How grant administrators build a funding deadline calendar

Q: How much does Raise Buddy cost for a grant team?

The Free plan opens programs up to $1,000. Plus is $14.99 a month and opens programs up to $5,000. Pro is $199 a month and includes every program and the AI connection. The first three matches in each section open on every plan.

A working method for putting every funder's deadlines, rules and document lists into one calendar a grant team can check each week, with tools that help.

By CDings · 2026-10-20

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

Put each funder's dates, rules and document lists into one shared calendar, copy every date from the funder's own site, and check the sources on a fixed schedule.

Option	What it does	Cost
Raise Buddy	Lists grants, loans, credits, prizes and other funding you may be able to apply for. ^[1] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear. ^[1]	Free plan opens programs up to $1,000 ^[1]. Plus is $14.99 a month ^[1]. Pro is $199 a month ^[1].
Government program lists	Government websites can show grant and loan programs.	Not published.
Local business support offices	Local organizations may provide information about programs in a specific area.	Not published.
Shared calendar and spreadsheet	A file the whole team can open and edit, with one entry per deadline.	Not published.

What you need before you start

Gather the funder list, the official rules and the key dates before anyone enters a deadline. A calendar is only as reliable as the source it was copied from, so keep that source beside each entry.

Have these ready:

Funder list. The name of every government office, foundation and lender the team tracks, with the program name for each.
Official rule sources. The page or document from each funder's own site, not from a summary.
Key dates. Opening, closing, letter of intent, reporting and award dates for open calls and active awards.
Document lists. What each funder asks for, such as budgets, board lists, tax records or project plans.
Award terms. Spending limits, reporting schedules and approval steps for any funding the organization has already received.
Responsible people. The staff member who owns each deadline and the person who approves each submission.
Time zones. The time zone each funder uses, and one shared calendar the whole team can open.

A simple sheet with these fields makes it easier to add new entries without losing the source.

Step by step

Work through these steps in order, so every entry in the calendar can be traced back to its source.

Set the scope. Decide which programs the calendar covers, such as active awards, open calls and programs the team plans to apply to.
Collect the source for each program. Copy the official rules or notice from the funder's own site and save the link with the date you checked it.
Pull out the dates. List the opening, closing, letter of intent, submission, award and reporting dates. Write down the time zone for each one.
Record the requirements. Note the documents, forms, board approvals and budget rules that must be ready before each deadline.
Create one entry per deadline. Give each entry a title, the funder name, the date, the owner, the source link and a status such as not started, drafting or submitted.
Set early reminders. Place a reminder well ahead of each date, based on how long the team usually needs to gather documents.
Confirm unclear dates. Contact the funder when a date, time zone or document rule is not stated clearly, and record the answer with the date it was given.
Check the calendar against the sources. Compare each entry with its source on a fixed schedule, such as monthly, and update it when a funder changes a date.
Share and assign. Give access to the people who prepare, review and approve applications, and confirm who is responsible for each entry.
Archive closed entries. Move past deadlines, with their sources and outcomes, to a separate tab so the active calendar stays short.

Review the calendar whenever a new award is made or a funder publishes an update, because one missed change can move a whole project plan.

Tools that can do it

Different sources help with different parts of building the calendar. Choose the sources that cover the funders your team tracks, and confirm every date on the funder's own site.

Government program lists. Government websites can show grant and loan programs. Use each program page as the source for its dates, and note the date you checked it.

Local business support offices. Local organizations may provide information about programs in a specific area. Ask them to confirm any date that is not on a public page.

Shared calendar and spreadsheet. A file the whole team can open and edit keeps one entry per deadline, with its source link beside it.

Raise Buddy. Raise Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site. It lists grants, loans, credits, prizes and other funding you may be able to apply for. ^[1] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear, with the funder's own words. ^[1] 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. ^[1] It keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. ^[1] The app works on the web and on phones. ^[1] The Free plan opens programs up to $1,000, Plus is $14.99 a month and opens programs up to $5,000, and Pro is $199 a month with every program and the AI connection. ^[1] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. ^[1] For a guest, each search list stops after the first 5. ^[1] Only English is shown for now. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Watch for these common errors when building the calendar.

Copying dates without the source. A date with no link to the funder's rule is hard to check when it changes.
Ignoring time zones. A deadline set in another time zone can close before the team expects.
Treating a summary as the rule. Summary pages can lag behind a funder's notice, so confirm each date with the official source.
Missing a change notice. Funders may update dates or documents, so review each source on a fixed schedule.
Setting reminders too late. Documents, board approvals and budgets can take time to gather.
Mixing up letter of intent and full application dates. Each stage may have its own deadline and document list.
Keeping one owner for everything. When one person holds every date, a missed deadline has no backup.
Leaving closed entries in the active calendar. Old items make it harder to see what is still open.

Frequently asked questions

How do grant administrators build a calendar of funding deadlines?

Start with a list of every funder and program the team follows, and copy each official date from the funder's own site. Record one entry per deadline with its owner, its source link and its status. Set reminders early enough to gather documents, and check each entry against the source on a fixed schedule so changes are caught before they matter.

What should each entry in a funding deadline calendar show?

Each entry should show the funder name, the program name, the exact date and time with its time zone, and the type of date, such as a letter of intent or a full submission. Add the responsible person, the link to the official rule, the documents needed and the current status. A short note on any date the funder confirmed by email helps the team trust the entry later.

Which funding sources does Raise Buddy list across countries?

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. ^[1] Each listed program still needs its own deadline recorded from the funder's site before it goes into the calendar, because the source is what the team should check when a date changes.

Does Raise Buddy apply for grants on a team's behalf?

No. Raise Buddy keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. ^[1] Your team still confirms each deadline, prepares the documents, and sends the application through the process the funder sets. Check the funder's own site before you rely on any status shown.

How much does Raise Buddy cost for a grant team?

The Free plan opens programs up to $1,000. ^[1] Plus is $14.99 a month and opens programs up to $5,000. ^[1] Pro is $199 a month and includes every program and the AI connection. ^[1] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. ^[1]

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. ^[1]

Try Raise Buddy

Sources

Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)