Best free grant databases for nonprofits (2026).
The best free grant research stack in 2026: Grantable's free tier for AI-matched funder discovery over public 990 data, Grants.gov for every federal opportunity, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer for verifying foundations against their filings, Candid's Foundation Directory free at partner libraries, and your state grant portal. The data is public — paid tools charge for convenience, not access.
Note: this guide is published by Grantable, whose free tier appears in it — with its real limits stated. The rest of the list is tools we don't make, because the useful answer is the whole free stack, not one product.
Four things to know about "free" grant research
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The underlying data is public. Foundation giving history lives in IRS 990 filings; federal opportunities are posted by law. Paid databases charge for convenience — curation, alerts, tracking — not for access.
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Free costs time instead of money. The honest trade: paid tools compress hours of cross-referencing into minutes. If your time is the scarcer resource, 'free' can be the expensive option.
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Discovery and verification are different jobs. Use a discovery tool (Grantable, Grants.gov) to build the list, then verify each prospect against their actual 990s (ProPublica, library FDO) before investing in an application.
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No database replaces fit. A funder who gave to organizations like yours, in your region, at your ask size, recently — that four-part test filters any list, free or paid.
The 6 best free sources, ranked
1. Grantable (free tier)
Top pickBest free funder discovery with AI matching
Grantable's free tier includes its AI funder search: describe your organization in plain language (or paste your website) and it searches a database built from public 990 filings — more than 11 million funding relationships — and explains why each funder fits. The free tier is capacity-limited (5 chat messages a day), which covers steady prospecting but not a heavy research sprint. It's also the only free option here that can then help draft the proposal.
2. Grants.gov
Best for federal funding — authoritative and complete
Every US federal grant opportunity is posted here, free, by law. Search is utilitarian and the volume is overwhelming, but it is the primary source — no paid database has federal opportunities Grants.gov lacks. Pair it with your state's grant portal (most states run one) for the full government picture.
3. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
Best free way to research a specific foundation
A free, searchable archive of nonprofit and foundation tax filings. Once you have a funder's name, this is where you verify the real story — what they actually funded, at what amounts, who's on the board — straight from their 990s. It's a lookup tool, not a discovery tool: it answers 'tell me about this funder', not 'who would fund me?'.
4. Candid Foundation Directory (library access)
Best deep research if a partner library is near you
Candid's Foundation Directory is the reference database for foundation research, and its full version is free to use on-site at hundreds of partner libraries and community foundations (Candid's site lists locations). The catch is literal: you go to the library. For a focused research day a few times a year, that trade is often worth it.
5. State grant portals & associations
Best for state funding and local foundations
Most states publish grant opportunities on an official portal, and many state nonprofit associations and community foundations maintain free regional funding lists. Coverage and quality vary widely by state, but for place-based organizations these lists surface funders the national databases underweight.
6. OpenGrants (free tier)
Best free option for government + economic development leads
OpenGrants offers free searching of its funding database, with paid tiers and a consultant marketplace on top. Strongest on government and economic-development funding; foundation depth is lighter than the 990-based tools.
Ready to search now? Grantable's public funder directory is browsable without an account.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best free grant databases for nonprofits?
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The strongest free stack in 2026: Grantable's free tier for AI-matched foundation discovery over 990 data (more than 11 million funding relationships), Grants.gov for every federal opportunity, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer for verifying specific foundations against their tax filings, Candid's Foundation Directory free at partner libraries for deep research days, and your state's grant portal for state and regional funding.
Is there a completely free way to find grants?
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Yes. Federal and state opportunities are published free by law (Grants.gov and state portals), foundation giving history is public in IRS 990 filings (searchable free via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer), and Grantable's free tier adds AI matching over that 990 data. What free stacks lack is convenience — automated alerts, curated feeds, and tracking are what the paid databases charge for.
Is Grants.gov really free?
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Yes — Grants.gov is the US government's official listing of federal grant opportunities and is entirely free, as are SAM.gov registration and application submission. Anyone charging for 'access to federal grants' is reselling public information. Legitimate paid services charge for finding, matching, and managing — not access.
How can I research a foundation for free?
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Pull their 990 filings on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (free): the grants section lists every organization they funded and at what amounts, and the filing shows assets, board members, and application policies. Many foundations that accept applications also publish guidelines on a website. For deeper cross-referencing, Candid's Foundation Directory is free on-site at partner libraries.
Are free grant databases good enough, or do I need a paid one?
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For a handful of applications a year, a free stack genuinely covers it — the data is public. Paid tools earn their fee at volume: alerts when new opportunities match, curated feeds that save research hours, and pipeline tracking. A common progression is free stack first, then a low-cost tool (Grantable paid plans start at $50/month) when research time becomes the bottleneck — the incumbents' $299+/month tiers are priced for research-heavy teams.
Start with the free AI funder search.
Paste your website and Grantable matches you to aligned funders from 990 data in about 60 seconds — free, no credit card.