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Nonprofits · head to head

Canva for Nonprofits vs Submittable

Canva for Nonprofits logo

Canva for Nonprofits

Nonprofits

Design tool for nonprofit marketing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Submittable logo

Submittable

Nonprofits

Application, review and grant management for funders running open calls at volume

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Canva for Nonprofits has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Canva for Nonprofits free access covers up to 50 users; further seats are charged at 50 percent of Canva Enterprise pricing; Submittable pricing is not published and tier jumps are steep, so an organisation that grows past a submission or form limit can face a renewal quote well above the previous year with limited negotiating room mid-programme.
  • They diverge on capability: Canva for Nonprofits covers Design templates, Submittable covers Configurable application forms.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Canva for Nonprofits and Submittable actually diverge.

Attributes where Canva for Nonprofits and Submittable differ
AttributeCanva for NonprofitsSubmittable
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Canva for Nonprofits

  • Design templates
  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Stock images
  • Brand kit
  • Team collaboration
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox
  • Slack

Only in Submittable

  • Configurable application forms
  • Blind and multi-stage review
  • Reviewer management
  • Grant payments
  • Impact reporting
  • Applicant messaging
  • API and integrations

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Canva for Nonprofits

  • Design work for a registered charity at no costnot Submittable
  • Team collaboration on branded materials across up to 50 usersnot Submittable
  • Access to Canva Pro premium photo, video and graphics librariesnot Submittable
  • Brand kit management for consistent nonprofit communicationsnot Submittable

Submittable

  • A foundation running an open grant round where a volunteer panel must score hundreds of applications without seeing applicant identitiesnot Canva for Nonprofits
  • A corporate giving team collecting employee-nominated grant requests and needing an audit trail for financenot Canva for Nonprofits
  • An arts council managing fellowship and residency applications with multi-stage juriesnot Canva for Nonprofits
  • A city agency distributing relief funds and required to show equitable review and decision recordsnot Canva for Nonprofits

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Canva for Nonprofits

  • Free access covers up to 50 users; further seats are charged at 50 percent of Canva Enterprise pricing
  • Government agencies, political groups, educational institutions and grant-making foundations are all excluded
  • Most 501(c) categories other than 501(c)(3) do not qualify
  • Eligibility requires registered charitable status and country-specific documentation

Submittable

  • Pricing is not published and tier jumps are steep, so an organisation that grows past a submission or form limit can face a renewal quote well above the previous year with limited negotiating room mid-programme.
  • It is built around the application funnel rather than the funder's relationship with grantees, so long-term relationship management, pledge tracking and multi-year commitments are weaker than in a purpose-built grants CRM.
  • Applicant-facing forms are constrained by the platform's templates, and organisations wanting a fully branded application experience on their own domain will find the customisation shallow.
  • Reporting is serviceable for programme counts but limited for board-level financial reporting, so many finance teams still export to spreadsheets to reconcile awards against the general ledger.
  • Payment disbursement capability varies by tier and region, and organisations funding recipients outside the United States often still pay grants through their bank rather than through the platform.

Pricing, plan by plan

Canva for Nonprofits

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Design templates
    • Basic elements
  • Canva Pro Nonprofit$1/month
    • Premium templates
    • Brand kit
    • Team collaboration

Submittable

On request
  • Submittable$undefined/year
    • Application forms and applicant portal
    • Reviewer workflow and scoring rubrics
    • Grant award and reporting modules on higher tiers

Which should you pick?

Choose Canva for Nonprofits if

  • You need design templates.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want drag-and-drop editor.
Canva for Nonprofits review

Choose Submittable if

  • You need configurable application forms.
  • You also want blind and multi-stage review.
Submittable review

Questions people ask

Is Canva for Nonprofits or Submittable better?
Neither clearly leads. Canva for Nonprofits starts at Free and Submittable at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Canva for Nonprofits or Submittable?
Canva for Nonprofits has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Canva for Nonprofits and On request for Submittable.
Does Canva for Nonprofits or Submittable run on more platforms?
Canva for Nonprofits runs on Web, IOS, Android. Submittable runs on Web.
Can I use Canva for Nonprofits for free?
Yes. Canva for Nonprofits has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Submittable starts at On request.
What is Canva for Nonprofits best used for?
Canva for Nonprofits is most often used for design work for a registered charity at no cost, team collaboration on branded materials across up to 50 users, access to canva pro premium photo, video and graphics libraries, brand kit management for consistent nonprofit communications. Of those, design work for a registered charity at no cost and team collaboration on branded materials across up to 50 users are not what Submittable is typically brought in for.
What can Canva for Nonprofits do that Submittable cannot?
Canva for Nonprofits covers Design templates, Drag-and-drop editor, Stock images, Brand kit. Submittable covers Configurable application forms, Blind and multi-stage review, Reviewer management, Grant payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Submittable: What does Submittable actually cost?

It is not published. Reported entry points are in the low thousands of dollars a year, with price driven by submission volume, number of forms and seats. Get the tier limits written into the contract before signing.

Submittable: Is it a grants management system or a submission manager?

Both, depending on tier. The review side is its strength. Award tracking, payments and grantee reporting sit on higher tiers and are less deep than a dedicated grants CRM.

Submittable: Can reviewers work anonymously?

Yes. Blind review, staged rounds and conflict of interest flagging are core features rather than paid extras.

Submittable: Is there a nonprofit discount?

Nonprofit pricing exists but is applied inside the quote rather than published as a percentage, so compare quotes rather than assuming a standard rate.

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