller return on investment (ROI) for those using Amplifund.
It’s important to carefully evaluate your nonprofit’s specific needs and budget constraints before committing to Amplifund’s (or any other) services.
Amplifund is a solid grant management solution, especially for organizations exploring and/or seeking federal funding opportunities.
That being said, as you consider investing in a software to support your fundraising programs, it’s important to consider whether there are alternatives to Amplifund that give you a better bang for your buck.
We might be biased—but we are confident that Instrumentl is the most comprehensive and advanced fundraising tool that is available today. Instrumentl streamlines the entire grant lifecycle, allowing you to prospect, track, and manage grants within one easy-to-use tool.
Instrumentl’s US grants database is unmatched among its competitors, boasting 400,000+ funders, 15,000+ live RFPs, and 150+ new opportunities added every week. That’s right—every week!
Instrumentl also offers a suite of features that aren’t a part of Amplifund’s platform, including:
Smart Matching to RFPs and Funders: Our intelligent smart matching system quickly identifies the best-fit funding opportunities for your nonprofit, saving you time and increasing your chances of success.
Funder 990 Insights: Gain deep insights into funders’ giving patterns and priorities through detailed analysis of their IRS Form 990 filings, helping you tailor your proposals more effectively.
24/7 Deadline Reminders and Email Updates: Never miss an important deadline with automatic reminders and updates.
Active Notifications of RFP Changes: Stay informed about changes to RFP deadlines and funding priorities so you’re always in-the-know about things that could impact your grant applications.
Instrumentl makes finding good-fit grant opportunities both fast and effective, in addition to providing comprehensive post-award management tools. It’s a one-stop-shop for all your grant needs across the entire grant lifecycle—and no other grant management software can say that.
As the cherry on top of this incredible Instrumentl sundae, users get access to free resources for grant professionals to help develop their skills, such as blogs, webinars, and online grant writing courses.
Instrumentl offers several pricing options to meet the needs of different organizations:
Instrumentl’s basic plan is $179/month when paid annually and is great for organizations just getting started with grants.
The standard plan offers core prospecting and grant management as well as all the features of the basic plan; this option is $299/month when paid annually and comes with a 30-day guarantee—because we stand by our product!
The pro plan offers streamlined end-to-end grant management as well as personalized onboarding and training. Pricing starts at $499/month when paid annually, and comes with the same 30-day guarantee as the standard plan.
Like Amplifund, Instrumentl also offers a customizable option for larger organizations such as hospitals, universities, or large nonprofits. This option will include personalized features and will grant full access to the platform for the entire organization.
If you need more convincing, check out these quotes from some very happy Instrumentl customers who were more than willing to share their success stories:
Becky Harris, Philanthropy Director for Foundations & Corporations at Eversight, shares:
“I really feel strongly that Instrumentl has increased my efficiency. It’s no longer, ‘Let’s just fill out 10 grant applications and hope we get a response.’ Now, I almost always get a response. Our success rate has gone from 14% to 22%; that’s a significant jump.”
Beth Kander-Dauphin, Chief Strategies Officer at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life says:
“I love the fact that Instrumentl is like a one-stop shop where I can research and track grants all in one place. I feel like 90% of my work is concentrated in one platform and that has been a huge help for me.”
Here’s the best part: you can sign up for a 14-day free trial with Instrumentl (no credit card required!) to explore all of the features and functionalities before you commit to a monthly or annual plan.
Wrapping Up: Will You Choose Amplifund To Manage Your Grants?
Choosing the right grant management software is critical for maximizing your organization’s efficiency and securing new funding opportunities.
Amplifund offers robust features for task and budget management, reporting, and centralized document storage. Their grant search tools, however, leave something to be desired with a focus on government opportunities and a lack of active grant opportunities.
However, if your focus is on finding a tool that can support your workflows through the entire grant lifecycle, Instrumentl provides a more cost-effective and user-friendly alternative with a comprehensive database, smart matching technology, detailed funder insights, and powerful post-award management features.
It’s super important to consider your nonprofit’s specific needs and budget to determine which platform best fits your requirements so you can see a return on your investment.