What you can get for free — including instead of us
Every tool in this category hides the free alternatives, because naming them costs a sale. Here they are, with what each one will and will not do for you.
Grants.gov →
Every open federal grant, free, no account to browse. This is the source we read from — there is no version of it you have to pay for.
The catch: Search is keyword-only. It will not tell you whether you can win a program, and it lists opportunities you are not eligible for without saying so.
USASpending.gov →
Every federal award since 2007 — who won, how much, how often. Free.
The catch: It is a research database, not a matching tool. Connecting an award history to a live opportunity is the work.
ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer →
Any nonprofit's filed 990s, including every grant a private foundation paid.
The catch: One filing at a time. Finding which funders back organizations like yours means opening them one by one and tallying names.
SAM.gov →
The federal register every grant applicant needs, and the UEI it issues. Free, and nothing federal can be submitted without it.
The catch: Takes one to three weeks. Start it before you write anything.
Candid — free funding search →
A free tier of the largest funder dataset in the sector, plus your own organization's Candid profile, which most institutional funders read before they read a proposal.
The catch: The full Foundation Directory is a paid subscription — but see the next line.
Candid's Funding Information Network →
Hundreds of public libraries and nonprofit centres provide free access to the paid Foundation Directory. Ask your library whether it is a partner — many people pay for a subscription they could have used for nothing.
The catch: You have to go there, or use their remote access if offered.
Candid Learning →
Free proposal-writing courses and a knowledge base, from the organization that holds the sector's data.
The catch: Training, not a tool. It teaches the work rather than doing any of it.
The Grantsmanship Center — state resources →
State-by-state links to foundations, community foundations and corporate giving programmes, free to browse.
The catch: A directory of directories. Useful for orientation, not for shortlisting.
Benefits.gov →
For individuals: the official screener for federal benefit programmes.
The catch: Benefits, not grants — but worth ten minutes before chasing anything else.
So what are we for?
Everything above is a source. None of them answers the question you actually have, which is which of these can I win, and what is closed to me.
MCGrantz reads those same public records and scores each opportunity against who has actually won that exact programme before, and whether those winners look anything like you. Checking that is free here too, and always will be — no card, no trial clock. What you pay for is the writing.
If you are not going to pay anyone
That is a completely reasonable position, and here is the order that wastes the least time: get your SAM.gov registration started today, claim your Candid profile, ask your library about Funding Information Network access, and use USASpending to check who won a programme before you spend a week on it. That sequence is free and it is most of the advantage.
See what you can win — free, no account