Raise Buddy vs Grants.gov in 2026

Raise Buddy and Grants.gov compared for a small-business owner: what each does, what it costs, how to start, and what to check before you pick one.

By CDings · 2026-10-10

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

Raise Buddy lists grants, loans, credits and prizes from a description of your business. ^[1] The sources here say little about Grants.gov, so check its own pages for what it lists. Check each source against the funding you want.

Option	Own price	Card fee
Grants.gov	not published	not published
Raise Buddy	Free plan opens programs up to $1,000; Plus $14.99 a month (up to $5,000); Pro $199 a month (every program); the first three matches in each section open on every plan ^[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] The facts gathered for this page do not describe what Grants.gov does for a business, so read its own pages for that.

On needs: the sources here do not say which needs Grants.gov meets. Raise Buddy includes private foundations that take applications, read from their own Form 990-PF tax returns. ^[1] It covers 25 ways to raise money, such as angel investors, SBA loans and equity crowdfunding. ^[1] Neither source here says more about fit, so match your own need to the details below.

What Grants.gov is built for

The facts available for Grants.gov come from its own pages, and they are few, so this section stays short.

So this page cannot say which kinds of funding it lists, whether a business like yours can apply through it, or what kind of applicant its listings are for. Read its own pages for that before you search.

Before you rely on it, look on the site for when its support desk is open and when it goes down for maintenance.

The facts here do not describe its search tools, its application steps or its account setup. Rather than guess, the questions section below lists what to check on the site itself.

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, with the funder's own words. ^[1]

If you would rather not type everything in, it can read a tax form or IRS letter from a photo or PDF, and you check the result before it is used. ^[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 includes private foundations that take applications, read from their own Form 990-PF tax returns. ^[1] It also 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]

Pricing and fees

Grants.gov: the facts gathered for this page do not state a price or fee for it, so its pricing is not published here. Check its own site before you rely on any assumption.

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

A guest's search list ends after 5. ^[1]

On the Pro plan, ten AI personas read your organisation and matches and write what to do first; none of them is a real person ^[1].

No card fee is stated for either tool in the sources used here, so the table marks that part as not published.

Getting started

Raise Buddy: the web app needs no install. ^[1] You start by pasting your website or describing what you do. ^[1] You can also give it a photo or PDF of a tax form or IRS letter, and you confirm the draft profile it builds. ^[1]

Once you have matches, it keeps track of where each of your applications stands, but you apply on the funder's own site. ^[1] On Pro, an AI assistant can search for you. ^[1] Only English is shown for now, even though five more languages are planned. ^[1]

Grants.gov: the facts here do not say how to sign up, set up an account or apply. Check its own pages for those steps, and for when its support desk is open, before you start.

Things to check before you choose

These questions apply to either tool.

Is the money you want open to a business like yours, or only to individuals or other kinds of groups?
Does the tool list the kind of funding you want, such as grants, loans, credits or prizes?
Does it cover the country you work in?
What does it cost, and which part of the list does that price open?
Do you apply inside the tool or on the funder's own site?
How current is the list, and when does the site go down for maintenance?
Can you reach support when you need it, and when is it closed?
Does it show the funder's own wording on who can apply?

For Raise Buddy, also check that you are comfortable with English only for now. ^[1] For Grants.gov, read what its own pages say about who its opportunities are for.

How to choose

If you are weighing Grants.gov, the sources here do not say which needs it meets, so read its own pages on who can apply and what it lists.

If you want a list built from a description of your business, Raise Buddy says it does that. ^[1] If you want to see what stands between you and each program, it says each match gives a verdict with the funder's own words. ^[1]

If you want private foundations, Raise Buddy says it includes those that take applications. ^[1] If you want options beyond grants, it says it covers 25 ways to raise money. ^[1] If you work in the UK, Australia, France, Japan, Spain or Austria, it says its list includes sources from each. ^[1]

If you need phone support, check each tool's own pages for when help is available. For anything the sources here do not cover, check the tool's own site.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of funding does Grants.gov list?

The facts gathered for this page do not describe what Grants.gov lists or who can apply through it, so read its own pages for that before you search. Raise Buddy is described as listing grants, loans, credits, prizes and other funding you may be able to apply for after you paste your website or describe what you do. ^[1]

How much does Raise Buddy cost per month?

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

Is Grants.gov free to use?

The facts gathered for this page do not state a price or fee for Grants.gov, so its pricing is not published here. Check its own pages for current terms before you plan around any cost. Raise Buddy, by comparison, states a Free plan that opens programs up to $1,000. ^[1]

Do you apply for grants through Raise Buddy?

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]

Where can Grants.gov users find support hours?

The facts gathered for this page do not give support hours or a maintenance schedule for Grants.gov. Check its own pages for when its support desk is open and when the site goes down for maintenance before you plan around it.

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)