The only grants management software comparison page you need

Instrumentl is the only platform that brings prospecting, tracking, and management to one place, but there are many alternatives to it.

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Comparing different grants management software for you

Working at a nonprofit, we’re sure you have a lot on your plate. This is why we did the heavy lifting of comparing different grants management software for you.

Grants management software comparison

Lacks cohesive grant management

Lacks a matching algorithm

Lacks collaboration and task features

Lacks robust full grant lifecycle features

Lacks smart grant tracking and insights

Lacks robust tracking & collaboration

Lacks tracking & management features

How to compare different grants management software

When it comes to comparing different grants management software, you need to ensure that you’re truly comparing apples to apples. Below you can see the criteria you should consider during the vetting process.

Pricing

Do a cost analysis and estimate return on investment before deciding to subscribe to grant management software.

Features

Make sure the grant tool has all the features you need that allow you to research, manage, and track your grants.

Integrations

Check if this grants management software integrates with Salesforce, supports calendar integrations, and your existing tech stack.

User-friendliness

Evaluate the complexity of the grants tool you’re considering and check the quality of onboarding and educational materials.

Customer support

Great customer support helps you maximize the use of the grants management software, goes the extra mile, and is responsive.

User reviews

User reviews can help you understand the pros and cons of using certain grant management software and map out potential shortcomings of the tool.

Download the ultimate comparison guide of different grant management software

Prefer to have a single PDF that compares all the features of the most popular grants management software? We got you covered.

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8 Things That Only Instrumentl Can Do

There are some similarities in functionality between Instrumentl and alternatives like Foundation Directory Online, FoundationSearch or GrantHub, which can make it hard to compare to choose the best tool for you. So instead of focusing on what's similar, we thought we'd share the unique things you can do with Instrumentl.

01

Automagical deadline reminders & updates

Get weekly emails with all your upcoming saved grant deadlines, including opportunities previously won and lost. Eliminate the need to set up separate calendar reminders in Google Calendar or a separate to do list app. 

List of upcoming grant deadlines
02

RFP data connected to foundation profiles 

Quickly review active grant opportunities with 990 snapshots and detailed funder insights, all in the same view. With Instrumentl, you no longer need to open and sift through 990 PDFs to find the data you need to assess whether a foundation is a good fit funder.

A funder profile for the Ford Foundation: key financial stats and past grantees by state and year.
03

Intelligent matching to RFPs & Funders

Get personalized recommendations for foundations based off your project criteria and the award histories of funders. Tell us what you're working on, what types of grants you'd like to see and we'll curate a list of good fit funders in seconds. 

A list of matches to active RFPs and Funders
04

Tracking with enriched RFP & Funder info

Did a funder you're pursuing change a grant deadline? Instrumentl has you covered. We actively notify you via e-mail whenever funders tweak priorities or deadlines for any RFP you've saved. Our Tracker helps you manage multiple grant efforts in one place.

A project tracker with grant deadlines and statuses.

Our customers often realize 92% in time savings using Instrumentl. Try it today.

Apply to 1.5X more grants by working smarter, not harder.
Or, if you’re not ready yet, read & watch our customer stories.

05

Workflow for prospecting efficiently & storing your research

Store notes for yourself or a teammate easily to kickstart your next collaboration. Create and assign tasks to the team or a specific individual to ensure your standard grant proposal process is followed across your organization.

A task list to keep your team on track.
06

Insights about how to be successful when breaking into a new funder

Our Standard Plan helps you sift through the important parts of 990s to help you easily find new good fit funders. Get insights like giving patterns over multiple years, past grantees by location, openness to new grantees, and average & median grant amounts. 

A chart showing the percentage of grants given to new grantees per year.
07

Organization by project / saved searches

Most grant tools that help you prospect make you start from scratch each time. With Instrumentl projects, you get saved searches and more. A project is like a workspace with two components: a saved search & your saved grants. Projects typically map to ongoing program areas at an organization. 

A list of projects aka saved searches.
08

Reports with auto-created links to RFP & Foundation summaries

Create easy-to-read PDF or CSV reports with easy access back to your Tracker to make your next staff or client meeting more productive.

Export the tracker as reports in PDF or CSV form.

FAQs

How should I evaluate pricing when comparing grants management software?
Open and close answer

There are three recommended ways to evaluate pricing when comparing different grants management software. First, look for the features you’d get within each pricing plan and try to assess the value you’d get for your money. Second, search for information about the return on investment and the real business impact the tool can help you achieve. Last but not least, see if there is a free trial that you can sign up for to test the tool before committing to a subscription.

Who should I consult with when comparing grants management software?
Open and close answer

You should always think about the people from your organization who are going to use the grant management software. Try to discuss your individual and collective team challenges to narrow down your choices.

In nonprofit organizations, the decision-making process may include different stakeholders but it’s usually the Executive Director or the Board of Directors that makes the final call. This is why it’s important to vet different solutions internally together before building a case and getting the buy-in from the management.

What if I compare different grants management software and end up choosing the wrong one?
Open and close answer

Different software vendors have different types of contacts. Our advice would be to try the software out through a free trial, to ask their customer success team as many questions as you can think of, and to go through user reviews to see what are the most common complaints. But if you do end up choosing the wrong one, it’s not the end of the world. You can always switch to another grants management software tool that you feel is a better fit. 

Instrumentl has a full-time customer success team that regularly runs weekly trainings and ongoing support for customers. We also offer a 30-day guarantee on any plans Standard or above, which you can learn more about here.

How easy is it to switch to another grants management software?
Open and close answer

It shouldn’t be complicated at all. For example, switching to Instrumentl is easy. You start by creating a 14-day free trial on Instrumentl. Then, you simply log into your old grant tool's account and export your previously saved funders and upload these into your Instrumentl Tracker by clicking Add New -> Upload Many. Our team will do the heavy lifting for you from here!

When compared to other grants management software, who does Instrumentl work best for?
Open and close answer

We serve nonprofits of all sizes. That said, Instrumentl excels at helping nonprofits with 501c3 status and at least $1M in operating revenue scale their grant strategies. Grant writers or consultancies also leverage Instrumentl to enhance their grant services.

Our customers range from animal shelters to hospital systems, showcasing a wide array of success stories. If your organization fits these criteria, Instrumentl can help you elevate your grant-seeking efforts and achieve sustainable funding growth. See for yourself.

Ready to experience the industry's favorite institutional fundraising tool?

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Exactly how is Instrumentl better?

Rather than just tell you we are the best (though we do truly believe that), here's what actual grant professionals in communities on Facebook and on GrantZone are saying about us:

Instrumentl has everything you need in one place (including 990s) and it's organized for you.I've been using Instrumentl for nearly two years and have found myself turning to it more than any of my other grant opportunity/funder search tools.GrantStation vs. Instrumentl? Instrumentl, hands down.
I'm very impressed (with Instrumentl) so far. Support has been super responsive through chat and email.We switched from Foundation Search to Instrumentl at the beginning of the year and my team loves it. It is much more intuitive and user friendly.I have been using Instrumentl for two years now and I find it very user-friendly.Instrumentl has a built-in project management function.

Our customers often realize 92% in time savings using Instrumentl. Try it today.

Apply to 1.5X more grants by working smarter, not harder. Or, if you’re not ready yet, read & watch our customer stories.

What our customers are saying to wrap things up: