# Page 3 | Instrumentl Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 3 - Is Instrumentl the right Grant Management solution for you? Explore 180 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/233384/Instrumentl/reviews --- Instrumentl 5 (180) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/233384/Instrumentl/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 3 - Reviews of Instrumentl ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 51-75 of 180 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use LF Lisa F. Operations and Communications Coordinator Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Instrumentl is the best grant management platform for any organization!!" February 13, 2025 5.0 It has been a game-changer for our organization! We feel it is the best management tool online. This platform is easy to navigate, organize, and track all our grants. It also saves us time in searching for grants on our own. Pros Instrumentl is very helpful in searching for grants that are a good fit for our organization and offers more opportunities than we were aware of. Cons A few times it can be overwhelming with all the reminders of the deadlines. Review Source Response from Instrumentl February 21, 2025 Hello Lisa :) It's such a delight reading about how our platform has not only saved you time but helped you find even more funding opportunities than you had hoped for! The weekly Deadline Digest emails are meant to help, so if you find them overwhelming, feel free to edit your notification settings to quiet the "noise". Thank you for sharing about your experience on our platform - it means a lot! ~Nate GS Greg S. Director of Development Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great tool, even without the affordable pricing!" March 11, 2025 5.0 With Instrumental, I can easily enter my search terms and get applicable results in seconds, plus see what like organizations have received allowing me to additional options consider for more funding. Pros Instrumental is very reasonably priced and it allows us to easily and effectively research, track and manage grants, saving us significant time and money. Cons The Peer Prospecting option is only included in the upgraded plans. Alternatives considered [iWave](https://www.capterra.com/p/229663/iWave/) Reason for choosing Instrumentl Instrumentl had the most features for the best price. Review Source Response from Instrumentl March 12, 2025 Hey Greg! You're so kind to leave a review for us - thank you truly. It's great to hear that you're saving time and money from using our platform - that's part of our mission! We hope too that you will be winning some new awards soon too :) I totally hear you about the Peer Prospecting feature only being on the Pro Plan and higher. That being said, it sounds like you've found a great workaround: Recipient Profiles (Reverse Search) where you're seeing other similar nonprofits' past awards to give you insight into potential funders and opportunities for your own team. If you have any more feedback, don't hesitate to share <3 Best, Nate Emily L. Board Member Environmental Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A wonderful tool for all grant writers" December 26, 2024 5.0 I have used instrumentl for the last several years and speak volumes of their service to other organizations that I'm on the board of. It is a leader in the industry and a powerhouse for grant writing. Pros This is a great resource for any Grant Writer, up-to-date opportunities, state of the art technology, and dedicated customer service. Cons They don't currently have a package for consultants. Review Source Response from Instrumentl February 21, 2025 Hi Emily, Thank you so much for sharing about your experience with Instrumentl! So happy to hear you find our technology user-friendly, opportunities up-to-date, and helpful customer support. I am pumped to share with you that we actually do have Consultant Plans! You can find them on our Pricing page (https://www.instrumentl.com/pricing). Feel free to reach out to our team at hello@instrumentl.com for help accesssing this plan type :) Again, I really appreciate you taking the time to review us and the years of you've been with us! ~Nate LM Lauren M. Grant Coordinator Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Instrumentl is worth the investment" October 21, 2024 5.0 Very positive! A privilege to work for a non-profit that prioritized investing into an excellent grant database. Highly recommend. Pros There are multiple features that I like about Instrumentl. They include: - Excellent customer service: Instrumentl representatives are very timely and responsive when I submit an inquiry or request for help. The auto-generated response tells me to expect a response within a few hours but typically I receive a response sooner than that or an email that my request has been received and they are working on an answer. There is always a person attached to the communications, so I know I am having a live conversation that is very personalized. I have never not been satisfied with the response to a request for help. - Training resources: Instrumentl has an extensive library of resources, plus they send weekly emails with helpful tips. There are a variety of training webinars that are offered, and I received one-on-one training when I was first getting up and running on Instrumentl. - Funder profile: Instrumentl does all the work of analyzing 990 forms to tell me grant range, median grant amount, openness to new grantees, grantees by state, etc. Because of this analysis, I have sought--and received--larger grant amounts than I might have otherwise asked for! Instrumentl has saved me in ton of time in doing research and analysis! - Organization of database: I like having the option of having trackers for separate projects. - Reminders: I like receiving email reminders of upcoming deadlines so that I don't miss any important dates or tasks. - Search feature: The filters and parameters in the search function are helpful in controlling the output of prospects. And I appreciate getting updates about new prospects to investigate. - Always improving: I really like that Instrumentl is always evolving and improving its product in response to customer needs. In the 1-2 years that I have used Instrumentl, I have seen features improved that make a lot of sense and are helpful in storing information all in one place. Cons \- Several of the trainings seemed like they were marketed to current users, but then in the training itself, there seemed to be an advertising pitch to new users. That was annoying and a waste of time. - There is not a good way to keep track of unsolicited proposals. They get lumped into the timeline as if they were solicited. - The filters for the search feature can be a little confusing. - Instrumentl is a little pricey for a small non-profit. My large non-profit could afford it, but I could not necessarily recommend Instrumentl to a non-profit with a smaller budget. That being said, we paid for the subscription within the first year by getting new grants and larger amounts of grants than we would have otherwise. Alternatives considered [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Reason for choosing Instrumentl Good reviews, extensive features, customer service Switched from [FOUNDATION](https://www.capterra.com/p/2032/FOUNDATION/) REALLY disliked the customer service--could not understand the trainings. Got frustrated with my customer service rep. Review Source Response from Instrumentl October 31, 2024 Lauren, so wonderful to know you appreciate our customer service! We're always adding more trainings, workshops, and other resources to provide users like you with as much support as possible. As always, never hesitate to reach out to our team anytime :) ~Sindhu TK Tracy K. Owner Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "What Did I Do Before Instrumentl?" February 17, 2025 5.0 Very positive. Customer service and teachings offered are excellent! Pros Having all the critical data about a grantor in one place. Information that would have taken many hours to find prior. Cons It's tricky to filter down opportunities. Review Source Response from Instrumentl February 21, 2025 Hey Tracy, On behalf of all of us at Instrumentl, thank you so much for taking the time to leave an honest review of our platform. Amazing to see you're saving hours of work by having all the funder data in one place for you :) I'm sorry to learn that our existing filters, sorting and Matching technology are not sufficiently easy or intuitive for you to prospect funding opportunities. Our Product team is actually working on a revamp to how Projects and Matching is configured, so hopefully this will make things much better for you soon! In the meantime, our Customer Success team would love to hop on a call to help you out with filtering your funding opportunities - Office Hours, Trainings or a 1:1 call, just reach out :) Appreciate you again for your candid words and effort to share your experience with others! ~Nate JC Jill C. Client Manager Fund-Raising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "I love Instrumentl- Its Opens up a World of Possibilities" January 3, 2025 5.0 I use it for searching and learning more about foundations. It's helpful for strategizing. Oh it's great to get contact information and know who the trustees are. Pros I really, really love Instrumentl for creating tailored searches for various foundations. It's so nice to easily access 990s and see an overview of their foundation's giving histories. It's helpful to look at average size grants, funding priorities, funding areas by state, etc. I also love that we can look at other nonprofits and see what grants they have received to discover even more grants. Finally, its really nice that instrumentl has lists of grants for just about anything. Cons I don't have any cons. I think I am attached to my Google Spreadsheets though lol. Review Source Response from Instrumentl February 21, 2025 Hey Jill, I appreciate you so much for sharing about your experience with Instrumentl! It's great to hear that you've been able to leverage the customizable prospecting tools. I love that the Peer Prospecting and Funder Insights (990 reports) have helped you discover, study and strategize around foundations. Also, there's nothing wrong with loving your Google Sheets, ha! If you ever have any feedback for us, please don't hesitate to let us know! ~Nate TH Teresa H. CEO Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Like Hiring a Trained Rockstar Assistant!" November 23, 2024 5.0 Instrumentl has been such a great investment for our team! The data is reliable and it saves so much time and headache. I've been able to quickly look up foundation info while on a client call and provide them with valuable details on the spot. Plus, everyone on the Instrumentl team is completely amazing to work with! Pros Instrumentl has such robust features, tons of data that is easy to access, and is always scouring the opportunities to stay up to date with foundations. Cons Not much! It would be nice if we could customize the spreadsheet exports a bit more. Alternatives considered [Candid](https://www.capterra.com/p/237107/Candid/) Reason for choosing Instrumentl I didn't want to go downtown to the library every time I need to research, and for the pro license expense the platform didn't seem as intuitive. Review Source Response from Instrumentl December 16, 2024 Teresa, thank you so much for your kind words! We're so glad you & your team are getting the most out of our platform & support :) On behalf of the entire team here at Instrumentl: Happy Holidays! ~Sindhu KA K A. Strategic Operations Manager, Grant Coordinator Management Consulting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I'd be lost without Instrumentl!" November 13, 2024 5.0 I appreciate the intuitive design and the time-saving aspects that help streamline all things grant-related. It makes our workflow easier and really boosts our chances of getting funding due to its targeted approach. Pros It's been a game-changer for our grant research process. The database is extensive, and it is easy to find relevant grants that align well with projects and programs we're looking to get funded. Cons I would love to see an integration with Google Calendar. Review Source Response from Instrumentl November 21, 2024 Hey K, Thanks so much for sharing your feedback with us :) We're so glad to hear you're finding grants that suit your targeted needs! By the way, Instrumentl actually does offer an integration with Google calendar, along with Outlook and Apple :) Thanks again for choosing Instrumentl -- feel free to reach out to us anytime! ~Sindhu CP Christian P. CEO Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Brilliant investment for growing nonprofits" October 12, 2024 5.0 Instrumentl has been the single most influential investment in our development office we have ever made. This has increased our grant research capabilities 10X. We've found opportunities for funding that were just never on our radar. Pros Frankly, I love that I'm no longer combing through 990's the old fashioned way. I love that I can categorize grant research. I love that I am not endlessly scrolling over useless information. I love the giving summaries. I love the smart search-engine. I love the calendar. Cons I wish we could customize keyword searches better. For example, we operate a Fatherhood Initiative, but it has been tougher to find grants for that on instrumentl because we have to dance around it with certain keywords. Review Source Response from Instrumentl October 24, 2024 Hey Christian, Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us! It's wonderful to hear you're taking advantage of our 990 Insights :) If you need any additional tips for improving your matches using search terms for your org, you can reach out to support anytime! Thanks again for sharing :) ~Sindhu VR Verified Reviewer Grant Consultant Fund-Raising Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Instrumentl is a No-Brainer Business Builder" August 21, 2024 5.0 A bit intimidated at first, but with the use and ease of the tutorials and workshops, onboarding and getting acclimated went really smoothly. I am still interested in more classes to deepen my workability with the platform, but overall I rarely run into an issue. Pros I love that everything in my grant landscape is in one home. Every client, every application (finished and upcoming), every funder. In addition, it is a fantastic project management tool. I can create tasks, upload the calendar, and set my notifications to my liking. Cons Honestly, the price. As a solo entrepreneur, it's a bit steep. I'm beginning on the venture of building my business and Instrumental, I believe, is instrumental to my success, but it is hard to justify the cost for only a handful of clients. Review Source Response from Instrumentl November 18, 2024 Hey there, I just wanted to remind you how much we appreciate you sharing your Instrumentl journey with us! happy to hear Instrumentl's been a wonderful grant management tool for you to manage your clients' needs :) FYI: We're expanding our selection weekly customer events, grant workshops, and other live trainings! We want to ensure all customers, whether new to the platform or a longtime user, can continue to learn at all levels :) As always, don't hesitate to reach out to our support team anytime -- we'd always love to hear from you! ~Sindhu DW David W. Grant Manager Higher Education Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "The top software available for grant management professionals" August 27, 2024 5.0 It's an excellent product, paired with excellent customer service. What else can you ask for? Pros 1\. Comprehensive grant opportunity discovery, curated by dedicated experts who meticulously summarize and keep opportunities up-to-date. 2. Detailed funder profile reports, featuring data extracted from funders' 990 forms, offer valuable insights into funding patterns, geographical distributions of grants, average grant sizes, and more. 3. Beyond grant opportunity aggregation, Instrumentl provides a robust project management tool that enables you to oversee your entire grant pipeline, track opportunity stages (e.g., researching, application in progress, application submitted, awarded, declined), and assign tasks to collaborators. Cons I wish that access to their API was a bit more affordable. Alternatives considered [Candid](https://www.capterra.com/p/237107/Candid/) Reason for choosing Instrumentl Better insights into funders and more comprehensive and up-to-date opportunities Review Source Response from Instrumentl November 18, 2024 Hey David, I want to remind you how much we appreciate you sharing your Instrumentl journey with us! We're always so happy to see you're making the most of our powerful grant management tools :) We're always continuing to expand and improve our API capabilities -- thank you for growing with us. As always, don't hesitate to reach out to our support team anytime -- we'd always love to hear from you! ~Sindhu HA Hayley A. Manager Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Instrumentl Boosts Productivity - very pleased!" August 19, 2024 5.0 I am so pleased with Instrumentl. It has leveled up our development team and I feel that we are only scratching the surface of the functionalities provided. In addition, Instrumentl has great customer service, engaging webinars, and benefits for being a user. The perks and support make for an even better experience! Pros Instrumentl makes grant prospecting so easy! It saves so much time which allows for our development team to be more efficient and effective. In addition to saving time, Instrumentl presents grant opportunities we would otherwise be unaware of. Cons Sometimes, it can be overwhelming the sheer number of opportunities presented on Instrumentl. Review Source Response from Instrumentl November 18, 2024 Hi Hayley, Just wanted to remind you how much we appreciate you sharing your Instrumentl journey with us! happy to hear Instrumentl's helped you streamline your workflow and save valuable time and energy :) If you ever need help with refining your matches or altering your projects, don't hesitate to reach out to our live support team anytime -- we'd always love to hear from you! ~Sindhu KS Katherine S. Grant Writer Public Policy Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "The grant tracker that everyone needs" August 13, 2024 5.0 Overall, my experience has been great. Every time I reach out to the support team they respond quickly and with solutions. I had a couple meetings right off with\[sensitive content hidden\] to help make sure I was using Instrumentl to the best of my ability and that was super helpful. Pros Instrumentl allows you to seamlessly track your current grants AND prospects in one place, with room for report deadlines, application deadlines, and color-coded statuses! Cons Getting set up takes a bit of time, but it's worth it to get it off the ground. Review Source Response from Instrumentl October 21, 2024 Katherine, Thanks so much for sharing your perspective! Sounds like the initial investment in platform knowledge paid off well :) Glad to hear you've been receiving the support you deserve. ~Sindhu LW Lisa W. Development Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Instrumentl is critical for our grant management and tracking" June 21, 2024 5.0 We Love Instrumentl!!! It is the most important software we use for grant management. Pros I love the grant research ability. It saves me time which means I have more time to apply for more grants. Cons The research component had a slight learning curve, but once I started using it, it became easier...practice makes perfect! Reason for choosing Instrumentl It was my understanding, the leadership team found the other applications to costly. Switched from [Salesforce.org Nonprofit Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/265078/Salesforceorg-Nonprofit-Cloud/) Instrumentl was more robust and provided all the components we needed in one application. Review Source Response from Instrumentl July 11, 2024 Hi Lisa -- Thank you for such a great review! We're so happy to hear that we're making your grant researching more efficient and saving you time to concentrate on the important part: applying for grants! We have lots of great resources to help you become an expert with Instrumentl such as our 101s, Advanced Training, and Office Hours! You can find one that meets your needs and times here: https://lu.ma/InstrumentlCustomerEventsCalendar Please feel free to reach out any time you need anything. ~Eric AJ Amy J. Nonprofit Consultant Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A Dream Come True for Grant Writers" June 7, 2024 5.0 I am a fan and recommend Instrumentl to all of my nonprofit clients and fellow grant writing colleagues. The price is a bit high for a one-person consulting and grant writing office, but it is worth every penny in terms of the hours I gain back from not having to use archaic and non-integrated grants research and management websites and spreadsheets. Pros The integration of funder research and data with grants managment is incredible. In the past, I have had to manage deadlines, research, contacts, tasks, and assignments, and attachments in several different software applications, but with Instrumentl, everything in one beautiful, easy-to-use cloud-based website. I can't imagine doing grants research and grant writing without Instrumentl! Cons I wish I were able to narrow down my grants research filters a little more so that it only finds funders that fit ALL of my research parameters instead of ANY of my research parameters. I do have to spend quite a bit of time diving into all of the potential matches to filter out funders that don't match all of my research criteria. Review Source Response from Instrumentl June 11, 2024 Hi Amy -- Wow, thank you for your kind words! We're so happy to hear that Instrumentl has been essential to making both your prospecting \*and\* grant management easier! Definitely understand your desire for tighter and more robust grant filtering as well. I'll be sure to pass this feedback along to our product team :) Please feel free to reach out any time you need anything. ~Eric CD Christopher D. Chief Development Officer Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great tool for grants" July 10, 2024 5.0 I really think it is a great tool. It was easy to jump right in and use it without much difficulty. There is a vast amount of information and the tracking features are wonderful. Pros It is easy to navigate. Lots of great information. Very user friendly. Great reminder system. Cons Nothing to note at this point. All things work and the functionality is great. Review Source Response from Instrumentl July 11, 2024 Hi Christopher -- Thank you the kind words! We're happy to hear we've created a user friendly and easy to use system for you to track, manage, and prospect for grants :) Please feel free to reach out any time you need anything. ~Eric Mary C. Grants manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Exceptional product for Grant Writing professionals!" May 20, 2024 5.0 Easy! Everything from set up to learning the system has been easy. The product is built in a very intuitive way and just makes sense! Pros Instrumentl streamlines my entire grant process, from prospecting to post-award. Having all of my data in one place helps me ensure that nothing gets off track or over looked. Deadlines are easy to manage and projects are easy to establish. The team's customer support is outstanding and they are always eager to take a look if you are struggling with something. Cons I truly have no cons to the system. The team is thoughtful with each feature addition and I look forward to what comes next! Review Source Response from Instrumentl May 30, 2024 Hi Mary -- We're so happy to hear that we've been able to make your entire grant process easier and more manageable! We can't thank you enough for your kind words and for enjoying our platform! Please feel free to reach out any time you need anything. ~Eric Dawn M. Principal Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A game changer for grant writing consultants!" December 18, 2023 5.0 I rave about Instrumentl to everyone in my field and consider it an asset to hiring Full-Circle Fundraising for grant writing and prospecting. My clients greatly benefit from the information I am able to provide them. Pros It is intuitive and easy to use and supports my needs as a grant consultant. Cons I would like data entered under one funder to transfer to other applications, such as contact information. Alternatives considered [GRANTSEEKER](https://www.capterra.com/p/10011350/GRANTSEEKER/) Reason for choosing Instrumentl Ease of use and the ability to track multiple attributes of the grant application process, including notes, due dates, contact information and more. Switched from [GRANTSEEKER](https://www.capterra.com/p/10011350/GRANTSEEKER/) Instrumentl was more customized to my needs as a consultant and easier to use. Review Source Response from Instrumentl January 8, 2024 Dawn -- it''s so great to hear that you find Instrumentl to be a game-changer for your needs as a grant consultant! We'd love to learn more about what applications you'd like funder data to transfer to - feel free to email us to share! We're so happy to have you onboard. :) ~Ketaki Aimie T. Founder Fund-Raising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Your one stop shop for grant research and management." February 6, 2024 5.0 I could shout from the rooftops my love for this software. It's user-friendly, and allows me to take on more clients by literally being a personal assistant that keeps me in line with little effort on my end. I also love the learning experiences that come with your membership. These are conducted by some incredible people who have been in the grant world for decades. Customer service has always been on top and quit to respond as well. Priceless. Pros The in-depth customizable search options that are offered. Instrumentl offers, by far, more options than most grant databases on the market. This saves me a ton of time in researching for perfect fit grants. Cons The price was a bit daunting at the beginning - but that was quickly made up once I got into the software and started using it. I stopped having to use 3 programs to manage a research project. It's truly my one-stop shop. Review Source Response from Instrumentl February 8, 2024 Hi Aimie -- I'm so glad that you've found Instrument's search and database so useful for researching! We're also very glad to know that you are getting value through the platform by not needing to work with multiple programs at once! Thanks for being with us! Please feel free to reach out any time you need anything :) ~Eric TW Travis W. Grant Writer Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Instrumentl - An Essential Tool for Established and Growing Nonprofits" March 26, 2024 5.0 Pros I have been incredibly impressed with the Instrumentl product and the Instrumentl team. From day one, the service team was attentive and flexible. They actively sought and implemented feedback for product improvements and customization to meet our organization's needs. Aside from the phenomenal customer service, the product is fantastic. By utilizing Instrumentl, our organization was able to streamline and consolidate tools and resources in the development space while optimizing our team's efficiency. The features that have been most helpful have been the grant tracking and the grant research. Instrumentl has kept us on track with deadlines and has made it simple to find strong-fit matches on grant funding opportunities. Instrumentl is a great product at a reasonable price. I would recommend Instrumentl to any nonprofit that is looking to invest in its development team and looking to take the next step to elevate in their grants space. Cons Overall, Instrumentl is a great product. One area where the product is lacking is in the post-grant reporting features. This wasn't imperative for our organization but having features built out to support metrics and reporting for grants have have been won would be a nice upgrade. When discussing this with the Instrumentl team, they said they were already working on such features and hope to release a beta soon. We are very excited to see these features implemented to further enhance an already great platform. Review Source Response from Instrumentl May 2, 2024 Hi Travis -- I'm so glad that you've found that Instrumentl was able to streamline and increase your team's efficiency when both organizing and prospecting for grants! Additional thanks for shouting out our team - they'll be thrilled to hear they've helped you utilize Instrumentl to its fullest :) We are definitely excited for all the work we're doing for post-grant efforts and I'll be sure to mention this to our product team. It's so awesome to have you with us! ~Eric DO Dona O. Grant Writer Civic & Social Organization Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "I can't believe I used to seek grants without Instrumentl!" May 10, 2023 5.0 Overall, I am incredibly pleased with this software and all of the engineers and employees representing it. Pros The features that have made the biggest change in my grant writing process have been the submission deadline reminders, tasks, accessible funder profiles, and the awarded/goal/waiting sum amount counts at the top of my dashboard. All of these features have played a major role in the streamlining of my grant process, and have allowed me to continuously increase my output without sacrificing quality. Cons While there are some features I believe could be improved upon, most are small fixes that I have been able to quickly address with Instrumentl's software team. My perspective as a user of this product has always been respected, and it is clear that Instrumentl as a whole is invested in consistently improving upon the user experience. Review Source Response from Instrumentl May 12, 2023 Dona, it's so awesome to hear we've had a positive impact on your grant writing process! The fact that you've been able to increase your output without sacrificing quality is spectacular! Our team is dedicated to improving your experience, so please do send us some suggested improvements via the chat bubble in-app if you have a moment! Happy to send those to leadership. :) ~Rebecca LR Linda R. Grant Writer Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "A robust grants database and management tool that pays for itself" December 6, 2023 5.0 Overall, I have really loved working with this product and the team that developed it. It's made a huge impact in our grant seeking and overall number of grant awards. Pros I love the amount of information it provides, the extremely responsive customer support staff, the fact that it keeps evolving with user feedback, and the amount of time it saves me in submitting winning grant proposals. Cons The cost is prohibitive for smaller organizations, but you could pay for it with one capacity-building grant. Review Source Response from Instrumentl December 20, 2023 Linda -- I'm so glad that you find the information we provide on grants and funders useful and that it saves you time. Thank you for your kind words about our support team! We always appreciate you sharing your feedback to help us improve Instrumentl for our users. I've shared your feedback about pricing with our team. It's good to have you onboard! ~Ketaki MI Mark I. Donor Services Individual & Family Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Essential tool for an independent grant writer of multiple nonprofits" January 3, 2024 5.0 I've been very happy with both the product and interactions with the Instrumentl technical team. The application is expensive, but I must say that it has sold itself over the last almost two years with data that I could not generate alone. I do supplement with other smaller, more focused databases but don't have the same success rate or volume of hits with other sources. I like the navigability of the database and enjoy the work of grant research through awarding as a result. Pros Breadth of data base/number of foundations (over 100k), extensive filter search criteria to highly focus your research, very readable report templates, and easily updatable foundation application fields. For a single nonprofit I can slightly alter search criteria and receive remarkably distinct lists of candidate foundations to explore. The reports I can provide back to Boards and management teams are easily understood by professional not familiar with Instrumentl - a must-have for a grant writer. A final big plus is the depth of data available on each foundation - to be able to fully understand who they fund, what they fund (and what they do not fund), how much they fund w/ ranges, the foundation history and mission. So much value is available from Instrumentl's search engine! Cons I've only found a few wishes not already met by the Instrumentl technical team. One is simply to be able to print out a calendar once generated for a project. I routinely update calendars for nonprofits and right now I must paste an uneditable calendar into a Word document. Second, it is frustrating at times to be seeking foundations which accept unsolicited applications but be presented with an Instrumentl search which includes foundations which are NOT open to unsolicited applications. It may be a foundation issue, not sure. I will say my list of 'Cons' would have been longer last year, but the Instrumentl technical team is routinely issuing updates to the application's capabilities so some of those earlier wants are now available! Reason for choosing Instrumentl I chose Instrumentl after using their limited trial tool. I found it intuitive, full of capabilities and at a price that seemed reasonable - even for a relatively new grant writer. Review Source Response from Instrumentl January 23, 2024 Mark -- I'm so glad that you've found the Instrumentl database and funder data useful for focused research! We do have some tools on the platform that can help with both the challenges you shared - please email us so we can help with this. It's good to have you onboard! ~Ketaki EB Esther B. Associate Institutional Giving Director Arts and Crafts Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy to Use Multi-Tool that Pays for Itself" January 30, 2024 5.0 After it paying for itself within two weeks of getting it, I feel really bad for the version of me that used to have to do this work without it. Pros The ability to do a thorough search for opportunities and add them to my projects immediately. Cons Being unable to change the layout of the fields on my home page and overview. Alternatives considered [Candid](https://www.capterra.com/p/237107/Candid/) Switched from [Candid](https://www.capterra.com/p/237107/Candid/) I didn't feel that I was getting very much out of Candid. It was also outrageously expensive to get to the top tier tool. Review Source Response from Instrumentl February 2, 2024 Hi Esther -- I'm so glad that you've found the Instrumentl database and grant management useful to stay organized! We'd love to learn more about how you'd like to be able to manage the layout of the Tracker page as well - please email us so we can help with this. It's great to have you onboard! ~Eric ML Melanie L. Managing Director Fund-Raising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Hands-down the BEST Grant Management Tool on the Internet" March 13, 2024 5.0 I sing the praises of Instrumentl to grant writers every chance I get. I wish I'd committed to it sooner. I spent countless hours on the internet trying to find solutions to organization and tracking problems I experienced only to find that those solutions already existed in Instrumentl and I'd just been missing out before I subscribed. I have some suggestions I'd like to share as far as how to make the platform more user friendly specifically for consultants managing more than one nonprofit, but in general, Instrumentl more than meets my needs, has made my life as a busy grant writer easier, and has saved me countless hours of time. Instrumentl's team is incredibly responsive. If I submit an update on a funder, I get a response in a matter of hours from a real person. The ability to do this and the quick turnaround time of the Instrumentl staff person makes me feel confident that the results I'm getting in searches are up-to-date as much as possible. Pros As a busy grant writing consultant, I manage grant submissions for anywhere between 15-20 nonprofits at a time. Instrumentl's features make that possible and have allowed me to expand and grow my business in ways I wouldn't have been able to without it. The research component alone is worth the monthly rate (once you enter your keywords the platform continues to research on your behalf, alerting you to new opportunities that match the criteria and allowing you to sort results by newest so you aren't reviewing the same funders over and over again just to find any new ones). I use the reports on a regular basis to share updates and grant calendars with our clients and they love the format and information they include. I would be lost without the deadline and task reminders and appreciate that I can add documents (including copies of submitted proposals) to each funders' record for future reference. And I can keep track of how much we've requested and received for each project all in the same place. Cons Of all of the grant management platforms available, Instrumentl was the most expensive and I was concerned about whether or not I could afford it. But after about a month of use, it became very clear that Instrumentl was paying for itself in part with the time savings I was experiencing. I cancelled several other subscriptions to other grant management platforms because they just weren't as good as Instrumentl and I didn't use them anymore. Review Source Response from Instrumentl March 15, 2024 Hi Melanie -- I'm so happy to hear that we've been able to help you juggle all those grant submissions and even grow your business! We're also very glad to know that our reports are generating value to you and your clients. Thanks for being with us! Please feel free to reach out any time you need anything :) ~Eric Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.