Best Grant Management Tools for Small Nonprofits (Under $100/mo)

You don't need a $5,000/year budget to access professional grant management software. This guide reviews the best affordable grant tools specifically designed for small nonprofits with limited budgets but unlimited ambition.

Why Small Nonprofits Need Specialized Tools

Small nonprofits face unique grant challenges:

• Limited staff time — Often 1-2 people handling all fundraising
• Tight budgets — Every dollar counts toward mission delivery
• Fewer resources — No dedicated grant writers or researchers
• Learning curve concerns — Need simple, intuitive tools

The right grant management software should save you time, increase success rates, and cost less than $100/month. Let's review your options.

Top 5 Affordable Grant Management Tools

1. Expirely — Best Overall Value

What You Get:

• 41,000+ Foundation Database — Searchable by location, focus area, grant size, and eligibility criteria
• AI Writing Assistant — Generate grant narratives, executive summaries, and needs statements
• Smart Match Recommendations — AI suggests best-fit foundations based on your mission
• Kanban Workflow — Visual tracking from research → drafting → submitted → awarded
• SMS + Email Deadline Alerts — Never miss submission deadlines
• Unlimited Document Storage — Store all applications, budgets, and supporting files
• Team Collaboration — Share applications, assign tasks, track progress together

Pricing:

• Growth: $49/month — Solo grant writers and small teams
• Impact: $99/month — Growing nonprofits with multiple team members

Best For:

• Nonprofits with budgets under $2M
• Organizations applying to 10+ grants per year
• Teams that need discovery + tracking + writing in one tool

2. GrantStation — Research Specialists

GrantStation focuses exclusively on grant research and funder intelligence. At $99/month, it's one of the most established research platforms.

Pros:

• Curated weekly grant opportunity emails by sector
• Access to 10,000+ foundation profiles
• Grant writing webinars and resources

Cons:

• No application tracking or workflow management
• No AI writing tools
• Smaller database than Expirely (10,000 vs 41,000+)
• Need separate tools for tracking and writing

Best For:

Organizations that already have strong internal tracking systems and only need help finding grant opportunities.

3. Submittable — Application Streamlining

Submittable ($79/month) helps you organize and submit applications to funders who use their platform. Good for managing submissions, but limited discovery features.

Pros:

• Streamlined application submissions
• Document storage and version control
• Easy collaboration features

Cons:

• No foundation database or grant discovery
• Only works with funders using Submittable
• No AI writing assistance

Best For:

Nonprofits that frequently apply to funders using the Submittable platform.

4. Google Sheets + Calendar — The Free Option

If you're just starting out or have a very tight budget, Google's free tools can handle basic tracking:

What You Can Do:

• Track grant applications in Google Sheets
• Set deadline reminders in Google Calendar
• Store documents in Google Drive
• Collaborate with team members

Limitations:

• No foundation database — must find grants manually
• No AI assistance or automation
• Manual updates and data entry
• Time-consuming to maintain

Reality Check: While free, DIY spreadsheets cost you hours of manual work. If your time is worth $25/hour, spending just 2 hours per month on manual tracking costs $600/year in opportunity cost—more than Expirely's Growth plan.

How to Choose the Right Tool

What NOT to Buy

The Bottom Line

For 90% of small nonprofits, Expirely is the best choice because it's the only tool under $100/month that combines:

• Massive foundation database (41,000+ funders)
• AI-powered writing assistance
• Complete application tracking
• Affordable pricing ($49-$99/month)

GrantStation works if you only need research. Google Sheets are fine for tracking 5-10 grants manually. But if you want to scale your grant program without scaling your costs, Expirely delivers unmatched value.