Do you have a well-planned social project but are struggling with funding? Federal Grants are the best source to secure reliable and non-repayable funding for social projects that aim to stimulate the economy. Every year, the US government announces a number of federal grants for different purposes and millions of people apply for these grants. Therefore, it’s crucial to identify and apply as early as possible to increase the chances of winning. However, tracking federal grant opportunities is a complex task for most organizations and individuals looking to secure funding.
Today, with technology and resources, you have access to great tools to research, track, and apply for federal grants as soon as they become available. These valuable tools help you identify and monitor the grants and streamline the process of finding and applying, which improves your chances of success. In this blog, we will share what federal grants are and the top tools to track them easily.
What are Federal Grants?
Federal Grants are financial awards provided by the US government to support public projects and social initiatives that aim for the well-being of society. Such projects, research and developments align with national priorities and public interest, ultimately leading to a rise in the economy. This can include projects like healthcare services, public safety, educational programs, infrastructure development, scientific research, and social welfare. The US government awards these grants to states, companies, organizations, local governments, educational institutions, nonprofits and even individuals.
One of the most significant advantages of federal grants is their non-repayable nature. Unlike loans, they do not need to be repaid. However, it’s important to track the spending and ensure the objectives are met, as these grants must be used for their intended purpose and within the guidelines.
Top 6 Tools to Track Federal Grant Opportunities
As it is a non-repayable funding, federal grants are highly competitive and difficult to secure. As soon as they become available, thousands of people apply for them in the first few hours only. Therefore, it’s important to track them and apply as soon as possible to increase the chances of success. Here is a list of some most important tools to track federal grant opportunities:
Grants.Gov
Overview: Grants.Gov is the central portal and the easiest go-to source where all US federal agencies post all of the available grants. It allows you to find and apply for federal grants across various departments and secure funding. Access is free, and you can check the detailed description of the respected grants using the search bar.
Features: It has customizable search options, which means you can search for grants based on keywords, agency, funding opportunity number, eligibility, and category. It also offers email alerts for new grant postings. Its centralized database covers all the federal grants available at a specific time. At last, it has an easy-to-apply feature, which means you can just hit the apply button to start the application.
Instrumentl
Overview: Instrumentl is an advanced, all-in-one federal grant research tool designed for nonprofit organizations and consultants. It offers a comprehensive platform for the entire grant lifecycle, from research and application to tracking and management. Instrumentl has over 14000 active grant opportunities and over 4 lakh funders, making it a great tool for securing funding.
Features: It has intelligent matching to relevant funders, which means it filters out funders who have a history of providing grants related to your causes. The smart matching feature creates a list of active grants that align with your goals and objectives. It also has up-to-date grant information, a grant deadline tracker, a clear visualization of profiles, and important management tools.
Foundation Directory Online (FDO)
Overview: A tool by candid, Foundation Directory Online (FDO) is one of the most comprehensive grant databases providing access to all private foundation grants. This involves extensive information on all foundations and grantmakers, grant recipients, grant purposes as well as grant amounts. It helps you recognize potential grant funding bodies that align with your purpose and have offered funding for similar causes in the past.
Features: Three different subscription levels cater to organization size and type. It provides detailed profiles of grantmakers, including everything from their funding interests to awarded grants. The searchable database of grantmakers and recipients makes finding the correct opportunities a breeze.
Usgrants.org
Overview: USgrants.org is a privately owned site that boasts various grant opportunities in the United States. From educational and medical to social, research, technology, and environmental, this site offers information on grants for all purposes. From government agencies to private grantors, it offers grant funding opportunities from multiple sources. Individuals, nonprofits, and businesses can access grant information and guidance for applying from USGrants.org.
Features: It has a grant search tool, which is a searchable database for users to find grants by funding type, keywords, category, eligibility, funding amounts, etc. It also offers a variety of articles on the grant application process for writing a successful grant proposal and making the best funding strategies. Its state-specific information allows you to check federal grants tailored to your local region.
GrantStation
Overview: GrantStation offers easy access to a wide range of grant resources, including grant research tools, tips on proposal writing, direct application links and application processes. This tool offers listings of various grant sources, including federal, state and private, to help you find the right funding opportunities. You can get comprehensive details about every grant’s application process, funding amount, eligibility and contact information with its searchable database.
Features: GrantStation offers detailed profiles and contact information of grantmakers to help you choose the reliable ones. It also has a library of grant writing tips and strategies as well as past winning proposals to guide you write the best grant proposals. Besides that, GrantStation also features a grant calendar, geographic scope, grant-related webinars, grant guidelines, application deadlines, a newsletter and upcoming funding opportunities.
Grantmakers.io
Overview: Grantmakers.io is a valuable tool designed to help you understand and explore US grant foundations and activities. It offers access to all the available funding agencies, grant awards, and grant data reported by private US foundations. It basically aggregates information from IRS Form 990-PF filings and includes recipe name, amount award, and grant purpose. By offering such information, it enables you to identify potential funders that have supported similar missions.
Features: It allows you to search for grants based on specific details such as foundation name, recipient name, grant purpose, year, and other data points or locations. It shows detailed profiles of foundations, including their history of giving federal grants and other financial info. Nonprofits can use this to find funding sources by seeing which foundations support similar projects and stay ahead of the competition.
Conclusion
Federal grants are non-repayable funding provided by the US government for social and economic projects that lead to the betterment of society. However, due to high competition, securing federal grants is a complex task. To maximize your chances, it’s crucial to track federal grant opportunities as soon as they arrive and apply for the ones that match your eligibility and requirements. We’ve mentioned the 6 best tools for tracking grants and applying for them to boost your chances of getting funding.
