--- {"title": "Candid Foundation Directory vs Skip in 2026", "description": "Candid Foundation Directory and Skip compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, and how to start.", "url": "https://cdings.com/candid-foundation-directory-vs-skip/", "date": "2026-10-13"} --- Candid Foundation Directory and Skip compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, and how to start. Candid Foundation Directory and Skip compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each says it costs, how to start, and what to check first. | Option | Free entry | Paid prices | Card payment fee | |---|---|---|---| | Candid Foundation Directory | Registration is free [^1] | Premium monthly $219/month [^2]; Premium annual $100/month, $1,199 billed annually [^2]; Ultimate annual $142/month, $1,699 billed annually [^2] | Not published | | Skip | 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 lets you search 1.9 million organizations by name, EIN, or keyword, and it lists 3 million annual grant transactions. [^1] [^1] Registration is free. [^1] Raise Buddy takes your website or a short description of what you do and lists grants, loans, credits, prizes and other funding you may be able to apply for. [^3] The sources reviewed here do not give any facts about Skip, so nothing about what it does can be stated from its own pages here. If you want to search a large database of funders and grants by organization name or keyword, Candid Foundation Directory's sources describe that. [^1] If you want a list of funding that fits your business, with a plain verdict on whether you can apply, Raise Buddy's sources describe that. [^3] ## What Candid Foundation Directory and Skip are 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] It says registration is free. [^1] It says it provides real-time data updates through APIs. [^1] It says it can provide custom nonprofit data sets tailored to a user's needs. [^1] The sources reviewed here provide no facts about Skip, so nothing about what Skip is built for can be stated from its own pages. Check Skip's own site to learn what it does and whom it serves. ## 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, Spain's BDNS and Austria's Transparenzportal. [^3] It also covers 25 other ways to raise money, such as angel investors, SBA loans and 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] It lists a Premium monthly plan starting at $219 a month, billed monthly. [^2] That monthly plan includes unlimited searches and profile views. [^2] It allows grants downloads of up to 250 grants per month. [^2] It allows limited downloads of up to 750 profiles per month. [^2] Candid lists a Premium annual plan at $100 a month as a starting price, with $1,199 billed annually. [^2] It lists an Ultimate annual plan at $142 a month as a starting price, with $1,699 billed annually. [^2] The Ultimate plan includes a data visualization tool for funding trends on top of Premium. [^2] 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] The sources reviewed here give no price for Skip, so check its own pricing page before you commit. Neither source gives a card payment fee, so that part is not published for any tool here. ## Getting started Candid Foundation Directory says registration is free. [^1] Its sources reviewed here say nothing more about the sign-up steps. The sources reviewed here say nothing about how to sign up for Skip. Check Skip's own site for sign-up steps. For Raise Buddy, no install is needed for the web app. [^3] The app is built for the web and 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 funders and grant transactions by organization name, EIN or keyword, Candid Foundation Directory's sources describe that. [^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 SBA loans or equity crowdfunding, Raise Buddy's sources say it covers 25 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 to try before paying, Candid Foundation Directory says registration is free. [^1] Raise Buddy has a free plan. [^3] ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Candid Foundation Directory free to register? Candid Foundation Directory says registration is free. [^1] Its paid plans start at $219 a month on a monthly Premium plan, or $100 a month as a starting price on an annual Premium plan with $1,199 billed annually. [^2] [^2] Check its own pricing page for what the free registration includes. ### How much does Raise Buddy cost? The 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] ### What does Skip cost? The sources reviewed here give no facts about Skip, including no price. Check Skip's own pricing page before you sign up. Ask whether a free trial or a free plan exists, and what the monthly cost is after any trial ends. ### 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] ### Does Candid Foundation Directory offer grant data downloads? Candid Foundation Directory's monthly plan allows grants downloads of up to 250 grants per month. [^2] It also allows limited downloads of up to 750 profiles per month. [^2] The monthly plan includes unlimited searches and profile views. [^2] 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] - [Visit Raise Buddy](/go/start) ## Sources [^1]: Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org, read 2026-10-07 (https://candid.org) [^2]: Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org/find-funding, read 2026-10-07 (https://candid.org/find-funding) [^3]: Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start)