Grant writing software for small nonprofits, compared

Seven tools, side by side: price, free options, where they search, how much of the application they write, and what they do after you win. Each fact comes from the vendor's own website, read on October 5, 2026, with links below each product. "Not stated" means the vendor's pages do not say.

Which one fits

  • You want the whole application drafted from the funder's instructions, on a small budget: GrantParty drafts every section, the budget and the supporting documents, and adds award tracking and the funders of similar nonprofits.
  • You have a grants team and want the largest funder database: Instrumentl and Candid search have the most funder profiles.
  • You want to start free: Grantable, Granted AI and Candid have free plans; GrantParty's funder finder is free.
  • You only need help writing pieces of a proposal: Fundwriter and Granted AI cost the least.
  • You want a low-cost yearly funder database: GrantStation is $199 a year.

At a glance

ProductPriceFree option
GrantParty$149 a month or $1,490 a year (Nonprofit). $100 30-day pilot, credited to the first month.Free funder finder, no account. No free plan.
Instrumentl$299 a month paid annually ($326 monthly) for Discover; $499 and $999 a month (annual) for Pre-Award and Full Lifecycle.14-day free trial, no credit card.
GrantableStarter $50 a month, Pro $150 a month; 17% off annually. 50% off for a year for 501(c)(3)s with budgets under $500K.Free plan (5 chat messages a day), no time limit.
Candid search (Foundation Directory and GuideStar)Premium $219 a month, or $1,199 a year; Ultimate $1,699 a year.Free Standard plan with limited results, for verified non-funding organizations.
GrantStation$199 for one year, $299 for two years.No free trial; newsletters and webinars are free.
Granted AIFrom $29 a month.Free plan: search, funder profiles and one draft a month, no credit card.
FundwriterBasic $29 a month ($22 annually); Professional $89 a month ($68 annually).7-day free trial up to 10,000 words.

Product by product

GrantParty

Price
$149 a month or $1,490 a year (Nonprofit). $100 30-day pilot, credited to the first month.
Free option
Free funder finder, no account. No free plan.
Grant search
Grants.gov (refreshed every 6 hours), a catalog of foundation, state and local programs, funders of similar nonprofits, and the web; each match checked for eligibility, fit and deadline.
Funder research
Funders that paid nonprofits with your cause code, state and budget, from IRS Form 990 grant records.
Writing
Drafts the full application from the funder's instructions: every section, the budget and supporting documents, checked against each requirement. Cites looked-up figures; unknown facts become labeled blanks.
After the award
Award budget and expenses, compliance checklist, reporting calendar and reminders.
Team
3 people; 10 on the Consultant plan.
Made for
Small nonprofits without a grant writer; small government contractors; consultants.

Sources: Pricing, Guide, read October 5, 2026.

Instrumentl

Price
$299 a month paid annually ($326 monthly) for Discover; $499 and $999 a month (annual) for Pre-Award and Full Lifecycle.
Free option
14-day free trial, no credit card.
Grant search
450,000+ funder profiles and 37,000+ active RFPs, updated daily.
Funder research
10+ years of 990 data; automated 990 analysis.
Writing
AI drafting that adapts previous proposals to each funder (Pre-Award plan and above). Drafting a full application from scratch: not stated.
After the award
Spend-down, expense tracking and spend alerts on the Full Lifecycle plan.
Team
3 users (Discover), 5 (Pre-Award), 15 (Full Lifecycle).
Made for
Grant teams; plans for organizations establishing to managing grant programs.

Sources: Pricing, Home, read October 5, 2026.

Grantable

Price
Starter $50 a month, Pro $150 a month; 17% off annually. 50% off for a year for 501(c)(3)s with budgets under $500K.
Free option
Free plan (5 chat messages a day), no time limit.
Grant search
Browse 50,000+ open grants, free.
Funder research
Screens 990 filings, giving histories and the web; scored matches with reasons.
Writing
Turns the RFP into a checklist and drafts the narrative section by section from your content library.
After the award
Writes progress reports once funded. Budget tracking: not stated.
Team
No per-seat fees.
Made for
Nonprofits; an add-on for consultants and agencies.

Sources: Pricing, Home, read October 5, 2026.

Candid search (Foundation Directory and GuideStar)

Price
Premium $219 a month, or $1,199 a year; Ultimate $1,699 a year.
Free option
Free Standard plan with limited results, for verified non-funding organizations.
Grant search
Foundations and grantmakers: 304,000+ funder profiles and 29 million+ grants. Government grants: not stated.
Funder research
Funder profiles and grant histories; unlimited 990 downloads.
Writing
Drafts a letter of inquiry and budget estimate (25 AI credits a month; 250 on Ultimate). Full applications: not stated.
After the award
Not stated; Ultimate adds compliance tools.
Team
Not stated; Enterprise for 10 or more users.
Made for
Fundraisers and nonprofit teams.

Sources: Pricing, Candid search, read October 5, 2026.

GrantStation

Price
$199 for one year, $299 for two years.
Free option
No free trial; newsletters and webinars are free.
Grant search
150,000+ funder records and 15,000+ curated opportunities: U.S. charitable, federal and state government, Canada and international.
Funder research
Funder priorities, giving history, awards and 990 data.
Writing
AI proposal reviewer and AI search terms; proposal writing tutorials and templates. Drafting: not stated.
After the award
Not stated.
Team
Not stated.
Made for
Nonprofits of all sizes, schools, local governments, tribes and artists with budgets of $10,000 or more.

Sources: Membership, Home, read October 5, 2026.

Granted AI

Price
From $29 a month.
Free option
Free plan: search, funder profiles and one draft a month, no credit card.
Grant search
140,000+ grants from 144 sources across U.S. states and 15+ countries; 133,000 private foundations with 990-PF financials.
Funder research
Funder financials, giving patterns, contacts and 990 data.
Writing
Reads uploaded RFPs or guidelines, identifies each required section, and drafts section by section; states no invented statistics.
After the award
Not stated.
Team
3 team seats on Professional; 1 on Free and Basic.
Made for
Nonprofits, researchers (NIH, NSF), SBIR applicants, schools and others.

Sources: Home, AI grant writing, read October 5, 2026.

Fundwriter

Price
Basic $29 a month ($22 annually); Professional $89 a month ($68 annually).
Free option
7-day free trial up to 10,000 words.
Grant search
Not stated.
Funder research
Not stated.
Writing
AI writing assistant with grant tools: proposal introduction, letter of intent, one-page proposal and proposal outline.
After the award
Not stated.
Team
$50 a month per added user.
Made for
Development professionals and nonprofit teams.

Sources: Pricing, Features, read October 5, 2026.

See what GrantParty finds for you

The funder finder lists the foundations that paid nonprofits like yours, free and without an account.

Find your funders, free

Questions people ask

How much does grant writing software cost?

As published on October 5, 2026: Fundwriter from $22 a month (annual), Granted AI from $29 a month, Grantable $50 to $150 a month (half price for a year for 501(c)(3)s under $500K), GrantParty $149 a month after a $100 pilot, GrantStation $199 a year, Candid search $219 a month or $1,199 a year, and Instrumentl from $299 a month paid annually. Grantable, Granted AI and Candid have free plans; GrantParty's funder finder is free.

Which grant software drafts a full application from the funder's guidelines?

GrantParty drafts the whole application, including the budget and supporting documents, from the funder's own instructions and checks it against each requirement. Granted AI and Grantable draft section by section from uploaded guidelines; Instrumentl adapts previous proposals to each funder; Candid drafts letters of inquiry; Fundwriter writes individual pieces such as introductions and letters of intent.

Which tools show who funds organizations like mine?

GrantParty lists the funders that paid nonprofits with your cause code, state and budget, from IRS Form 990 grant records, and its funder finder does this free without an account. Instrumentl, Candid, Grantable, GrantStation and Granted AI offer funder profiles and 990 data.

Is there free grant writing software?

Grantable, Granted AI and Candid have free plans with limits. Instrumentl and Fundwriter have free trials. GrantParty has a free funder finder and a $100 30-day pilot.

Find your funders, free