Candid Foundation Directory vs Hello Alice in 2026
Candid Foundation Directory vs Hello Alice for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, how to start, and what to check.
CDings is published by the makers of Raise Buddy and ProductCost, which are compared here alongside other tools.
Candid Foundation Directory and Hello Alice are compared here for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, how to start, and what to check first. Candid Foundation Directory says its search covers 1.9 million organizations by name, EIN, or keyword. [1] Hello Alice's own pages reviewed here give no details of what it does, so its parts here say what to check instead.
| Option | Free entry | Paid prices | Card payment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candid Foundation Directory | Free registration [1] | Premium monthly $219 a month billed monthly [2]; Premium annual $100 a month, $1,199 billed annually [2]; Ultimate annual $142 a month, $1,699 billed annually [2] | Not published |
| Hello Alice | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Raise Buddy | Free plan opens programs up to $1,000 [3] | Plus $14.99 a month (up to $5,000); Pro $199 a month (every program) [3] | Not published |
The short answer
Candid Foundation Directory is a searchable database that, Candid says, covers 1.9 million organizations by name, EIN, or keyword, and offers 3 million annual grant transactions. [1] [1] For a small-business owner it is a place to look up funders and grants yourself. Hello Alice's own pages reviewed here give no details of what it does for a small business, so check its site for its coverage and who can join.
If you want a tool that lists funding matched to a description of your business, with a plain verdict on whether you can apply, Raise Buddy's sources describe that. [3] [3] If you want to search a large database of organizations by name, EIN, or keyword, Candid Foundation Directory's sources describe that. [1]
What Candid Foundation Directory, Hello Alice is built for
Candid Foundation Directory says its search covers 1.9 million organizations by name, EIN, or keyword. [1] It says it offers 3 million annual grant transactions. [1] Registration is free, it says. [1] It says its APIs provide real-time data updates. [1] It says it can provide nonprofit data sets customized to your needs. [1] It says its monthly plan includes unlimited searches and profile views. [2] It says its Ultimate plan adds a data visualization tool for funding trends on top of Premium. [2] Hello Alice's pages reviewed here give no facts about what it is built for, so check its own site for what it covers, who can join, and how matching works.
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. [3] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear, with the funder's own words. [3]
It can read a Schedule C, Form 1120, 1065 or 990, or an IRS letter, from a photo or PDF into a draft profile you confirm, and it does not keep the EIN or the papers. [3] It includes private foundations that take applications, read from their own Form 990-PF tax returns. [3]
Its program list includes the UK's Find a Grant, Australia's GrantConnect, France's Aides-territoires, Japan's jGrants (daily), Spain's BDNS (hourly) and Austria's Transparenzportal (weekly). [3] It also covers 25 other ways to raise money (such as SAFEs, SBA loans, equity crowdfunding), each with its official rules and a first step. [3]
It keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [3]
Pricing and fees
Candid Foundation Directory says registration is free. [1] Its Premium monthly plan starts at $219 a month, billed monthly. [2] The Premium annual plan starts at $100 a month, $1,199 billed annually. [2] The Ultimate annual plan starts at $142 a month, $1,699 billed annually. [2] The monthly plan includes unlimited searches and profile views, up to 250 grant downloads per month, and up to 750 profiles per month in limited downloads. [2] [2] [2] Hello Alice's pages reviewed here state no subscription price, so check its own site.
Raise Buddy's free plan opens programs up to $1,000. [3] Plus is $14.99 a month and opens programs up to $5,000. [3] Pro is $199 a month and opens every program, with the advisors' review and the AI assistant connection. [3] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [3] A guest's search list ends after 5. [3] None of the sources gives a card payment fee for any of the three, so that part is not published.
Getting started
Candid Foundation Directory says registration is free, and its pages reviewed here say nothing more about the steps to set up a search. [1] Hello Alice's pages reviewed here say nothing about its sign-up, so check its own site for how to join.
For Raise Buddy, no install is needed for the web app. [3] The app works on the web and on phones. [3] You paste your website or describe what you do, and the list of funding follows. [3] If you have a tax form or IRS letter, you can add a photo or PDF and confirm the draft profile it produces. [3]
AI assistants connect by adding the connection address. [3] On the Pro plan, Claude or any compatible AI assistant can search, and the assistant gets ten tools. [3] Only English is shown for now, even though five more languages are planned. [3]
Things to check before you choose
- What does the plan you need cost each month, and is it published before you sign up?
- Does the tool cover the kind of funding you want, such as grants, loans or prizes, and the country you operate in?
- Does it say plainly whether your business can apply, and does it quote the funder?
- Who writes the application: you, or the tool? Where do you submit it?
- Does it track deadlines and spending after you win, and does it connect to the accounting software you already use?
- What happens to your tax documents and identifiers when you upload them?
- Is the interface in the language you work in?
How to choose
If you want to search a large database of organizations by name, EIN, or keyword, and pull grant records for research, Candid Foundation Directory's sources describe that. [1] If you want real-time data updates or a data set built to your needs, Candid's sources describe those too. [1] [1]
If you want a list of funding matched to a description of your business, with a verdict on whether you can apply, Raise Buddy's sources describe that. [3] [3] If you want options beyond grants, such as SAFEs or SBA loans, Raise Buddy's sources say it covers 25 other ways to raise money. [3] If you want funding sources from outside the US, Raise Buddy's sources list programs from several countries. [3]
If you want a free way in, Candid says registration is free [1] and Raise Buddy has a free plan. [3] Hello Alice's pages reviewed here give no facts to compare, so check its own site.
Frequently asked questions
Does Candid Foundation Directory have a free option?
Candid says registration is free. [1] Its paid plans start at $219 a month billed monthly for Premium. [2] Check whether the free registration covers the grant downloads and profile views you need, because the paid plans add downloads in set amounts.
How much does Candid Foundation Directory cost?
Candid says Premium monthly is $219 a month billed monthly. [2] The Premium annual plan starts at $100 a month, $1,199 billed annually. [2] The Ultimate annual plan starts at $142 a month, $1,699 billed annually. [2] The monthly plan includes unlimited searches and up to 250 grant downloads per month. [2] [2]
Can Raise Buddy submit a grant application?
Raise Buddy keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [3] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear, with the funder's own words. [3]
What does Hello Alice cost?
The pages reviewed here state no price for Hello Alice, so check its own site for plans and fees before you sign up. Also ask what it covers and who can join, because none of its own details appears in the sources reviewed here.
Does Candid Foundation Directory update its data?
Candid says its APIs provide real-time data updates. [1] It also says it can provide nonprofit data sets customized to your needs. [1] Check whether real-time access and custom sets are part of the plan you choose, or are add-ons.
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. [3]
Try Raise BuddySources
Related comparisons
- Grant finders compared in 2026
- Grant finders for arts organization managers in 2026
- Best grant finders for business advisors
- Grant finders for business consultants in 2026
- Grant finders for community organization leaders in 2026
- Grant finders for ecommerce sellers in 2026
- Best grant finders for small-business founders in 2026
- Candid Foundation Directory alternatives in 2026
- Candid Foundation Directory vs GrantForward in 2026
- Candid Foundation Directory vs Grantmakers.io in 2026