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Nonprofits · head to head

GrantStation vs Salesforce for Nonprofits

GrantStation logo

GrantStation

Nonprofits

A low-cost grant opportunity database sold on annual membership, usually at a heavy standing discount

From
$199/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Salesforce for Nonprofits logo

Salesforce for Nonprofits

Nonprofits

Enterprise CRM for nonprofit organizations

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Salesforce for Nonprofits has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: GrantStation it is a database with no pipeline, no deadline tracking against your own applications and no post-award reporting, so any team of more than one ends up managing grants in a spreadsheet anyway.; Salesforce for Nonprofits the Power of Us free grant covers only 10 Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud or Sales/Service Cloud licences; every licence beyond that is paid
  • They diverge on capability: GrantStation covers US grantmaker database, Salesforce for Nonprofits covers Donor management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GrantStation and Salesforce for Nonprofits actually diverge.

Attributes where GrantStation and Salesforce for Nonprofits differ
AttributeGrantStationSalesforce for Nonprofits
Starting price$199/yearFree
Pricing modelPer organisation per yearsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown1999

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 GrantStation

  • US grantmaker database
  • Federal and state funding
  • International and Canadian databases
  • Weekly opportunity bulletin
  • PathFinder library
  • Saved searches

Only in Salesforce for Nonprofits

  • Donor management
  • Campaign tracking
  • Volunteer management
  • Program tracking
  • Advanced reporting
  • Stripe
  • Google Analytics
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

GrantStation

  • A small nonprofit with no grants budget that needs a starting list of plausible funders in its statenot Salesforce for Nonprofits
  • A solo grant writer validating whether a cause area has enough funders to justify a grants strategynot Salesforce for Nonprofits
  • An organisation whose state nonprofit association resells the membership at 75 to 139 dollars, making it near-free researchnot Salesforce for Nonprofits
  • Supplementing an existing donor CRM with opportunity discovery without adding a second four-figure subscriptionnot Salesforce for Nonprofits

Salesforce for Nonprofits

  • Nonprofit constituent CRM covering fundraising, programs, outcomes and volunteersnot GrantStation
  • Consolidating donor, grant and program data on the Salesforce platformnot GrantStation

Where each one falls short

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

GrantStation

  • It is a database with no pipeline, no deadline tracking against your own applications and no post-award reporting, so any team of more than one ends up managing grants in a spreadsheet anyway.
  • The published 699 dollar list price bears no relation to the market price, which means buyers who purchase direct without checking association rates routinely overpay by three to nine times.
  • Funder records are broad but shallow compared with 990-derived tools, so vetting whether a foundation actually funds organisations like yours still requires separate research.
  • There are no integrations with donor CRMs or accounting systems, so nothing found in GrantStation flows anywhere else without manual re-entry.
  • Data freshness varies by database, and the international pool in particular is thin relative to the US listings it is bundled with.

Salesforce for Nonprofits

  • The Power of Us free grant covers only 10 Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud or Sales/Service Cloud licences; every licence beyond that is paid
  • Nonprofit Cloud Enterprise is $60 per user per month billed annually and Nonprofit Cloud Unlimited is $100 per user per month billed annually
  • The free licences require passing Salesforce eligibility criteria for the Power of Us program
  • Most Salesforce products are sold on annual contracts
  • Some products must scale together when you add or upgrade, which requires going through an Account Executive

Pricing, plan by plan

GrantStation

$199/year
  • Membership (promotional or association rate)$199/year
    • Full US, Canadian and international databases
    • Weekly opportunity bulletin
    • PathFinder training library
  • Membership (list price)$699/year
    • Identical access to the promotional rate
    • Rarely the price actually paid

Salesforce for Nonprofits

Free
  • Nonprofit CloudFree
    • Donor management
    • Campaign tracking
    • Volunteer management
  • Professional$150/month
    • Advanced reporting
    • API integrations
    • Customization

Which should you pick?

Choose GrantStation if

  • You need us grantmaker database.
  • You also want federal and state funding.
GrantStation review

Choose Salesforce for Nonprofits if

  • You need donor management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want campaign tracking.
Salesforce for Nonprofits review

Questions people ask

Is GrantStation or Salesforce for Nonprofits better?
Neither clearly leads. GrantStation starts at $199/year and Salesforce for Nonprofits at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GrantStation or Salesforce for Nonprofits?
Salesforce for Nonprofits has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $199/year for GrantStation and Free for Salesforce for Nonprofits.
Does GrantStation or Salesforce for Nonprofits run on more platforms?
GrantStation runs on Web. Salesforce for Nonprofits runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Salesforce for Nonprofits for free?
Yes. Salesforce for Nonprofits has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GrantStation starts at $199/year.
What is GrantStation best used for?
GrantStation is most often used for a small nonprofit with no grants budget that needs a starting list of plausible funders in its state, a solo grant writer validating whether a cause area has enough funders to justify a grants strategy, an organisation whose state nonprofit association resells the membership at 75 to 139 dollars, making it near-free research, supplementing an existing donor crm with opportunity discovery without adding a second four-figure subscription. Of those, a small nonprofit with no grants budget that needs a starting list of plausible funders in its state and a solo grant writer validating whether a cause area has enough funders to justify a grants strategy are not what Salesforce for Nonprofits is typically brought in for.
What can GrantStation do that Salesforce for Nonprofits cannot?
GrantStation covers US grantmaker database, Federal and state funding, International and Canadian databases, Weekly opportunity bulletin. Salesforce for Nonprofits covers Donor management, Campaign tracking, Volunteer management, Program tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GrantStation: What does GrantStation actually cost?

List price is 699 USD a year but the standing promotional rate is 199, and nonprofit associations resell it to members for 75 to 139. Check your association before buying direct.

GrantStation: Does it track my applications?

No. It finds opportunities. Pipeline, deadlines and reporting have to live elsewhere.

GrantStation: How does it compare with Instrumentl?

It is roughly a tenth of the price and does roughly a tenth of the job. Instrumentl adds matching, pipeline and post-award tracking.

GrantStation: Is there a free trial?

GrantStation offers a limited free search tool and periodic trials, but the full databases require membership.

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