Chances are, if you're a nonprofit fundraiser, your plate is full. You might even be struggling to make time for all of the different functions of grant writing and research that you’re responsible for.
That’s where a grant research database can help! A grant search database can do in hours what would take you days— saving you time and money!
There are many grant search databases on the market, but two of the most well-known are FoundationSearch and GrantHub. In this article, we’ll walk you through the features of FoundationSearch vs. GrantHub, their pricing, customer reviews, and another alternative to consider.
Let’s go!
FoundationSearch vs. GrantHub Features Compared
Some of the most time-intensive functions of the grant writing process include finding new funders, tracking prospect research and grant submissions, collaborating on proposals, and reporting on grants.
In this section, we’re going to take a deep dive into how FoundationSearch and Granthub can support you in these critical areas by comparing their features and functionality.
Finding New RFPs & Funders
FoundationSearch Finding New RFPs and Funders Features:
FoundationSearch boasts an online database of approximately 120,000 private, corporate, and government funder profiles. Although FoundationSearch is based in Canada, it does feature opportunities in both Canada and the US. Needless to say, it’s a very comprehensive funder database.
However, FoundationSearch lacks an algorithm to match your nonprofit to newly-opened RFPs or newly-added foundation profiles. In fact, they don’t even list RFPs in their database! This means you would have to do additional outside research to determine if a funder had any active and open grants—meaning you could potentially miss out on opportunities that would be a good match for your organization or project.
GrantHub is primarily a grants tracking and management tool, and it relies on other platforms, such as GrantStation, to identify new funding opportunities. This means that GrantHub isn’t able to provide you with a simple and streamlined way to find funders that fit your needs. You’ll have to spend time and energy doing that research on your own. Bummer!
Tracking Prospect Research & Submissions
FoundationSearch Tracking Prospect Research and Submissions Tools:
FoundationSearch focuses primarily on grant prospecting rather than grant management—exactly the opposite of GrantHub!
For example, FoundationSearch does not currently provide automated reminders of upcoming deadlines or a way to track your submissions easily. This means that you could potentially miss a deadline if it isn’t on your calendar.
Overall, when it comes to grants management, FoundationSearch doesn’t offer comprehensive tools to help you manage your entire grants pipeline—so you’re going to have to continue to rely on your current tracking and management methods.
GrantHub Tracking Prospect Research and Submissions Tools:
Tracking is really where GrantHub shines.
GrantHub is built to help you monitor all your different applications so that you can track the items in your to-do list seamlessly. GrantHub makes it easy to create tasks for each project you’re working on, organize your grant-related documents, and keep notes on your funders and prospects.
Perhaps its most useful tool, GrantHub provides a calendar to let you keep track of important dates and deadlines. This is great! However, they do not push out automatic deadline reminders, so you’ll need to be sure to check your calendar every day so you don’t miss anything!
Collaboration & Reporting
FoundationSearch Collaboration and Reporting Features:
FoundationSearch does not offer many multi-user capabilities, making it tougher to collaborate on projects.
While multiple users can access the platform, only one can be logged in at a time. Yikes! This will definitely hinder your ability to collaborate on projects with your team, which will certainly reduce your efficiency as you work to apply for funding. It also means that you’ll have to coordinate with your colleagues to make sure that only one of you is accessing this tool at a time.
However, FoundationSearch does offer a “My Prospect Manager” tool that allows users to collaborate by leaving notes and creating actions for each other regarding different projects.
GrantHub Collaboration and Reporting Features:
GrantHub lets you have up to 35 users on one account, making it super easy for your team to collaborate and work together.
You can also create and assign tasks and send automated emails to keep everyone on track. So useful! GrantHub also provides pre-built templates that allow you to create and share reports effortlessly.
Overall
Overall, when comparing FoundationSearch vs. GrantHub, both platforms have pros and cons. It’s important to know what your needs are so that you can make a decision about which will provide you with the most support.
FoundationSearch has a comprehensive database of US and Canadian funders but it does not offer lists of active RFPs for you to review. FoundationSearch also lacks the features to help you manage your grants and collaborate seamlessly with other members of your team.
GrantHub offers more robust tracking and management features, including collaboration tools. However, it lacks the ability internally to help you discover new prospects and funders, meaning you’ll still likely be relying on Google or another platform to find opportunities.
In addition to these features and functionalities, we know that price will likely play a big role in your decision-making process. Keep reading for an overview of pricing plans for both GrantHub and FoundationSearch!
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FoundationSearch vs. GrantHub Pricing Compared
FoundationSearch does not have a formal pricing structure. While they don’t share a ton of pricing information publicly, we’ve done some research! You can anticipate spending at least $333 per month for FoundationSearch access.
Metasoft, FoundationSearch’s parent company, offers pricing plans that vary based on the organization's specific needs. Subscriptions range from 1 to 5 years, depending on the features you need and the length of the commitment you want to make. For more specific information on pricing plans for your nonprofit, you’ll have to reach out directly to FoundationSearch for a quote.
GrantHub, on the other hand, is very transparent with their pricing models. They offer two different pricing plans. Both plans include:
20GB storage
Up to 35 users in one account
Unlimited support
The difference in the pricing plans is really due to the frequency of payment installments (annual versus monthly) and the ability to purchase upgrades.
The first option is a monthly payment plan, with a cost of $75 per month. The monthly plan gives you flexibility; however, it ends up costing you $900 per year, which is more than the annual plan.
The annual plan requires a $795 annual payment. This saves you $105! In addition, the annual plan allows for some upgrades, including:
What Are Customers Saying About FoundationSearch and GrantHub?
One of the best ways to help you decide which of these grant databases is right for you is by hearing reviews from current users. We read through reviews of both FoundationSearch and GrantHub and identified some trends that we’d like to share with you. Let’s dive in!
Most of the reviews we found of FoundationSearch came directly from their own website. Many users expressed satisfaction with the platform’s ability to synthesize 990 data and identify potential new good-fit funders.
Some other users, however, expressed frustration at FoundationSearch’s unwillingness to honor their money-back guarantee. Make sure you do your research and read all the fine print so that you understand the terms of this offer.
There’s no shortage of reviews on GrantHub—both on the platform’s own website and on external review websites as well.
Overall, GrantHub customers like that the platform allows you to organize all your grant-related materials and manage your list of deadlines.
On the other hand, customers who were unhappy with GrantHub were primarily concerned with its usability, slowness, and lack of customizable options.
So, what does this all mean to you? Reviews and testimonials from current users are important as they can highlight potential pain points that you may not have otherwise been aware of. However, it is important for you to consider these reviews within the context of all the other information we’ve provided you in this article.
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Is There a Better FoundationSearch or GrantHub Alternative? Instrumentl Explained
FoundationSearch and GrantHub are not the only two options out there for grant prospecting and management tools. Instrumentl is a third option that is definitely worth exploring.
While there are some similarities between FoundationSearch, GrantHub, and Instrumentl, there are a lot of functions that Instrumentl offers that make it stand out. This platform offers some unique, powerful features that are going to help you streamline your grant process. In fact, Instrumentl users find themselves applying for 1.5x more grants than they did before Instrumentl!
To help you determine which platform is the best fit for you, we’re going to break down Instrumentl features and tools just like we did with GrantHub and FoundationSearch.
The categories and features we’ll look at include:
Finding New RFP’s & Funders
Tracking Prospect Research & Submissions
Collaboration & Reporting
Overall
Let’s go!
Finding New RFPs & Funders
With Instrumentl, you’ll get personalized recommendations for good-fit foundations based on your specific project criteria and the funder's past giving trends.
Basically, you tell Instrumentl what you’re working on and the types of grants you’re interested in, and Instrumentl curates a list of good-fit funders for you! With this intelligent matching feature, it has never been easier to find new funders and RFP opportunities.
Instrumentl’s database sources funding opportunities from corporate funders, foundations, and federal and state entities. This means that you’ll get access to more opportunities by using Instrumentl than you would with its competitors.
Even better, the foundation profiles on Instrumentl are incredibly comprehensive and easy-to-read. They give you valuable insights into the funder’s giving patterns, average grant award amounts, and past grantees. This information is critical in helping you to determine funder fit so you can focus on high-ROI opportunities.
Also—Instrumentl’s database is constantly being updated, meaning that all the opportunities you find will be current and up-to-date.
Tracking Prospect Research & Submissions
Just because Instrumentl has great features to help you find and research funders doesn’t mean that grant management isn’t also a priority!
Have you ever missed a grant opportunity because a foundation changed its deadline? Never again! Instrumentl notifies you via email whenever a funder adjusts their giving priorities or deadlines.
Instrumentl’s tracking tools also help you manage all your grant projects in one place!
Instrumentl also lets you store your prospecting notes and share them with a teammate to allow for easy collaboration. You can even create and assign tasks for your team members to ensure a consistent process is followed across your organization.
Overall, Instrumentl is the only tool on the market that supports the entire grant lifecycle—which streamlines your work and saves you time!
Collaboration & Reporting
Instrumentl recognizes how critical collaboration is for successful grant teams; that’s why it makes it easy for your team to work collaboratively on grant proposals and reports.
Instrumentl’s cloud-based tools help you and your team collaborate seamlessly by sharing opportunities, tracking proposal progress, assigning grant owners and deadlines, and streamlining the management of your team’s Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).
Instrumentl also makes it incredibly easy to pull reports! Regardless of whether you prefer CSV or PDF format, Instrumentl’s reporting functions will help you and your team be more accountable and transparent to your stakeholders.
Overall
Overall, Instrumentl offers many more features than its competitors. Automagical deadline reminders, user-friendly training resources and customer support, and a 14-day free trial... Instrumentl just can’t be beat!
Because Instrumentl supports the entire grant lifecycle—from research to submission to reporting—you can do everything from one super user-friendly platform and don’t need to waste your time or money navigating other tools.
Rather than just telling you about all the ways that Instrumentl stands out, here’s what actual grant professionals are saying about Instrumentl on social media:
These reviews drive home what we already knew—Instrumentl clearly stands apart from other grant management and prospecting platforms on the market.
Wrapping Up: FoundationSearch vs. GrantHub: In-Depth Analysis & Review
Both FoundationSearch and GrantHub have happy customers all across the US. However, these grant databases lack some key functionalities compared to Instrumentl.
Instrumentl stands out by offering some really powerful, unique features that are going to help you streamline your fundraising efforts while also saving you time. There’s no other tool on the market that helps you manage the entire grants lifecycle, rather than just parts of it.
With features such as smart matching to RFPs and funders, automagical deadline reminders, and project tracking and collaboration, Instrumentl is hands down the most powerful grant search database available.
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