--- {"title": "Raise Buddy vs Candid Foundation Directory in 2026", "description": "Raise Buddy and Candid Foundation Directory compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each costs, and how to get started.", "url": "https://cdings.com/raisebuddy-vs-candid-foundation-directory/", "date": "2026-10-09"} --- Raise Buddy and Candid Foundation Directory compared for small-business owners: what each does, what each costs, and how to get started. Raise Buddy lists grants, loans, credits and prizes from a pasted website or a short description of your business. [^1] Candid lists Premium monthly from $219/month. [^2] Raise Buddy's Free plan opens programs up to $1,000. [^1] | Option | Free entry | Monthly plan | Annual plan | |---|---|---|---| | Candid Foundation Directory | Registration is free [^3] | Premium monthly starts at $219/month, billed monthly [^2] | Premium annual $100/month starting price, $1,199 billed annually [^2]; Ultimate annual $142/month starting price, $1,699 billed annually [^2] | | Raise Buddy | Free plan opens programs up to $1,000 [^1] | Plus is $14.99 a month, up to $5,000; Pro is $199 a month [^1] | not published | ## The short answer 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. [^1] Candid Foundation Directory says registration is free. [^3] If you want a list of funding built from a description of your business or your website, Raise Buddy's claims describe that. [^1] If you want a directory with a listed monthly plan, Candid's page describes that. [^2] Candid offers free registration [^3] and lists Premium monthly from $219/month [^2]. ## What Candid Foundation Directory is built for Candid says registration is free. [^3] The facts on file say nothing more about how Candid matches funding to a particular business, so check that on its own pages. ## 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. [^1] Each match says whether you can apply, what one step stands in the way, or what is unclear, using the funder's own words. [^1] It includes private foundations that take applications, read from their own Form 990-PF tax returns. [^1] 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). [^1] It covers 25 ways to raise money, such as angel investors, SBA loans and equity crowdfunding, each with its official rules and a first step. [^1] It keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [^1] Only English is shown for now, even though five more languages are planned. [^1] ## Pricing and fees Candid says registration is free. [^3] It lists a Premium monthly plan starting at $219/month, billed monthly. [^2] It lists a Premium annual plan at a $100/month starting price, which is $1,199 billed annually. [^2] It lists an Ultimate annual plan at a $142/month starting price, which is $1,699 billed annually. [^2] The facts on file do not give a monthly price for Ultimate. Raise Buddy's 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 covers every program, advisors' review and AI connection. [^1] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [^1] A guest's search list ends after 5. [^1] No annual price for Raise Buddy is published in the claims on file. Neither source gives a card fee or any charge on top of another service. ## Getting started For Candid, the page says you can register for free. [^3] The facts on file give no further setup steps, so check its pages for what happens after you register. For Raise Buddy, no install is needed for the web app. [^1] You paste your website or describe what you do, and it lists funding you may be able to apply for. [^1] If you would rather not type in your details, it can read a business tax form or an IRS letter from a photo or PDF into a draft you confirm, and it does not keep the EIN or the papers. [^1] On the Pro plan, ten AI personas read your business and matches and write what to do first. [^1] None of them is a real person. [^1] You then apply on each funder's own site. [^1] ## Things to check before you choose Ask what you need the tool to produce: a list of funding matched to your business, or a searchable set of organizations and grants. Ask which plan holds the features you need, and whether the price is billed monthly or annually. Ask how many results you can open or download on the plan you would pay for, and whether that is enough for how often you search. Ask whether the tool covers the country where your business operates and the kinds of funding you want, such as grants, loans or private foundations. Ask whether the tool tells you if you qualify, or leaves you to read each funder's rules. Ask what the tool does after you find a match, and where you apply. Ask what it does with your tax papers and identifying numbers if you upload them. ## How to choose If you want a directory with a listed monthly plan, Candid lists Premium monthly at $219/month. [^2] If you want an annual plan, Candid lists Premium annual at a $100/month starting price. [^2] If you want a list of funding built from your website or a short description, Raise Buddy's claims describe that. [^1] If you want each match to say whether you can apply, Raise Buddy gives a verdict with the funder's own words. [^1] If you want to try a tool without paying first, Candid says registration is free. [^3] Raise Buddy's claims describe a Free plan that opens programs up to $1,000. [^1] If you want sources from outside the United States, Raise Buddy lists several national programs. [^1] ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Candid Foundation Directory free? Candid says registration is free. [^3] It also lists a Premium monthly plan starting at $219/month, billed monthly. [^2] The facts on file do not say what a free registration includes, so check Candid's pages before assuming it covers the searches or downloads you need. ### How much does Candid Foundation Directory cost per month? Candid lists Premium monthly at $219/month, billed monthly. [^2] It lists Premium annual at a $100/month starting price, billed as $1,199 annually. [^2] Ultimate annual is listed at a $142/month starting price, billed as $1,699 annually. [^2] ### Does Raise Buddy have a free plan? Yes. 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 covers every program, the advisors' review and the AI connection. [^1] The first three matches in each section open on every plan. [^1] A guest's search list ends after 5. [^1] ### What does Raise Buddy do with tax papers you upload? It can read a business tax form or an IRS letter from a photo or PDF into a draft you confirm, and it does not keep the EIN or the papers. [^1] You can also paste your website or describe what you do. [^1] ### Does Raise Buddy apply for grants for you? Raise Buddy keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. [^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] ### Does Candid Foundation Directory have an annual plan? Candid lists a Premium annual plan at a $100/month starting price, $1,199 billed annually. [^2] It also lists an Ultimate annual plan at a $142/month starting price, $1,699 billed annually. [^2] Check Candid's pages for what each plan includes. 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] - [Visit Raise Buddy](/go/raisebuddy-vs-candid-foundation-directory) ## Sources [^1]: Raise Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/raisebuddy-vs-candid-foundation-directory) [^2]: Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org/find-funding, read 2026-10-07 (https://candid.org/find-funding) [^3]: Candid Foundation Directory, candid.org, read 2026-10-07 (https://candid.org)