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October 7, 2024
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Do you use GrantScape? Or you’ve heard about it and are wondering if it’s the right grant management tool for you?
In this article, we’ll explore why some nonprofits may look for GrantScape alternatives and how it stacks up against the top grant management solutions on the market.
Sound good? Let’s jump in!
For savvy nonprofit professionals who are looking to get the most out of their grant management tools, there are several different reasons why they might look for GrantScape alternatives:
While GrantScape focuses primarily on its grant database, it is still incomplete when you compare it to other alternative databases on the market today.
Currently, GrantScape offers grant opportunities from:
There are more than 180,000 grantors in the system, and more than 10,000 active grants available at any given time. However, GrantScape is missing funding opportunities from corporations, as well as various public and private donors.
For nonprofits who are looking to diversify their funding strategy and land opportunities from all different types of funders, GrantScape may not be the most comprehensive prospecting tool.
GrantScape’s suite of management tools primarily focuses on saved opportunities. When you save grants, you can:
GrantScape does not have other task management or post-award features.
For nonprofits who are looking to invest in a single source of truth for their entire grant lifecycle, they may find GrantScape lacking.
While GrantScape offers more than 10,000 active grants within its database, there is an emphasis on government grants at a national, state, and local level—and all the compliance that comes with it!
There is even a Grants.gov workspace within the platform that helps those who are looking for federal funding navigate the opportunities and understand the compliance requirements.
This is great for nonprofits who are only looking for government funding opportunities, especially because GrantScape’s parent company, CBIS, has been working closely with government regulators for more than 50 years.
Nonprofits who are looking for a more well-rounded grants database may want to seek alternatives that can bring them a better variety of grants.
Instrumentl is an all-in-one grant management solution, from prospecting to post-award reporting and every step in between.
With Instrumentl, you can track all your active and past grant opportunities in one place.
Instrumentl provides users with solutions that streamline the entire grant lifecycle, including grant prospecting, grant tracking, and grant management. Key features include:
Instrumentl has transformed the way nonprofits find and manage funding.
“If you don't already have systems in place to keep you organized, invest the time and energy (and money!) to set them up. This will make your grant writing efforts infinitely more efficient!” - Sarah Lange, CEO, Sarah B. Lange, LLC
Instrumentl has one of the most comprehensive grants databases on the market today, pulling opportunities from all sectors, including:
There are more than 400,000 funders on Instrumentl and more than 15,000 live RFPs. We keep our data fresh by adding more than 150 new opportunities each week.
Instrumentl has an intuitive interface that is very easy to navigate.
But just because it’s easy doesn’t make it less transformative.
“Previously, we relied on separate Excel spreadsheets to manage our grant schedules and to keep a status report of all the grants that we have applied for, were received, or denied. Now with Instrumentl, we do all of that in one place.” - Eloise Casdorph, Nonprofit Strategist at Nonprofit Navigators
Instrumentl is a fan-favorite for nonprofits, and we have the customer reviews to prove it!
Check out our user reviews on G2 to see what others are saying about us. Spoiler alert: Thousands trust us to find grants, help them win funding, and manage their end-to-end award process.
Instrument’s pricing tiers are broken down based on the features you require.
Instrumentl has three different pricing plans that you can choose from.
There are also custom plans available for those who have specialized needs.
Grants.gov is a basic grants database, and it offers several standard features, including:
You cannot save searches, nor can you be notified of new funding opportunities or changes in deadlines. Grants.gov does not offer a lot of bells and whistles on its platform.
Grants.gov only lists federal grants, and there are no other types of funders listed in this grants database.
Grants.gov is not the most user-friendly database. It’s clunky, and you’re not able to save searches. There are a lot of filters, making it challenging to narrow down relevant opportunities.
Grants.gov is the single source of truth for government funding opportunities. Regardless of popularity, it will continue to be a master database for government grants.
Grants.gov is free to use, and there are no premium packages available. It is just a search tool, and you would still need to invest in a management tool to manage and track your awards.
GrantWatch has an extensive grant database. Each funding opportunity is detailed, including the:
GrantWatch is limited to its grant database, and it lacks additional features like recipient profiles, intelligent matching, task management, and more.
GrantWatch offers more than 27,000 grants in its database for nonprofits, with more than 8,000 actively accepting applications. They include grants from public and private foundations, corporations, charities, and government entities.
Many users find GrantWatch easy to use when browsing for new funding opportunities. However, they need to seek alternative tools to track the grants once they find, apply, and win them.
GrantWatch is an affordable and popular entry point for nonprofits looking to start exploring prospecting tools.
Grantwatch offers four different pricing plans.
There is no difference in the features available per tier, only the length of time you can access the grant database.
GrantStation offers its customers many features, including:
GrantStation offers access to federal, state, and private opportunities, with more than 9,000 funders listed.
Many users do not find the interface easy to navigate. It is not intuitive, and it has a very steep learning curve, especially for those newer to grant management tools.
GrantStation has been around since 1999, and it is a popular grant management platform. While it primarily focuses on funding opportunities, users like the additional educational resources that are available.
GrantStation offers different membership options, and you get a better value for multi-year plans.
There are also sales that can make GrantStation more affordable.
GrantSeeker.io offers many key features, including:
There is no intelligent matching or advanced funder insights available on GrantSeeker.io.
While it is unclear exactly how many opportunities are available on GrantSeeker.io, it does list opportunities from government agencies, as well as private and foundation funders.
Many users find GrantSeeker.io difficult to navigate because it lacks intuitive or clear organization. If your nonprofit has more than one program you’re seeking funding for, you may find it difficult to navigate.
GrantSeeker.io is popular due to its affordability. However, it lacks some common features that many nonprofits look for in a grant management tool, such as smart matching and detailed funder insights.
There are three pricing tiers available on GrantSeeker.io.
Many nonprofits are willing to overlook the lack of features to access the database.
17K Live Grants on Instrumentl
150+ Grants Added Weekly
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We may be biased, but we’re confident that Instrumentl is the best grant management tool out there. Here’s why:
Any time you save an opportunity, Instrumentl will send you automated reminders when deadlines are coming up. That includes funder deadlines and task reminders. We’ll even notify you if a funder changes their grant deadline!
Instrumentl leverages the 990 information and turns it into something that’s both easy to understand and intuitive to use. It provides insights into a funder’s:
Instrumentl’s intelligent matching helps improve your efficiency, bringing funding opportunities to you when you set up a project. It automatically matches you with relevant grant opportunities that meet your criteria. Additionally, Instrumentl shares weekly updates about new grants, upcoming deadlines, and more.
Instrumentl takes task management to the next level, allowing you to create tasks, assign them to members of your team, and see your entire grant pipeline at a glance. This makes collaboration a breeze, and you can easily see and communicate with your team about any bottlenecks.
Not all funders are accepting applications from new grantees, and Instrumentl makes it easy to see at a glance what their openness is. This will save you time since you know what opportunities to focus on that you have the best chance of winning.
10k+ grant writers have already subscribed
GrantScape can be a good entry point for nonprofits who want to start exploring grant management tools.
However, it lacks a comprehensive database and robust management features—and it primarily focuses on compliance and government opportunities.
Trust us when we say no one does it better than Instrumentl. We’re offering new customers a free 14-day trial so they can see for themselves why we are the best tool out there.
Jessica Knapp
Jessica Knapp is the State President and Chief Executive Officer of Communities In Schools Pennsylvania, the United States' largest dropout prevention organization. She has over 10 years of experience in nonprofit operations and leadership, program development, and fundraising/resource development.
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