CDings Plain comparisons of small-business tools

Candid Foundation Directory vs GrantWatch in 2026

A plain comparison of Candid Foundation Directory and GrantWatch for small-business owners: what each does, what each costs, and what to check first.

By CDings ยท

CDings is published by the makers of Raise Buddy and ProductCost, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Candid says registration is free. [1] Candid says its search covers 1.9 million organizations by name, EIN, or keyword. [2] GrantWatch says it matches grants to your keywords, focus areas, and type of organization. [3] Candid says its monthly plan allows grants downloads of up to 250 grants per month [4]. GrantWatch says its grant calendar and alerts track deadlines, milestones, application schedules, and funding opportunities. [5]

OptionStarting pricePlan or limit
Candid Foundation Directory, Premium monthly$219/month, billed monthly [6]Up to 250 grants downloaded per month [4]
Candid Foundation Directory, Premium annual$100/month starting price, $1,199 billed annually [7]Download limit not published
Candid Foundation Directory, Ultimate annual$142/month starting price, $1,699 billed annually [8]Adds charts of funding trends [9]
GrantWatchNot publishedNot published
Raise BuddyFree plan; Plus $14.99 a month; Pro $199 a month [10]Free plan opens programs up to $1,000; Plus up to $5,000; Pro every program [10]

What Candid Foundation Directory and GrantWatch are built for

Candid Foundation Directory. Candid says it offers limited downloads of up to 750 profiles per month. [11] Its Ultimate plan adds charts of funding trends on top of Premium. [9]

GrantWatch. GrantWatch says it helps people find grants, research funders, write proposals, manage applications, track awards, and handle reporting after an award. [12] It says claiming an official organization profile can provide up to 1 million free GWI Tokens, its own credits for using the site. [13] It says its database includes 374,397 funder profiles. [14] It also says it has 4.69 million IRS 990 records. [15]

What Raise Buddy is built for

Raise Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site. You paste your website or describe what you do, and it lists grants, loans, credits, prizes and other funding you may be able to apply for. [16] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear, with the funder's own words. [17]

It can build a draft profile from tax documents [18], says whether you can apply [17], and includes private foundations [19] and sources in several countries [20].

It covers 25 other ways to raise money (such as SAFEs, SBA loans, equity crowdfunding), each with its official rules and a first step. [21] It keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [22]

Pricing and fees

Candid says registration is free. [1] It lists a Premium monthly plan starting at $219/month, billed monthly. [6] Its Premium annual plan is listed at a $100/month starting price, $1,199 billed annually. [7] Its Ultimate annual plan is listed at a $142/month starting price, $1,699 billed annually. [8] Candid says its monthly plan allows grants downloads of up to 250 grants per month [4].

GrantWatch prices are not published in the facts used for this page, so check its own site for plan costs.

Raise Buddy's Free plan opens programs up to $1,000. [10] Plus $14.99 a month, Pro $199 a month [10]. On every plan, the first three matches in each list of results are open to you. [10]

Getting started

Candid Foundation Directory. Candid's page says you can register for free. [1] Candid says it offers limited downloads of up to 750 profiles per month. [11] Its sources say nothing more about setup steps, so check its site for what happens after you register.

GrantWatch. Its pages say claiming an official organization profile can provide up to 1 million free GWI Tokens, its own credits for using the site. [13] Its sources do not describe the sign-up steps, so check them on its site.

Raise Buddy. The web app needs no install [23]. You paste your website or describe what you do to get a list of funding. [16] A visitor who has not signed up sees a list that ends after 5. [24] Only English is shown for now, even though five more languages are planned. [25]

Things to check before you choose

Ask whether the tool lists grants you can apply for now, and how many fit your kind of business.

Ask what a plan's limits are, such as Candid's monthly plan allowing grants downloads of up to 250 grants per month [4].

Ask where GrantWatch's prices are listed, because they were not published in the sources used here.

Ask which languages the tool works in, and whether it covers funding in your country. Ask whether you want to apply inside the tool or on the funder's own site, since Raise Buddy has you apply on the funder's own site. [22]

How to choose

If you want to try it before paying, Candid says registration is free. [1]

If you want deadlines and application schedules tracked in one place, GrantWatch says its grant calendar and alerts do that. [5] If you want a list of funders that starts filled in, GrantWatch says its contact records tool starts filled in with funder and grantee records from its data. [26]

If you want to start from your website and see whether you can apply, with the funder's own words, Raise Buddy does that. [16] [17] If you want options beyond grants, Raise Buddy covers 25 ways to raise money, such as angel investors, SBA loans and equity crowdfunding. [21]

Frequently asked questions

Is Candid Foundation Directory free?

Candid says registration is free. [1] It also lists paid plans, with Premium monthly starting at $219/month, billed monthly. [6] Its sources do not say what a free registration includes, so check its site before you sign up.

What do Candid Foundation Directory plans cost?

Candid lists a Premium annual plan at a $100/month starting price, $1,199 billed annually. [7] It lists an Ultimate annual plan at a $142/month starting price, $1,699 billed annually. [8] The monthly Premium plan starts at $219/month. [6]

What does GrantWatch do besides finding grants?

GrantWatch says its platform covers finding grants, researching funders, writing proposals, managing applications, tracking awards, and post-award reporting. [12] It says its contact records tool starts filled in with funder and grantee records from its data. [26]

How many funder profiles does GrantWatch have?

GrantWatch says its database includes 374,397 funder profiles. [14] It also says it has 4.69 million IRS 990 records. [15] Its sources used here do not say how many of these funders give to a business like yours, so check on its site before you pay.

Does Raise Buddy help small businesses find funding?

Raise Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site. You paste your website or describe what you do, and it lists grants, loans, credits, prizes and other funding you may be able to apply for. [16] Each match says whether you can apply, with the funder's own words. [17] You apply on the funder's own site. [22]

Free plan opens programs up to $1,000; Plus is $14.99 a month (up to $5,000); Pro is $199 a month (every program, advisors' review, AI connection). The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [10]

Try Raise Buddy

Sources

  1. Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org, read 2026-10-07
  2. Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org, read 2026-10-07
  3. GrantWatch, grantwatch.com, read 2026-10-07
  4. Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org/find-funding, read 2026-10-07
  5. GrantWatch, grantwatch.com, read 2026-10-07
  6. Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org/find-funding, read 2026-10-07
  7. Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org/find-funding, read 2026-10-07
  8. Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org/find-funding, read 2026-10-07
  9. Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org/find-funding, read 2026-10-07
  10. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  11. Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org/find-funding, read 2026-10-07
  12. GrantWatch, grantwatch.com, read 2026-10-07
  13. GrantWatch, grantwatch.com, read 2026-10-07
  14. GrantWatch, grantwatch.com, read 2026-10-07
  15. GrantWatch, grantwatch.com, read 2026-10-07
  16. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  17. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  18. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  19. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  20. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  21. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  22. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  23. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  24. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  25. Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  26. GrantWatch, grantwatch.com, read 2026-10-07

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