How do nonprofits find grants?
Nonprofits find grants four main ways: AI funder-matching tools that score funders against your mission, free grant databases searchable by cause and geography, IRS 990 research on foundations in your field, and government portals like Grants.gov. The fastest path for most small nonprofits is funder matching, which returns a ranked shortlist with the reasoning behind each match — free to start with Grantable. Here's how each method works and when to use it.
5 ways nonprofits find grants
AI funder matching (fastest)
Start hereGrantable reads your organization's profile — mission, programs, and budget if you give it one — and searches funders' 990 grant histories for organizations like yours. You get a ranked shortlist with the reasoning behind each match, not a keyword list. It's the quickest path from 'we need funding' to a list of funders that actually fit, it's free to start, and the same workspace has a proposal editor for when you're ready to write.
Free grant databases
Search open databases by cause, geography, and amount. Grantable's free grants database lists foundation, federal, and state opportunities gathered from funders' own websites, state grant portals, and Grants.gov. Federal seekers should also search Grants.gov directly.
990 research on funders you admire
Every private foundation files an IRS Form 990, which lists the organizations it funded and the amounts. Reading the 990s of funders in your field reveals who gives to work like yours — the same data that powers modern funder-matching tools.
How to read a 990-PF, line by lineFollow your peers and co-funders
Look at which funders support organizations similar to yours. If three peers in your region all received grants from the same foundation, that funder is worth a look — co-funding patterns are one of the strongest fit signals.
The four-pass grant prospecting methodGovernment portals & local sources
Grants.gov (federal), your state grant portal, and community foundations cover funding that national databases sometimes miss — especially for local programs, capacity building, and unrestricted operating support.
Found some foundations? Now qualify them.
Methods 2 to 4 give you names. Deciding which of them will actually fund you is grant prospecting: filtering on geography and grant size, reading each funder's 990-PF, and ranking by fit. Our guide walks through it with two real foundations, plus a free prospect research template.
Finding funders by hand vs. with AI
The same four stages of finding funders — and how much the work compresses when AI does the searching.
Build a target list
Comb databases, Google, and peer 990s by handResearch each funder
Read 990s, websites, and past grants one at a timeAssess fit
Weigh mission, grant size, and geography manuallyMonitor for new opportunities
Re-check sites and portals on a scheduleIllustrative of the workflow difference, not a benchmark — a matching run takes minutes, not seconds, and scheduled runs are on the Pro plan. But the shape is real: AI matching turns days of list-building and hours of per-funder research into a ranked shortlist you can act on the same afternoon.
Common mistakes to avoid
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Chasing big national funders while ignoring aligned local foundations that are far easier to win.
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Applying to funders whose 990s show they only fund organizations they already know.
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Treating 'find grants' as a one-time push instead of an ongoing pipeline.
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Optimizing for grant size over fit — a smaller aligned grant beats a large mismatched one you won't win.
Frequently asked questions
How do nonprofits find grants?
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Nonprofits find grants four main ways: AI funder-matching tools that score funders against your mission, free grant databases searchable by cause and geography, IRS 990 research on foundations in your field, and government portals like Grants.gov. The fastest path for most small nonprofits is a funder-matching tool that returns a ranked shortlist; Grantable offers this free.
How can a nonprofit find grants for free?
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You can find grants for free using Grantable's free plan (AI funder matching plus a free grants database), Grants.gov for federal opportunities, your state grant portal, and public 990 filings on sites like Candid or ProPublica. Paid directories add depth but aren't required to get started.
What is the best way to find grants that fit my nonprofit?
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Start from fit, not size. The strongest signal is whether a funder already supports work like yours — visible in their 990 grant history and in co-funding patterns among your peers. AI matching tools surface this automatically by comparing your mission and programs against funders' giving records.
How often should we look for new grants?
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Treat funder discovery as an ongoing pipeline, not an annual scramble. Funders open and close programs throughout the year, and a steady habit of adding 5–10 qualified prospects a month keeps your pipeline healthy. Scheduled searches (on Grantable's Pro plan) automate most of this.
Find funders whose giving fits your work.
Tell Grantable about your organization and it ranks funders against their 990 giving records — free, no credit card.