Grant databases: what they cover and what they miss

What is a grant database and which one should I use?

A grant database is a searchable list of funding opportunities and funders, built from public listings and foundation tax returns. Grants.gov is the free federal source. Commercial and library databases add private foundations. Most stop at grants, though, and few tell you which foundations accept applications at all. Pick the one that covers your kind of money and shows who is open to you.

Last reviewed October 8, 2026.

The main kinds of grant database

Federal listings: Grants.gov lists federal grant opportunities. SAM.gov lists federal contracts. Both are free, and both are primary sources that most other databases draw on in some form.
State portals: Most states publish their own grants and procurement opportunities. Each runs its own site. State money is often less contested than federal money.
Foundation databases: Built from the tax returns private foundations file every year, which list every grant the foundation made, the amount and the organization that received it. Many public libraries offer free access to a subscription one.
Combined search tools: Some tools put grants, foundations and other kinds of money in one search, and add eligibility checks on top.

What most grant databases miss

Whether a foundation takes applications. Seven in ten private foundations only fund charities they pick themselves. The answer sits in a box on their own tax return. A database that lists them without that answer sends you writing to funders who will never read the proposal.

Money that is not a grant. Government contracts and community lenders fund a lot of the work organizations need, from a city road project to a new building for a nonprofit that has outgrown its rented space. Grants-only databases leave both out.

Whether you qualify. A listing tells you an opportunity exists. Eligibility is buried in the full announcement, and reading it is the slow part.

How to choose one

Match the money
Know what you need first. Federal research and SBIR work starts at Grants.gov and SBIR.gov. Local nonprofit work starts with foundations and your community foundation.
Check what it marks
Look for whether each foundation accepts applications, and whether expired listings are flagged.
Try it on a real project
Search for one project you are planning now. A good database returns a short list of funders and programs you could apply to this month, with deadlines you can still meet. Then compare.

Searching it all at once

Quillify searches open grants, private foundations, government contracts and community lenders together, and marks the foundations that accept applications. Ask "Am I qualified?" on any result and Quillify reads the full announcement for you. Browsing and keyword search are free.

Search the grant database, or read how to find grants for free.