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Nonprofits · head to head

Foundant Technologies vs SmartSimple Cloud

Foundant Technologies logo

Foundant Technologies

Nonprofits

Grant lifecycle management for foundations, with public subscription bands and a two-year term

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartSimple Cloud logo

SmartSimple Cloud

Nonprofits

Configurable grants, research and case management platform for large funders

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Foundant Technologies the Basic licence tier omits eligibility quizzes and advanced automation and caps file sizes, so foundations with conditional application logic must buy up rather than configure around it.; SmartSimple Cloud almost everything useful is configured rather than switched on, so first-year cost is dominated by professional services and a live system is typically months rather than weeks away.
  • They diverge on capability: Foundant Technologies covers Grant Lifecycle Manager, SmartSimple Cloud covers Configurable object model.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Foundant Technologies and SmartSimple Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Foundant Technologies and SmartSimple Cloud differ
AttributeFoundant TechnologiesSmartSimple Cloud

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 Foundant Technologies

  • Grant Lifecycle Manager
  • CommunitySuite
  • Scholarship Lifecycle Manager
  • Candid integration
  • Evaluator portal

Only in SmartSimple Cloud

  • Configurable object model
  • Workflow and approval engine
  • Peer review
  • Budget and payments
  • Report writer
  • Research administration

Both cover

  • Grantee portal

What people use each for

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

Foundant Technologies

  • A private foundation making 50 to 500 grants a year that wants a defined process rather than a configuration projectnot SmartSimple Cloud
  • A community foundation needing donor-advised fund accounting and grantmaking from the same vendornot SmartSimple Cloud
  • Running a scholarship programme with volunteer review committees who should not have full staff loginsnot SmartSimple Cloud
  • A foundation that needs charity status verification against Candid data before every payment goes outnot SmartSimple Cloud

SmartSimple Cloud

  • A national research council running peer-reviewed funding calls with panel conflict rules and multi-year milestone paymentsnot Foundant Technologies
  • A private foundation whose grant process differs enough between programmes that packaged software would need four separate instancesnot Foundant Technologies
  • A government department that must show a full audit trail of every decision and payment against public fundsnot Foundant Technologies
  • A health charity running grants and beneficiary case management in one system with shared contact recordsnot Foundant Technologies

Where each one falls short

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

Foundant Technologies

  • The Basic licence tier omits eligibility quizzes and advanced automation and caps file sizes, so foundations with conditional application logic must buy up rather than configure around it.
  • The standard contract is two years, which removes the option of a one-year trial period and locks you in before you know whether the process fits.
  • The annual subscription excludes implementation, and the setup fee is a meaningful additional first-year cost that quotes do not always foreground.
  • It is deliberately less configurable than enterprise grants systems, so a funder with unusual multi-stage workflows will hit walls that require process change rather than software change.
  • Pricing above the standard bands switches to an assets under management basis, meaning a well-endowed foundation making few grants can be quoted far more than its grant volume would suggest.

SmartSimple Cloud

  • Almost everything useful is configured rather than switched on, so first-year cost is dominated by professional services and a live system is typically months rather than weeks away.
  • Because each deployment is bespoke, upgrades and new platform features often need configuration work before they apply to your instance, which slows the benefit of paying an annual subscription.
  • Organisations that lose their internal configurator become dependent on the vendor or a partner for even routine form changes, which turns small requests into billable work.
  • The user interface is dense and utilitarian; occasional users such as grant reviewers and applicants need instructions, which increases support load during a funding round.
  • It is priced and scoped for large funders, so a small foundation running one annual round will pay for flexibility it never uses and would be served faster by a packaged tool.

Pricing, plan by plan

Foundant Technologies

On request
  • Grant Lifecycle Manager$undefined/year
    • Three licence tiers gating automation and eligibility quizzes
    • Two-year contract standard
    • Reported range of roughly 4,250 to 9,500 USD per year
  • CommunitySuite$undefined/year
    • Fund accounting and donor-advised funds
    • Priced for community foundations by fund count and complexity
  • Scholarship Lifecycle Manager$undefined/year
    • Scholarship application and review workflows
    • Sold alongside or independently of GLM

SmartSimple Cloud

On request
  • SmartSimple Cloud$undefined/year
    • Configurable grants, review and case management
    • Grantee and reviewer portals
    • Annual subscription plus separate implementation engagement

Which should you pick?

Choose Foundant Technologies if

  • You need grant lifecycle manager.
  • You also want communitysuite.
Foundant Technologies review

Choose SmartSimple Cloud if

  • You need configurable object model.
  • You also want workflow and approval engine.
SmartSimple Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Foundant Technologies or SmartSimple Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Foundant Technologies starts at On request and SmartSimple Cloud at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Foundant Technologies or SmartSimple Cloud?
Foundant Technologies starts at On request and SmartSimple Cloud at On request.
Does Foundant Technologies or SmartSimple Cloud run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Foundant Technologies best used for?
Foundant Technologies is most often used for a private foundation making 50 to 500 grants a year that wants a defined process rather than a configuration project, a community foundation needing donor-advised fund accounting and grantmaking from the same vendor, running a scholarship programme with volunteer review committees who should not have full staff logins, a foundation that needs charity status verification against candid data before every payment goes out. Of those, a private foundation making 50 to 500 grants a year that wants a defined process rather than a configuration project and a community foundation needing donor-advised fund accounting and grantmaking from the same vendor are not what SmartSimple Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Foundant Technologies do that SmartSimple Cloud cannot?
Foundant Technologies covers Grant Lifecycle Manager, CommunitySuite, Scholarship Lifecycle Manager, Candid integration. SmartSimple Cloud covers Configurable object model, Workflow and approval engine, Peer review, Budget and payments. Both handle Grantee portal.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Foundant Technologies: What does Grant Lifecycle Manager cost?

Sector guides report roughly 4,250 to 9,500 US dollars a year on a two-year contract, with larger foundations priced on assets under management. Foundant does not publish these figures itself.

SmartSimple Cloud: How long does implementation take?

Plan in months, not weeks. Complex multi-programme funders routinely run six to twelve month implementations, and that work is billed separately from the subscription.

Foundant Technologies: Is implementation included?

No. Setup is billed separately from the annual subscription.

SmartSimple Cloud: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted by modules, user counts and configuration scope. Ask specifically what future configuration changes cost, because that is the recurring surprise.

Foundant Technologies: Is the Candid integration extra?

It is included in the GLM subscription and free for up to 1,000 charity checks a year.

SmartSimple Cloud: Can it handle multi-currency, multi-year grants?

Yes. Tranche payments conditional on milestone reports and multi-currency awards are among the reasons large international funders choose it.

Foundant Technologies: Is there a discount for small funders?

Some sector associations, including Exponent Philanthropy, negotiate a discount off the initial licence for members.

SmartSimple Cloud: Do we need our own administrator?

Practically, yes. Organisations without an internal configurator end up paying the vendor for routine form and workflow changes.

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