How to Find Grants for Your Nonprofit: Free Tools and Databases

Finding the right grants is at least as important as writing them well. A flawless proposal submitted to a funder that does not fund your type of work, your geography, or your budget range is wasted effort. And yet, most nonprofit staff spend far more time on proposal writing than on prospecting -- partly because the search process feels overwhelming and partly because nobody teaches it systematically.

This guide covers the major free and low-cost tools for finding grants, how to read a funding announcement efficiently, how to evaluate fit before committing weeks of work to an application, and how to build a structured grant pipeline that keeps your organization funded without lurching from deadline to deadline.

Federal Grant Databases

If your nonprofit receives or wants to receive federal funding, there are two databases you must know.

Grants.gov

Grants.gov is the central portal for all discretionary federal grant opportunities. Every federal agency that awards grants -- HHS, USDA, EPA, DOE, Commerce, Education, DOJ, and dozens of others -- is required to post its funding opportunity announcements here.

How to use it effectively:

The basic keyword search on Grants.gov is adequate for broad queries but frustrating for targeted prospecting. Here is a more efficient approach:

1. Set up a profile and save your searches. Register for a free account and use the "Save Search" feature. Grants.gov will email you when new opportunities match your criteria.

2. Filter by agency, eligibility, and category. The advanced search lets you filter by funding agency, eligibility type (nonprofits, state governments, for-profits, etc.), CFDA category (education, health, environment, etc.), and funding instrument (grant, cooperative agreement, etc.). Use all of these filters. An unfiltered search for "community health" returns hundreds of results; filtering for nonprofits eligible, HHS only, and health category narrows it to a manageable list.

3. Search by CFDA number. If you know the specific program you are targeting (e.g., CFDA 93.243 for SAMHSA's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance), searching by CFDA number is the fastest way to find the current solicitation.

4. Read the synopsis before downloading the full NOFO. Each listing has a synopsis tab with the key details: due date, estimated award amount, expected number of awards, eligibility, and a brief description. If the synopsis does not match your work, do not waste time downloading the 80-page Notice of Funding Opportunity.

What Grants.gov does not do: It does not list formula grants (which go directly to states or designated entities), foundation grants, state grants, or subaward opportunities. It also does not track the status of your submitted application -- you need to check with the specific agency for that.

SAM.gov

SAM.gov (System for Award Management) serves two functions: it is where you register as a federal grant recipient, and it is a searchable database of federal contract and grant opportunities.

Registration is not optional. Every organization that receives a federal award must be registered in SAM.gov with an active status. Registration requires a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), which replaced the DUNS number in 2022. Initial registration can take two to four weeks; annual renewal is required. Let your registration lapse and you cannot receive an award, regardless of how strong your proposal is.

The contract opportunities side of SAM.gov is primarily for procurement (contracts), but some cooperative agreements and grants are posted here as well, particularly from agencies like DOD and DHS that operate at the contract/grant boundary.

Entity validation. SAM.gov also houses the entity validation and registration records that agencies use to verify your organization's legal status, address, and banking information. Keep your records current. Discrepancies between your SAM.gov registration and your application can cause delays or disqualification.

Foundation Grant Databases

Federal grants are important, but foundations collectively award over $100 billion annually. Finding the right foundation funder requires different tools.

Candid (Foundation Directory Online)

Candid -- the organization created by the merger of GuideStar and Foundation Center -- operates Foundation Directory Online (FDO), the most comprehensive database of foundation and corporate giving. FDO contains profiles of over 230,000 grantmakers, including their giving priorities, geographic focus, typical award amounts, application procedures, and lists of recent grants.

Free access options:

• The basic search at candid.org is free and lets you search grantmakers by name, location, and broad subject area.
• Many public libraries and nonprofit resource centers provide free access to the full FDO database. Check with your local library system -- Funding Information Network partners are in every state.

Paid access: FDO Professional and FDO Platinum subscriptions ($195-$2,495 per month) provide advanced search filters, grant history analysis, and connection mapping. If your organization applies for multiple foundation grants per year, the subscription can pay for itself through better targeting.

How to use FDO for prospecting:

1. Search for foundations that have funded organizations similar to yours -- by subject, geography, and grant size.
2. Review recent grant lists to see whether the foundation funds projects like yours, not just organizations in your sector.
3. Check the foundation's giving history over three to five years. A foundation that made one grant in your area five years ago is a weaker prospect than one that has made ten grants in your area over the past three years.
4. Note the application process. Some foundations accept unsolicited proposals; others only fund through invitation or nominations. Do not waste time applying to invitation-only funders unless you have a relationship or introduction.

990 Research

Foundation 990 tax returns are public documents and one of the best free tools for grant prospecting. Every private foundation lists its grants on its 990-PF. By reviewing recent 990s, you can see exactly who they funded, for how much, and for what purpose. Access 990s through Candid's free search, ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer, or the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. If a foundation gave $50,000 each to three organizations doing work similar to yours, that foundation belongs in your pipeline.

Also keep your own GuideStar/Candid profile current -- many funders review it as part of due diligence.

State and Regional Grant Sources

Federal and national foundation grants get the most attention, but state agencies and community foundations are often more accessible and less competitive.

State Arts and Humanities Councils

Every state has an arts council and a humanities council, and most distribute grants to local organizations. State arts council grants range from $1,000 for individual artists to $100,000+ for organizational operating support. Humanities councils typically fund programming grants for exhibitions, lectures, documentary projects, and community conversations.

Find yours through the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) directory or the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Application deadlines vary by state, but most operate on annual or biannual cycles.

State Environmental and Health Agencies

State environmental agencies often distribute EPA pass-through funding through their own grant programs, with different eligibility rules and application processes than the federal versions. State health departments distribute HRSA, CDC, and SAMHSA funds similarly. These subaward opportunities are not posted on Grants.gov -- you need to check individual state agency websites.

Community Foundations

There are over 900 community foundations in the United States, collectively managing over $130 billion in assets. Community foundations award grants within a defined geographic area, ranging from a single county to an entire state.

Most community foundation grants are between $2,500 and $50,000, but some manage donor-advised funds and designated funds that support larger awards. The application processes are generally simpler than federal grants and the review timelines are shorter.

Find community foundations in your area through the Council on Foundations community foundation locator or through a web search for "[your county] community foundation."

Agency-Specific Portals

Several federal agencies maintain their own grant management systems in addition to or instead of Grants.gov. If you work in certain sectors, you need to know these portals.

eRA Commons (NIH)

eRA Commons is NIH's electronic research administration system. All NIH grant applications, reviews, and award management flow through eRA Commons. PIs and signing officials must have active eRA Commons accounts. If your nonprofit is pursuing NIH funding -- for community health research, behavioral studies, or partnerships with academic medical centers -- register in eRA Commons well before your first submission.

Research.gov (NSF)

Research.gov is NSF's grants management portal. NSF recently completed its transition from the legacy FastLane system to Research.gov for proposal submission, review, and award management. If your nonprofit collaborates with universities on NSF-funded projects, your subaward paperwork will reference Research.gov.

DRGR (HUD)

The Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting (DRGR) system is used by HUD grantees to manage Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, including CDBG-DR disaster recovery funds. If your organization is a subrecipient of CDBG funds from a city or county, the administering entity uses DRGR to draw down funds and report on performance.

How to Read a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Federal funding announcements are long -- 40 to 100 pages is common. Reading them efficiently is a skill.

The Five-Minute Triage

Before investing an hour in a detailed read, spend five minutes on these elements:

1. Eligibility. If your organization type is not listed as eligible, stop reading. Some NOFOs have complex eligibility requirements with exceptions and special provisions, but the basic eligibility section will tell you quickly whether you are in or out.

2. Award amount and match. Check the estimated award range, the total program funding, the expected number of awards, and any cost-sharing requirements. If the average award is $50,000 and you need $500,000, this is not the right program. If a 1:1 cash match is required and you cannot raise that match, move on.

3. Due date. If the application is due in three weeks and you have not started, you should only proceed if the application is short and straightforward. Most competitive federal applications need eight to twelve weeks of preparation.

4. Program priorities. Most NOFOs list program priorities, focus areas, or competitive preference points. If your project does not align with at least one stated priority, your chances of funding are significantly reduced.

5. Geographic restrictions. Some programs fund nationally; others are restricted to specific states, regions, or types of communities (rural, urban, tribal, etc.). Check before proceeding.

The Detailed Read

If the NOFO passes triage, read these sections carefully:

• Program description. Understand what the funder actually wants to accomplish, not just what types of projects they will fund. Align your proposal with their stated goals.
• Application and submission information. This section describes every component you must submit, the order, the page limits, the formatting requirements, and the submission method. Missing a required component is the most common reason for administrative disqualification.
• Review criteria. This is the scoring rubric. Read it carefully and note the point allocations. If "organizational capacity" is worth 30 points and "project design" is worth 20 points, do not spend 10 pages on project design and one paragraph on organizational capacity.
• Reporting requirements. Know what you are committing to before you apply. Some grants require quarterly financial reports, annual performance reports, and site visits. Make sure your organization has the administrative capacity to comply.

Setting Up Search Alerts

Reactive grant searching -- waiting until you need money and then scrambling to find opportunities -- is a recipe for missed deadlines and poor-fit applications. Proactive prospecting means setting up systems that deliver opportunities to you.

Grants.gov Email Alerts

Save your most important searches and enable email notifications. Set up separate alerts for different program areas if your nonprofit operates multiple programs.

Federal Register Alerts

The Federal Register is where agencies publish proposed rules, final rules, and notices -- including notices of new grant programs and changes to existing ones. Subscribe to email alerts by topic area at federalregister.gov. This is how you learn about new funding streams before they appear on Grants.gov.

Agency Mailing Lists

Most federal agencies maintain email lists for their grant programs. Sign up directly:

• SAMHSA's listserv for behavioral health funding
• EPA's grant announcement emails
• USDA's Rural Development newsletter
• HUD's CDBG and HOME program updates

Google Alerts

Set up Google Alerts for terms specific to your funding interests: "[your state] community development grants," "EPA [your program area] grants 2026," "[specific foundation name] grant applications." Google Alerts are imprecise but occasionally surface opportunities that database searches miss.

Evaluating Fit Before Applying

The most consequential decision in grant seeking is not how to write the proposal -- it is which proposals to write. Every application you pursue consumes organizational time and capacity. Applying for grants that are a poor fit wastes those resources and generates demoralizing rejections.

The Fit Assessment Checklist

Before committing to an application, evaluate it against these criteria:

Mission alignment. Does the grant fund work you are already doing or planning to do? If you would need to significantly alter your programming to qualify, the grant is a poor fit even if the dollars are attractive.

Capacity. Do you have the staff and infrastructure to execute the work and comply with reporting requirements? A $500,000 federal grant requiring a full-time project director is not a good fit for a two-person organization.

Competitiveness. If the program funds ten awards nationally and you are competing against major nonprofits with decades of track record, your time may be better spent on less competitive programs.

Cost-benefit. What will it cost to apply versus the award amount and probability of funding?

Sustainability. Will this grant create a program you can sustain after funding ends? Starting and then closing programs is demoralizing for staff and harmful to your reputation with funders.

Building a Grant Pipeline

A grant pipeline is a structured system for tracking opportunities from identification through submission and follow-up. Think of it as a CRM for funding.

Pipeline Stages

1. Identified. You have found an opportunity that appears relevant. Add it to the pipeline with the funder name, program name, estimated amount, deadline, and a brief note on why it caught your attention.

2. Researched. You have read the NOFO or funder guidelines and confirmed basic eligibility and alignment. Note the key requirements, match obligations, and scoring criteria.

3. Decided: Go/No-Go. You have conducted a fit assessment and made a deliberate decision to pursue or decline the opportunity. Document the rationale either way.

4. In Progress. You are actively developing the application. Track the status of each component: narrative drafts, budget, letters of support, board approvals, registrations.

5. Submitted. The application is in. Record the submission date, confirmation number, and expected notification date.

6. Decision Pending. You are waiting for the funder's decision. Note any interim communications (requests for additional information, site visits, interviews).

7. Awarded / Declined. Record the outcome and, if declined, any feedback received. Declined applications should inform future prospecting and proposal improvement.

Pipeline Management Practices

• Review the pipeline monthly. Identify upcoming deadlines, assess capacity, and update statuses.
• Track success rates. If you are winning fewer than 20% of your applications, you are targeting the wrong funders or your proposals need improvement.
• Maintain a calendar. Grant deadlines are non-negotiable. A shared calendar with deadlines and internal draft-due dates prevents last-minute crises.
• Build multi-year relationships with funders. Attend funder webinars, participate in technical assistance sessions, and report results from current awards promptly.

Avoiding Common Prospecting Mistakes

Chasing money instead of mission. Applying for grants because the money is available, not because the grant aligns with your mission, leads to drift, overextended staff, and programs that wither when funding ends.

Ignoring local funders. Community foundations, United Way chapters, Rotary clubs, and family foundations may fund the same work with simpler applications and less competition.

Relying on a single funding source. If more than 30-40% of your budget comes from one funder, you are dangerously exposed. Many funders look favorably on organizations with multiple revenue streams.

Not reading the instructions. The single most common reason proposals are disqualified. Read every word and include every required attachment.

Keep Reading

• Grant Writing for Nonprofits: Complete Playbook
• First-Time Federal Grant Tips for Small Nonprofits
• How to Write a Grant Proposal
• Track upcoming deadlines with Granted AI

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