--- title: "Instrumentl Reviews, Pros and Cons - 2026 Software Advice" description: "Reviews of Instrumentl. Learn how real users rate this software's ease-of-use, functionality, overall quality and customer support. Talk to our advisors to see if Instrumentl is a good fit for you!" source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/nonprofit/instrumentl-profile/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- 1 million+ businesses helped. Get advice Get Free Advice [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / [Grant Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/nonprofit/grant-management-comparison/) / [Instrumentl](https://www.softwareadvice.com/nonprofit/instrumentl-profile/) / Instrumentl Reviews Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. [Overview](https://www.softwareadvice.com/nonprofit/instrumentl-profile/) Reviews [Alternatives](https://www.softwareadvice.com/nonprofit/instrumentl-profile/alternatives/) # Instrumentl User Reviews ## Reviews summary - Overall rating: 5.0/5 - Total reviews: 190 ### Secondary ratings - Ease of use: 4.8/5 - Customer support: 5.0/5 - Value for money: 4.8/5 - Functionality: 4.8/5 ### Rating distribution - 5 stars: 186 reviews (98%) - 4 stars: 4 reviews (2%) - 3 stars: 0 reviews (0%) - 2 stars: 0 reviews (0%) - 1 star: 0 reviews (0%) ### Most mentioned pros - Their 50-Day Turnaround webinar completely changed the way I manage my grants by helping me work ahead, create realistic deadlines, stay on top of tasks, and be a better steward of relationships with funders. - Over a +++++++ We love the platform and all that it offers in searching for and applying for applicable grants, along with ability to track all grant details and tasks to complete. - With their tools I was able to find several new funders for my organization (some becoming repeat contributors) as well as gain more insight into some of our current funders. ### Most mentioned cons - We have experienced some small glitches; for example, every grant we enter has a default submission date of August 9, 2024. - Also, it is confusing that I can select funders for more than one project. - Sometimes, it is clunky when adding opportunities that are not in the database. ## Instrumentl customer reviews Showing reviews 1-25 of 190 (page 1). ### Grant Lifecycle Management made easy! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Mary C. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: August 2026 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered Overall, I love Instrumentl! My productivity has skyrocketed. My win rate for grants has increased! The system keeps evolving for good. You should give it a try! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros As well as being a platform that streamlines my workflow and saves me time, they are continually adding new tools and features that increase productivity. #### Cons No cons! The system is wonderful! The only improvement I might request is that tasks appear in the tracker like opportunities. --- ### Instrumentl: A Valuable Investment for Grant Writers - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Jennifer S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used daily for less than 12 months - Reviewed: May 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. I found grant opportunities I did not know existed. I also found the more traditional private, foundation and public grant opportunities but with time sensitive updates which are difficult to tract. The deadline reminders that are posted at the beginning of each week are incredibly helpful to keep my grant calendars up to date. I did not have to independently search each grant on my calendar as the updates were emailed to me. Instrumentl is able to create a sense of community which is difficult to find as an independent contract grant writer. I do not feel alone in my search for successful grant opportunities. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The features area easy to use especially for grant projects for specialized populations in rural areas. I found opportunities that I had never seen before and many of the traditional opportunities with updates and time sensitive information that is difficult to track. #### Cons As an independent contract grant writer, the price is a bit high but the value makes it a worthwhile investment. The quality of prospect research is so good I will include part of the cost in my future independent grant writer contracts. I am happy to demonstrate Instrumentl's value with my clients through cost sharing. #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl Too complicated for the price and the prospect research was not specific enough for small rural underserved populations, the major focus of my grant research. #### Vendor response Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for this incredibly thoughtful review! We're thrilled that Instrumentl has been such a valuable tool for your rural population work and that you're uncovering opportunities you hadn't seen before. Hearing that the deadline reminders and weekly updates are keeping your grant calendar on track is exactly the kind of impact we're aiming for. We also really appreciate your transparency about the pricing. It genuinely means a lot that you see enough value to build it into your future contracts and share it with your clients. That kind of trust is something we don't take lightly, and we'll absolutely keep working to make sure it's worth every penny. We're so glad you're part of the Instrumentl community! Replied May 2026 --- ### Instrumentl is a great way to get organized - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used monthly for less than 6 months - Reviewed: October 2022 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Instrumentl is a critical part of my grant research process and I am overall grateful that I have the ability to use it for helping clients to find grants. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 3/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I like that Instrumentl makes it easy to find grants for a project and that you can keep them organized in the tracker feature. #### Cons I would say that the biggest con for me is the price and I would like to see more payment plan options. #### Vendor response So great to hear Instrumentl is helping you stay organized and making it easier for you to find grants. We appreciate your feedback about platform affordability. We strive to have a variety of plans & price options for our users to choose from and this feedback certainly helps! ~Rebecca Replied October 2022 --- ### Save Time & Raise More Funds with Instrumentl - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Sarah H. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Performing Arts - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used monthly for less than 12 months - Reviewed: June 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. Instrumentl has helped my grant writing tremendously at my organization. With their tools I was able to find several new funders for my organization (some becoming repeat contributors) as well as gain more insight into some of our current funders. With the 990 analysis they provided, I learned that a funder we thought only would support one of our education programs often funded operating support. With that new found knowledge, I applied for operating support and we got the full amount we asked for! The 990 analysis Instrumentl does is what sets them a part from other grant search databases. It has saved me so much time being able to fine tune my applications as well as save me from pursuing potential funders who did not align with my organization's mission and goals. Within my first year subscribing to Instrumentl, I received $41,500 in grant funding from new funders. That more than paid for the annual subscription! I tell everyone I know who works in grants that Instrumentl is amazing and so worth the price! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I love the 990 analysis that Instrumentl does for you. It saves me so much time I would have spent researching whether a foundation is a good alignment with my organization. Being able to see a summary of who a foundation supports, at what level, and percentage of new vs. repeat grantees is so valuable! #### Cons I wish I could search more easily among type of grantee. I can see a summary of the Arts & Culture grantees a funder gives to, but I would love to be able to search by that genre in addition to state/year that we currently can search. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl The 990 analysis was so useful to me during the free trial and the other products didn't have as robust information as Instrumentl had. #### Vendor response Hi Sarah, Wow, thank you so much for this review and congratulations on $41,500 in new grant funding in your first year! That's the kind of outcome we work hard to make possible, so hearing it laid out like that is truly exciting for our whole team. The 990 analysis is one of our favorite things about Instrumentl too, and your example of discovering a funder's openness to operating support (and getting the full ask!) is exactly the kind of insight it's built to surface. Really glad it paid off. Your feedback on searching by grantee type is a great one. Being able to filter by something like Arts & Culture alongside state and year would make that data even more actionable. I've passed it along to our team. Thank you for telling everyone you know. It means the world to us! Replied June 2026 --- ### The investment is worth it! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Brianne N. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: January 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. Just great! From our onboarding call to the recurring emails letting us know what new opportunities are available. I suggest it to all my colleagues in non-profits. I tell them it is an investment, but it pays dividends! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The reporting tools. I love that I can run quick reports of each of my initiates and see what open asks I have and what I have received. This saves me a lot of time. #### Cons The home screen view, being chronological, gets tedious at the end of the year. It would be nice if there were a monthly or quarterly expansion menu. #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl Granthub - They closed and offered us half off the first year #### Vendor response Hi Brianne - Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! It's great to hear you are loving the ability to run quick reports! Thank you for sharing your feedback about the Home Screen view. We always continue to improve and your feedback is very valuable! If anything else comes to mind, please feel free to share it with us. We're here for you! :D  Replied February 2026 --- ### Instrumentl: A True Game-Changer - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Cally E. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 6 months - Reviewed: December 2025 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered Instrumentl has been a game-changer! I’ve cut my grant research time by more than half. As the sole staff member responsible for writing and managing grants, this tool has saved me countless hours in researching, writing, and tracking. I especially love the ability to add collaborators, assign tasks, and avoid manually tracking emails and reminders. The Instrumentl team is fantastic to work with—they respond quickly and are always helpful. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The most valuable aspect of Instrumentl is the significant time savings it provides. I have reduced my grant research time by more than 50%, which is particularly impactful given that I am solely responsible for writing and managing all grants within my organization. #### Cons I do not have any significant cons to report. On the rare occasion that I identify an area for potential improvement, I share my feedback with the Instrumentl team. They are highly responsive and genuinely receptive to suggestions, which reinforces my confidence in the platform and its commitment to continuous improvement. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl Instrumentl offers a comprehensive solution for grant research and management that significantly reduces time and streamlines processes, making it far superior to other options I have tried. #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl Our organization currently uses Salesforce as an excellent donor management system; however, it is not designed to provide comprehensive grant research and management capabilities. The ability to integrate Instrumentl data with Salesforce has been invaluable. It allows me to minimize time spent on repetitive tasks while ensuring that the information maintained in Instrumentl is also accessible in Salesforce for the rest of our team. This integration streamlines workflows and enhances data consistency across platforms. #### Vendor response Hi Cally - Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! We're happy to hear we are able to help you cut your grant research time in half!  Thank you for always sharing your feedback with us, you are helping us improve! If anything ever comes up, feel free to share it with us. We'd love to hear from you! :D  Replied February 2026 --- ### Overall very happy we switched to Instrumentl! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Danielle M. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: December 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. Overall, I am very happy with my experience with Instrumentl. The support team is great, and I also love that they do professional development workshops. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Instrumentl has been a huge asset as both a prospecting tool and a grant management system. I have already found and secured new grants as a result of this tool. It is very user-friendly, and I also like the reporting and tasks features, which help me stay on top of things. #### Cons It is more expensive than other platforms, but I do think you get what you pay for, and Instrumental is constantly looking to improve and add new features. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl Customer Service team and overall ease of use of the platform. #### Vendor response Hi Danielle, Thank you for reviewing us here on Capterra! It's such an honor that you consider our platform as a major asset for your org in terms of prospecting and grant management! Congrats on finding and winning new grants as a result of utilizing our platform! It's a relief to hear you've found the product user-friendly, and that you enjoy the reporting and Tasks features. I appreciate your honesty around the pricing being higher than perhaps some other platforms out there. Though it's comforting to know that it's all worth it in terms of the value (and funding!) you derive from it. Your kudos to our Support team is well received - thank you! As you said, we will continue to try our best to improve the platform using your feedback. Keep it coming! :D Replied December 2025 --- ### Instumentl is an amazing tool! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Richard K. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: November 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. My experience has been extremely positive. I have introduced Instrument at three different organizations, and all continue to use is. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Instrumentl is one stop shopping for everything we need for researching, cultivating and submitting proposals to foundations--990s, information on grants/year, openness to new grantees, annual grant levels, and more. It is very intuitive and easy to use. The search/project builder tool is excellent, as is the reporting function, which allows us to track/report on tasks, prospects, grants received, etc. It also allows us to upload communications and grant proposals and LOI, so everything is on one place. #### Cons No "cons" except that Instrumentl does not yet integrate with our CRM, NEON. When that occurs, we will give it six stars! Maybe 7! #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl Much broader functionality, more intuitive to use. #### Vendor response Hi Richard! Thank you for taking the extra time out of your day to leave a review of your experience utilizing our platform. I love reading how not only you've benefited from the various tools, but other orgs whom you've referred to Instrumentl are also utilizing the platform - hopefully with the same benefits you've cited! Speaking of which, we're thrilled that you find our product features easy to use and intuitive. The fact that you think of our platform as "everything in one place" is absolutely a goal we want to achieve -- making the full grant lifecycle easy, effective and all in one place. That being said, I recognize you utilize a CRM (NEON) that we don't integrate with. We've built out integrations with others like Salesforce, Raiser's Edge NXT and Virtuous, so I know our Product team and engineers are capable and interested at helping customers like you integrate all your tools to make life easier. I'll share this with them right away! Thanks again! Best, Nate Replied November 2025 --- ### Work Smarter Not Harder - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Laquisha V. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Education Management - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. I am very happy that I chose this software and program. The experience with the representatives has been very helpful and became a major go to resource. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The first thing I did when I became a fiscal manager was search for tools to help me with managing my grant budgets. Instrumentl was my choice after researching two other vendors. The feedback was great and the email responses and availability were in a timely manner. Representatives were very helpful with getting me started with the software. It took me a while to get comfortable with using it only because my new role was already very demanding getting up to speed... to say the least. The Instrumentl software is very easy to use. Even if you are not familiar with the website and its content, they offer tons of tutorial videos to walk you through each tab, step by step. The Instrumentl team members have been extremely helpful with implementing new procedures for me as it pertains to the document and financial portions. They are always creating new features to make the product work better so that you are working smarter and not harder. I had the pleasure of working with [sensitive content hidden] over the summer and he was a huge help with me being able to manage my grant budgets in this software. With the latest features of individual expense reporting and document summary scanner, I am super excited for this grant cycle. I no longer have to depend on the system my business office uses to manage and track our spending. The software is worth it once you take the time to explore all that it has to offer. #### Cons I did not like the fact that I had to download an expense template, add my information to the sheet and then upload it. Now, with the new feature, I can go into the actual grant and enter each expense without uploading a document template etc... #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl It was over 2 years ago, so I cannot remember specifically, but I am sure it was the pricing and not having to pay a renewal fee every year. #### Vendor response Hi Laquisha, Thank you so much for leaving us a review! I'm so happy to hear you've found our platform easy to use thanks to the resources and team members you've worked with along the way. You said it best: work smarter, not harder. I hope we can continue to save you time while improving your grants management & funding endeavors! I appreciate what you shared about the expense template import workflow. Thanks to your feedback, we've been able to make improvements here as you alluded to. Should more feedback come to mind, please let us know! We're here for you :D Replied December 2025 --- ### Instrumental for any nonprofit fundraiser - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Andrea W. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Professional Training & Coaching - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. Overall, my experience with Instrumentl has been very positive. I have worked with nonprofits who did not use grant management software and I have worked with nonprofits who do - the difference is remarkable, and Instrumentl has set the bar for affordable solutions to grant prospecting and management. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros Instrumentl is an all-in-one grant prospecting and management tool. It integrates well with other systems and workflows to keep us on top of emerging opportunities and saves our team hundreds of hours of work prospecting, qualifying, and project managing. #### Cons There is such a wealth of information in Instrumentl, it can be difficult to filter out opportunities that aren't a perfect match for mission, goals, or proximity. With experience, this becomes a bit easier, but it is often overwhelming for new users. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl Both Foundation Directory and GrantStation returned outdated RFPs or foundations that had dissolved years prior. Neither YourCause nor Foundant was as comprehensive as Instrumentl. #### Vendor response Hey Andrea! Thank you for writing this review of your experience with our platform. I'm overjoyed to learn how many hours you've saved from the prospecting features on Instrumentl :D That being said, I do appreciate your thoughts around the wealth of information and sometime having to work to filter out opportunities that aren't a great fit. I'm glad it's easier for you now than when you first began, but we are all ears with any ideas and specific feature feedback! Your extensive experience make it all the more humbling to hear you say we've set the bar for a grant management & prospecting platform. Your perspective carries weight, and we value your ideas and opinions as they come to mind! Thanks again, Andrea! We're here for you as needed :) Replied December 2025 --- ### Exceeded all of my expectations! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Cindy L. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Hospital & Health Care - Company size: 201-500 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 6 months - Reviewed: March 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Staff were super supportive during my initial inquiries about becoming a customer, then through the onboarding experience. Exceeded all of my expectations! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I attended free subject matter webinars for a year. Our previous platform wasn't meeting our organizational needs, and then I also attended webinars specific to Instrumentl's platform demonstrating how to use, integrate, and implement. I was so impressed that I convinced my organization to make the switch! I've discovered so many new funding opportunities, love that I can easily access 990s, and even peer institutions! I love the email reminders, notices of new matches, and the ease of using the platform. #### Cons I haven't found a downside. So far, it is exceeding my expectations. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl I had a one year free trial of the product. While it is a good product, I was more drawn to Instrumentl after a 2-week trial period. #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl The former product I used, FoundationSearch, is not listed. The question is forcing an incorrect response. FoundationSearch by Metasoft did not meet my needs for management or even prospecting. It was also expensive. #### Vendor response Hey Cindy :) Your words jump off the page to me--I can feel the excitement and relief you must feel in being able to discover several new funding opportunities and peer institutions. I know what it's like going from one platform that didn't quite meet my needs (and was expensive) then discovering an alternative that just straight-up delivered (and saved me money). We want to be that for you and all nonprofits looking for funding. Any feedback that comes to mind along your journey we are stoked to hear! Your experience is not only what care about when building our features, but also what we depend on to make it better. Anyways, I send my utmost gratitude on behalf of our whole team here for your review. May you continue to discover great-fit grants and win them to fund the awesome work you do! Warmly, Nate Replied March 2025 --- ### Great tool, even without the affordable pricing! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Greg S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: March 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. With Instrumental, I can easily enter my search terms and get applicable results in seconds, plus see what like organizations have received allowing me to additional options consider for more funding. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros Instrumental is very reasonably priced and it allows us to easily and effectively research, track and manage grants, saving us significant time and money. #### Cons The Peer Prospecting option is only included in the upgraded plans. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl Instrumentl had the most features for the best price. #### Vendor response Hey Greg! You're so kind to leave a review for us - thank you truly. It's great to hear that you're saving time and money from using our platform - that's part of our mission! We hope too that you will be winning some new awards soon too :) I totally hear you about the Peer Prospecting feature only being on the Pro Plan and higher. That being said, it sounds like you've found a great workaround: Recipient Profiles (Reverse Search) where you're seeing other similar nonprofits' past awards to give you insight into potential funders and opportunities for your own team. If you have any more feedback, don't hesitate to share <3 Best, Nate Replied March 2025 --- ### Instrumentl is worth the investment - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Lauren M. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Civic & Social Organization - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: October 2024 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Very positive! A privilege to work for a non-profit that prioritized investing into an excellent grant database. Highly recommend. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros There are multiple features that I like about Instrumentl. They include: - Excellent customer service: Instrumentl representatives are very timely and responsive when I submit an inquiry or request for help. The auto-generated response tells me to expect a response within a few hours but typically I receive a response sooner than that or an email that my request has been received and they are working on an answer. There is always a person attached to the communications, so I know I am having a live conversation that is very personalized. I have never not been satisfied with the response to a request for help. - Training resources: Instrumentl has an extensive library of resources, plus they send weekly emails with helpful tips. There are a variety of training webinars that are offered, and I received one-on-one training when I was first getting up and running on Instrumentl. - Funder profile: Instrumentl does all the work of analyzing 990 forms to tell me grant range, median grant amount, openness to new grantees, grantees by state, etc. Because of this analysis, I have sought--and received--larger grant amounts than I might have otherwise asked for! Instrumentl has saved me in ton of time in doing research and analysis! - Organization of database: I like having the option of having trackers for separate projects. - Reminders: I like receiving email reminders of upcoming deadlines so that I don't miss any important dates or tasks. - Search feature: The filters and parameters in the search function are helpful in controlling the output of prospects. And I appreciate getting updates about new prospects to investigate. - Always improving: I really like that Instrumentl is always evolving and improving its product in response to customer needs. In the 1-2 years that I have used Instrumentl, I have seen features improved that make a lot of sense and are helpful in storing information all in one place. #### Cons - Several of the trainings seemed like they were marketed to current users, but then in the training itself, there seemed to be an advertising pitch to new users. That was annoying and a waste of time. - There is not a good way to keep track of unsolicited proposals. They get lumped into the timeline as if they were solicited. - The filters for the search feature can be a little confusing. - Instrumentl is a little pricey for a small non-profit. My large non-profit could afford it, but I could not necessarily recommend Instrumentl to a non-profit with a smaller budget. That being said, we paid for the subscription within the first year by getting new grants and larger amounts of grants than we would have otherwise. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl Good reviews, extensive features, customer service #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl REALLY disliked the customer service--could not understand the trainings. Got frustrated with my customer service rep. #### Vendor response Lauren, so wonderful to know you appreciate our customer service! We're always adding more trainings, workshops, and other resources to provide users like you with as much support as possible. As always, never hesitate to reach out to our team anytime :) ~Sindhu Replied October 2024 --- ### A game changer for grant writing consultants! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Dawn M. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: December 2023 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I rave about Instrumentl to everyone in my field and consider it an asset to hiring Full-Circle Fundraising for grant writing and prospecting. My clients greatly benefit from the information I am able to provide them. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros It is intuitive and easy to use and supports my needs as a grant consultant. #### Cons I would like data entered under one funder to transfer to other applications, such as contact information. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl Ease of use and the ability to track multiple attributes of the grant application process, including notes, due dates, contact information and more. #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl Instrumentl was more customized to my needs as a consultant and easier to use. #### Vendor response Dawn -- it''s so great to hear that you find Instrumentl to be a game-changer for your needs as a grant consultant! We'd love to learn more about what applications you'd like funder data to transfer to - feel free to email us to share! We're so happy to have you onboard. :) ~Ketaki Replied January 2024 --- ### Instrumentl is critical for our grant management and tracking - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Lisa W. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: June 2024 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered We Love Instrumentl!!! It is the most important software we use for grant management. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I love the grant research ability. It saves me time which means I have more time to apply for more grants. #### Cons The research component had a slight learning curve, but once I started using it, it became easier...practice makes perfect! #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl It was my understanding, the leadership team found the other applications to costly. #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl Instrumentl was more robust and provided all the components we needed in one application. #### Vendor response Hi Lisa -- Thank you for such a great review! We're so happy to hear that we're making your grant researching more efficient and saving you time to concentrate on the important part: applying for grants! We have lots of great resources to help you become an expert with Instrumentl such as our 101s, Advanced Training, and Office Hours! You can find one that meets your needs and times here: https://lu.ma/InstrumentlCustomerEventsCalendar Please feel free to reach out any time you need anything. ~Eric Replied July 2024 --- ### Instrumentl keeps getting better! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Val W. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Health, Wellness and Fitness - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: November 2023 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I would recommend Instrumentl over any other grant prospecting software that I've used--not just for the features it has now, but for the team's dedication to future growth. It is noticed and appreciated. Thank you, Instrumentl! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I've been working with Instrumentl both as a freelancer and as a full-time grant writer for over two years now. It has been amazing to watch Instrumentl grow into grant management to better meet their clients' needs. Support staff are always kind, timely, and helpful, and they are dedicated to making sure their grant database is kept up-to-date. #### Cons It may help to have a dedicated "Feedback" option or email address to contact support with suggestions about new funders to add to the system or updates to existing funders. Using their normal support works okay for the meantime, though! #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl Instrumentl is more intuitive to use and has more features than FoundationSearch. Plus, I like the design better! #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl Fluxx has useful grant management skills, but Instrumentl is more robust in its prospecting tools. #### Vendor response Val -- thanks so much for your review! It's great to hear that the grant management tools on Instrumentl have been helpful for you and that you find the platform intuitive to use. I'm sharing your suggestion with our team on creating a dedicated way to contact us about adding or updating funders! We're so happy to have you onboard. :) ~Ketaki Replied November 2023 --- ### An Effective Grant Researching Tool with Endless ROI - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: David B. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Health, Wellness and Fitness - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for more than 2 years - Reviewed: November 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. I've relied on Instrumentl.com for the last 5 years to help boost overall grant funding for a wide variety of nonprofit missions including arts & culture, basic needs, environmental, food security, and Native American services. While I've primarily served Utah nonprofits, Instrumentl.com has helped support my small business in which I provide grant support in Colorado, California, and New York. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I like how in-depth I'm able to research a funder before I even attempt an outreach, allowing me to best utilize my time and resources to ensure that I am making the most of all grant/stewardship opportunities. Because of Instrumentl, I've been able to impress donors with an in-depth knowledge of their funding priorities, history of giving, and preferred geographic range. I also enjoy the "Funder Matches" section because it helps spot many local opportunities that may not seem obvious at first glance. While many funders have direct websites, grant portals, and deadlines - Funder Matches helps to locate family foundations that often require more personal engagement. #### Cons All of the nonprofits I've worked at/collaborate with already have their own internal system for following and tracking grants, in which I've actually never had to use any of the grant management tools on Instrumentl. I'm sure it's a great management tool, but we've always tried to maintain our grants on an organizational Drive rather than 3rd party software. #### Vendor response Hello David, Than you for leaving this review. It's amazing to hear you've been with us now for 5 years, and you've continued to derive value from our platform to boost your consultant business with nonprofit clients in several states around the US! It's wonderful that you have impressed funders with in-depth knowledge gleaned from our database. I especially love reading about how the Funder Matches have been so impactful on your prospecting. Thanks for your perspective with clients who have their own unique grants tracking systems. I can see how our Tracker may seem unnecessary when your clients prefer their own internal system. There's precedent for nonprofit clients adopting Instrumentl and adding consultants like yourself as freelancer user, but I know this isn't always feasible with client preferences. We're committed to helping you make the most out of our platform regardless of your clients' tracking system! Thanks again, David :) We're here for you if anything comes up! Replied December 2025 --- ### Instrumentl has been great to work with - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: David S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Medical Practice - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: November 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Our institution needed help finding available grant funding, primarily for smaller grants than those traditionally available through the National Institute of Health. Instrumentl finds grants from many routes that newer institutions qualify for. We have had many users across our institution use Instrumentl to apply for several grants over the past two years. The price for this service was far lower than their competitors. #### Cons Different users can see your searches for grants. While this is beneficial to ensure you are not overlapping grant submissions (the likely reason this feature was implemented), it is possible to mistake which one is your query and edit someone else's by mistake. #### Vendor response Hey David :) We can't thank you enough for the time you took to write about your experience using our platform. I'm thankful to hear your org has been able to find grants from new funders and pathways. It's great that so so many team members applied for grants found in Instrumentl the last couple years. We really appreciate your feedback around the collaborative aspect of the platform. I can see how it may be confusing or frustrating when making changes to a different user's saved funding opportunity by mistake. Did you know that you can actually assign opportunities to team members? In the top-right-hand corner of the saved grant page, you can open a dropdown menu and assign the grant to a user on the account. This may help prevent those accidental edits. Filtering your Tracker by Opportunity Owner is one way to only see those that you own :) If more questions or feedback come to mind, please let me know! Replied December 2025 --- ### Hope Clubhouse Instrumentl Review - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Cort N. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 2 years - Reviewed: July 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. Over a +++++++ We love the platform and all that it offers in searching for and applying for applicable grants, along with ability to track all grant details and tasks to complete. Greatly appreciated. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Value for cost of annual subscription - pays for itself many times over Customer support, features, search functionality #### Cons Still find it difficult to narrow searches for our specific need areas - subject, geographic, etc --- ### Instrumentl -- what you need for prospecting and tracking your grants - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Caron H. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 12 months - Reviewed: April 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. I've been working in grants since 2004, and in my time using different software, this is the most intuitive and easy-to-use grants prospecting and tracking program I have encountered. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The ease with which I can conduct prospect research, track opportunities through moves management, and pull reports to keep my boss in the know. #### Cons At first, it's almost overwhelming the amount of matches you can get, but once you learn to filter you can drill down and get to the best prospects. #### Vendor response Hi Caron, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this candid review of your experience using Instrumentl! It makes our team so happy to see you've been able to prospect successfully and keep your boss up to date using the reporting features. We're humbled by your words, knowing that in the 20+ years you've been working in grants, our platform is the most intuitive you've used. We're all ears for any feedback or ideas you have down the line. We appreciate you! <3 Best, Nate Replied April 2025 --- ### Amazon Incentive Review for Instrumentl - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Kristopher L. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Fund-Raising - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 6 months - Reviewed: March 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. ability to help discover relevant grant opportunities and the funders and the filtering options that narrow down the search. Instrumentl saves time in the grant seeking process as the platform automates tasks like tracking deadlines and funder requirements, freeing up grant writers to focus on writing proposals. Instrumentl's grant management features are generally well-received. Users find it helpful for keeping track of grant applications, deadlines, and reporting requirements. As a smaller nonprofits, find Instrumentl to be expensive. However, many users believe that the benefits of the platform outweigh the cost via helping secure more funding. Instrumentl receives positive feedback for its customer support while I appreciate the responsiveness and helpfulness of the support team. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The platform has a powerful database that helps users discover, research, and apply for funding all in one location. #### Cons The platform operates on a subscription basis. --- ### Instrumentl Rocks - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Kelly K. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 51-200 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: March 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I started using Instrumentl in 2019 at The Open Door in Gloucester MA. I was blown away with the ease of using it. And staff are so willing to listen to feedback to improve the system. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros The ease of researching new grant possibilities. In a short while, it is easy to determine if the grant maker's funding history is a match for our organization. #### Cons I really never warmed up to the AI feature. #### Vendor response Hi Kelly! Thank you so much for writing this review - time is precious so using yours to share about your experience with others here on Capterra means a lot to our team. It's awesome to see you find it easy on our platform for you to discern a funder's fit! Prospecting or grant discovery can be overwhelming an inefficient, so it's all the more impactful to know you're finding this grant life cycle stage to be made easier from our product. We really appreciate your feedback around your experience using our AI grant-writing tool, 'Apply'. It's still in Beta, as you probably know. Our team is constantly working to improve it by real-time feedback from customers like you! We look forward to hearing more feedback from you, namely around the 'Apply' AI tool so we can make our platform better for you and others in the nonprofit space <3 Best, Nate Replied March 2025 --- ### What Did I Do Before Instrumentl? - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Tracy K. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: February 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. Very positive. Customer service and teachings offered are excellent! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Having all the critical data about a grantor in one place. Information that would have taken many hours to find prior. #### Cons It's tricky to filter down opportunities. #### Vendor response Hey Tracy, On behalf of all of us at Instrumentl, thank you so much for taking the time to leave an honest review of our platform. Amazing to see you're saving hours of work by having all the funder data in one place for you :) I'm sorry to learn that our existing filters, sorting and Matching technology are not sufficiently easy or intuitive for you to prospect funding opportunities. Our Product team is actually working on a revamp to how Projects and Matching is configured, so hopefully this will make things much better for you soon! In the meantime, our Customer Success team would love to hop on a call to help you out with filtering your funding opportunities - Office Hours, Trainings or a 1:1 call, just reach out :) Appreciate you again for your candid words and effort to share your experience with others! ~Nate Replied February 2025 --- ### I love Instrumentl- Its Opens up a World of Possibilities - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Jill C. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Fund-Raising - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: January 2025 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I use it for searching and learning more about foundations. It's helpful for strategizing. Oh it's great to get contact information and know who the trustees are. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I really, really love Instrumentl for creating tailored searches for various foundations. It's so nice to easily access 990s and see an overview of their foundation's giving histories. It's helpful to look at average size grants, funding priorities, funding areas by state, etc. I also love that we can look at other nonprofits and see what grants they have received to discover even more grants. Finally, its really nice that instrumentl has lists of grants for just about anything. #### Cons I don't have any cons. I think I am attached to my Google Spreadsheets though lol. #### Vendor response Hey Jill, I appreciate you so much for sharing about your experience with Instrumentl! It's great to hear that you've been able to leverage the customizable prospecting tools. I love that the Peer Prospecting and Funder Insights (990 reports) have helped you discover, study and strategize around foundations. Also, there's nothing wrong with loving your Google Sheets, ha! If you ever have any feedback for us, please don't hesitate to let us know! ~Nate Replied February 2025 --- ### Best New Team Member - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: A'Jay S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 6 months - Reviewed: November 2024 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. I am thrilled our organization chose to invest in this program. We've seen a return on our investment and look forward to continuing our relationship. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I love the thoroughness with which each opportunity is researched. So much time was being spent looking for specific information for our niched organization on a weekly basis and now we are able to focus on actually writing proposals. I also like the ability to organize my work on the platform provided. Having everything in one place--AND being able to keep accurate notes, track progress of grant activities and reports conveniently is a win for our development team! #### Cons There are so many amazing opportunities presented to me every few days, I can hardly keep up. That's actually a good problem to have in the grant world 🙂. #### Vendor response Hi A'Jay, Thank you so much for sharing your experience using Instrumentl! We're so glad to hear you're saving valuable time and streamlining your grants process -- that's the goal :) Amazing to hear you've already received an ROI with us as well! Thanks again for using Instrumentl for all your grants needs -- feel free to reach out to us anytime! ~Sindhu Replied November 2024 ## More reviews [Next reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/nonprofit/instrumentl-profile/reviews/?page=2) --- Instrumentl Reviews, Pros and Cons - 2026 Software Advice