--- 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: 192 ### 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: 188 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 192 (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 --- ### From Overwhelmed to Organized: Instrumentl Has Transformed My Grant Writing Workflow - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Cindy S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Individual & Family Services - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 6 months - Reviewed: July 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. I would highly recommend Instrumentl to other grant writers, whether they're just starting out or have years of experience. It does an excellent job of identifying grant opportunities, including many I would never have found on my own. Beyond grant discovery, it has transformed the way our team manages grants by keeping projects, tasks, and deadlines organized in one place. What truly sets Instrumentl apart is its commitment to customer success. Their customer support has been outstanding—I have always received timely, helpful responses whenever I've reached out. They also invest heavily in training through webinars, educational resources, and best-practice guidance that have helped me grow as a grant writer, not just as a user of their software. As someone who is relatively new to grant writing, Instrumentl has given me the confidence and tools I need to succeed. Between its powerful features, exceptional support, and educational resources, I believe it offers tremendous value and has become an essential part of my grant-writing workflow. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros What I liked most about Instrumentl was how much time it saved me and how organized it made my grant process. As a new grant writer at a new organization, finding quality grant opportunities could have been overwhelming. Instrumentl helped me quickly identify grants that were a strong fit—many of which I don't think I would have found on my own. I also love the built-in AI writing assistant for applications available within the platform. It has been a tremendous time saver when drafting proposals. Beyond the software itself, Instrumentl's educational resources have been incredibly valuable. 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. Overall, Instrumentl has significantly improved my workflow and helped me become a more organized and effective grant writer. #### Cons There isn't much I dislike about Instrumentl, but there is one feature I'd love to see improved. The new Match Insights feature is incredibly helpful when I'm evaluating grant opportunities because it provides valuable context and saves me research time. However, once I save a grant to a project, those insights don't appear to carry over with it. It would be great if that information remained accessible within the saved grant so I could easily reference it later without having to go back and find it again. It's a relatively small issue, but adding that functionality would make an already excellent workflow even better. Also, there was a bit of a learning curve for me, but Instrumentl offers many resources, including webinars and videos, which helped me learn everything I needed to know. #### Vendor response Hi Cindy, thank you so much for this thoughtful review, it truly means a lot! We're so glad Instrumentl has helped streamline your grant process and given you the confidence to grow as a new grant writer. It's especially wonderful to hear the AI writing assistant and the 50-Day Turnaround webinar have made such a tangible difference in how you manage your work. We also really appreciate you flagging the Match Insights carryover idea, having that context stay attached to a grant once it's saved to a project is a great callout! Thank you again for the kind words about our support and educational resources. Our team works hard to be a true partner in your grant-writing journey, and it's wonderful to hear that comes through. We're so glad to have you as part of the Instrumentl community! Replied September 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 --- ### We love Instrumentl software! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Phyllis B. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 6 months - Reviewed: January 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. [sensitive content hidden] , from Sales was patient and helpful as we were trying to decide if we could afford to buy. The onboarding was helpful and there is always someone to answer questions. Our experience has been excellent. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros The ease of finding potential and matching donors for my NP. I Love that they send updates of new possibility or matches are available for me to look at. Now, i just need to do the research! #### Cons I have not really found many cons. We have only been using it 4 months, we have submitted to LOI and we got one invitation to submit a full proposal. No cons. #### Reasons for choosing Instrumentl The ease of using the software and makes finding potential funders easy. #### Vendor response Hello, Phyllis :) We're grateful for the time you've taken to share about your journey with us here at Instrumentl, from speaking with our Sales team to onboarding. Ultimately, we're just happy that you're getting the value out of our platform that you're looking for. It sounds like prospecting is a critical area of the grant lifecycle that Instrumentl is helping you with. We hope to make locating great-fit funders and grants even easier and more fruitful in the future. Any feedback you have for our team goes a long way. Thank you again! Replied January 2026 --- ### What a wonderful World! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Teri M. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Hospital & Health Care - Company size: 1001-5000 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 12 months - Reviewed: February 2025 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered My experience with Instrumentl has ben exceptional. The onboarding was great and quite informative. Their customer service is great, immediately responding to issues I have. I love their search engine and match capabilities - it makes my life easy. I love the fact that they pull from private foundations, federal and state government opportunities - it's a lot and that's a good thing! #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 4/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros What I like the most is the research they do on potential funding opportunities that match my organization needs. I can set my organization projects with defining characteristics and they send potential matches to me almost daily. It decreases the time I spend doing research and more time to do the vetting. I also like that 990 information is located on the site for funding. #### Cons There is such a thing as too much information. Also, it is confusing that I can select funders for more than one project. I'm sure I can figure out a method to reduce this pain point. But haven't so far. #### Reasons for switching to Instrumentl It didn't provide the matches and 990 info in one place. #### Vendor response Hi Teri! I appreciate you so much for taking the time to share about your experience with us. Wonderful to read that you've benefited from the matched funding opportunities for your projects. Time and labor saved is indeed valuable! I agree that there is such a thing as 'too much information', at least displayed all together in one place can be overwhelming. We hope that the "Hide" feature for opportunities and funders as well as filters in the matches view can help reduce the overload of info you find. Thank you for the feedback around your experience with saving funders to multiple projects. Every organization's needs are different, and we find that many have 2+ projects that both could use funding from the same source. In your case, I'd filter out We're full of gratitude for your affirmations - we try hard to ensure you're being taken care of and set up for success :) Cheers! 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 --- ### Elegant, Insightful and Built with Grant Pros in Mind - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Amy H. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Education Management - Company size: 1001-5000 employees - Product usage: Used daily for more than 2 years - Reviewed: March 2026 - 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 Instrumentl is designed to make every stage of an organization’s grant program easier—from researching funding opportunities to drafting proposals to managing an award. Yet what makes the Instrumentl platform genuinely transformative is that it goes far beyond facilitating an individual grant project. Their tools also make it incredibly simple to see patterns and trends in your organization’s data. From quickly projecting exactly where a potential cash flow problem comes from to easily visualizing project deadline bottlenecks, Instrumentl transforms what used to take hours and days of painstaking effort - patching data from across multiple platforms - into simple, easily repeatable tasks that help plan and understand your work in a more comprehensive and meaningful way. It’s delivered through an elegant, easy-to-use interface and supported by a team that truly cares about the customer experience, as evidenced by their listening to and responding to user feedback. Last but not least, they are genuinely building a community. Their webinars are valuable for both the timely, relevant information shared by knowledgeable presenters and the information shared by participants. As a long-time grant professional, I feel seen. #### Cons I am now going into my third year using Instrumentl, and have found nothing I consider to be a drawback. #### Vendor response Hi Amy, Thank you so much for this thoughtful review and for being part of the Instrumentl community for the past three years. It means a lot to hear that the platform has helped you streamline everything from grant research to planning and analyzing your organization’s funding strategy. We’re especially glad the reporting tools, interface, and webinars have been valuable to your work. Our team truly cares about building something that supports grant professionals in meaningful ways, so hearing that you feel seen is incredibly rewarding! Thank you again for sharing your experience and for the important work you do! We're here for you! :) Replied March 2026 --- ### Finally... A Grant Platform That Actually Saves Me Time! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Verified Reviewer - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: Self-Employed - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 2 years - Reviewed: January 2026 - Review source details: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review. I tried another software after using Instrumentl because I thought I could save money. I came back to Instrumentl because it is much more efficient and saved me so much time. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros It is user friendly. The search functionality is great and I love that it continues searching and recommending new grants. It is really easy to organize and maintain different projects. #### Cons It is a little costly for a small business owner. After using it for one year, I came back to it because it saves so much time and the search features were far superior #### Vendor response Hi! Thank you for leaving a review here about your experience using Instrumentl for your org's grant management tool. We're thrilled that you find our product to be user-friendly with great search functionality (like the weekly New Matches email digest you alluded to). I totally hear you with regards to the cost, and I'm sorry that it costs more than some other platforms out there. It's great, though, that you came back because the value is there for you despite the financial investment. In the long run, our hope is that any money you spend subscribing to our platform comes right back many more times as you discover and win grants! If you have more feedback for our team, or need help with anything at all, just let us know :D Replied January 2026 --- ### A Powerful, User-Friendly Tool for Strategic Grant Research - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Sara O. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Philanthropy - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 6 months - Reviewed: February 2026 - 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 team appreciated several key features. The foundation listings reflect open and active opportunities, which saves time and increases efficiency. The platform supports team collaboration well and is intuitive to set up and use. The breadth of grants and foundations available is extensive and continues to grow, and the search functionality is robust, making it easy to identify strong matches. #### Cons At this time, we have not encountered any notable drawbacks. We have been using Instrumentl for approximately one week. #### Vendor response Hi Sara - Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! I'm happy to hear Instrumentl has helped your team save time and increase efficiency! The grants and foundations available is always growing, being able to identify strong matches is a great tool! If anything comes up, we'd love to hear from you! :) Replied February 2026 --- ### Ease of Use and Collaboration - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Kristen S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 6 months - Reviewed: October 2025 - Review source details: This review was submitted organically. No incentive was offered #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros We have brought a new grant writer on to our team and Instrumentl has been a game changer in the way we approach tasks and management of grant funding. We have been able to upload old documents to this new system to ensure we meet our timelines. #### Cons I have enjoyed our onboarding calls and have learned so much about all of the new features that Intrumentl provides that we were not aware of. I would say that overall, I would appreciate more communication around new tools being released or a notification of new tools. #### Vendor response Hi Kristen, We appreciate you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. It's "music to our ears" seeing that you've been able to better approach tasks and grant management, meet your deadlines, and upload your historic documents so all is in one place. Thanks for sharing your interest in more proactive communication around new tools and features launched on our platform. I will be sure our internal team sees this feedback! If more ideas, questions or comments arise, just send them our way ;) Replied December 2025 --- ### Why I love Instrumentl - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Christiann S. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Education Management - Company size: 201-500 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 have worked with Instrumentl at three different organizations now - each of them used Instrumentl with different focuses. Instrumentl has been a game changer for all three. What I'm trying to say is that if you research, write, manage or otherwise interact with grants of any type, Instrumentl is going to be a tool that you want to invest in. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 4/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros I love Instrumentl's vast database of opportunities! It makes grant research so much easier and accurate. I also very much appreciate the custom fields ability - it allows our organization to better track success. I also love the ability to project manage, through the tasks and ownership assignments is key! Lastly, and most importantly - the customer service is top of the line. If I ever have a question or suggestion to make the product better for our organization, the staff at Instrumentl are thoughtful, open, knowledgeable and responsive! Thanks to the staff also for the trainings you all provide! #### Cons Hmmm...I honestly can't think of anything I don't like! #### Vendor response Hi Christiann! Wow - so cool to read about all the features on the Pro Plan that have been "instrumental" to your work with the past three organizations (pun intended!). Your creative use of our custom fields feature to fit your org's needs is exemplary. Collaboration within grants teams is something we really want to promote and simplify. While I know we still have lots of product improvements on the roadmap, it's comforting to know that it's been so impactful for your team :) Your words about our team here mean so much. We try to be helpful however we can - you all are the true superheroes! A big thanks to you for taking the time to leave this review. Best, Nate Replied March 2025 --- ### Instrumentl is key to our grant writing and research - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Elisabeth B. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily 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. The platform is intuitive, extensive, and the customer service is phenomenal. The extras you provide with webinars and email updates are invaluable. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros It streamlines the work I have to do in researching, tracking, and cultivating relationships with foundations and grant makers. #### Cons We are gratefully grandfathered into a yearly fee that is less than $1000 and if it were to be higher we might not be able to use the platform. #### Vendor response Hello Elisabeth! Wow, thank you for these kind words of affirmation for our customer service. It's meaningul for us to read that you find the platform to be intuitive and extensive -- out Product team will love to know this! We strive to streamline work and just make your life easier when looking for grants and all the subsequent grant lifecycle stages. Thank you for your honest feedback around pricing - we know the nonprofit space is not the most lucrative when compared to, say, the private sector, and each organization has it's own financial constraints to operate under. Our team is very thoughtful around our pricing and plans, and we update it to be in alignment with our product improvements as well as the industry at large. Ultimately we want to work with each of you to make sure you're getting the value you pay for. I'm relieved to hear that's been the case with you :) If any more feedback comes to mind, let me know! Ciao, Nate Replied March 2025 --- ### Instrumentl is the best grant management platform for any organization!! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Lisa F. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Non-Profit Organization Management - Company size: 11-50 employees - 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. It has been a game-changer for our organization! We feel it is the best management tool online. This platform is easy to navigate, organize, and track all our grants. It also saves us time in searching for grants on our own. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros Instrumentl is very helpful in searching for grants that are a good fit for our organization and offers more opportunities than we were aware of. #### Cons A few times it can be overwhelming with all the reminders of the deadlines. #### Vendor response Hello Lisa :) It's such a delight reading about how our platform has not only saved you time but helped you find even more funding opportunities than you had hoped for! The weekly Deadline Digest emails are meant to help, so if you find them overwhelming, feel free to edit your notification settings to quiet the "noise". Thank you for sharing about your experience on our platform - it means a lot! ~Nate Replied February 2025 --- ### Instrumentl as a Partner in Creating a Better Grants World - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Christine C. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Management Consulting - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used daily for less than 12 months - 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. Instrumentl allows us to track a lot of grants information in one place so that we can be efficient and organized with our clients and among our grant writers. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 4/5 #### Pros Instrumentl saves us time on researching myriad potential grant funders and helps us stay very organized with our grants calendar, tracking awards, declines, etc. #### Cons Adding information in the opportunity screen can be a bit clunky. #### Vendor response Hey Christine! Our whole team is so appreciative for the time you took to share about your experience using our platform. Saving you time prospecting is a major win and goal of ours, as is making organization & collaboration seamless with our tooling. Thanks for being honest about your experience with adding info to the fields in a funding opportunity page. I'm going to make sure our Product team is aware of this feedback! I hope you can derive more and more value as our platform features expand and improve :) ~Nate Replied February 2025 --- ### We are grateful for Instrumentl! - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviewer: Katelyn B. - Verified reviewer: Yes - Industry: Financial Services - Company size: 2-10 employees - Product usage: Used weekly for less than 12 months - 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. Overall, I think the reporting features are great, the research features are great, the usability is high and it has been an incredible upgrade to our fundraising process. I would definitely recommend to others. #### Ratings breakdown - Ease of use: 5/5 - Value for money: 5/5 - Customer support: 5/5 - Functionality: 5/5 #### Pros As a new/temporary development person here, I greatly appreciate that Intstrumentl does a HUGE amount of the grant research for you in finding things that would be a potential fit for your organization. It is also nice that multiple people can contribute to different grant processes and anyone with an account can check the system for details and updates so the process isn't siloed. #### Cons When you make different projects that you are researching for, it will recommend some of the same grants for different categories. If you have certain members applying for a certain category, it can lead to duplicated efforts. However, if you are communicating properly it hasn't actually become an issue yet where we double submit a grant. #### Vendor response Hi Katelyn! Thanks for taking the time to share about your experience using our platform - it means a lot to our team and hopefully others who come across your review. It's "music to our ears" knowing the Project Funding Opportunity/Funder Matching has made life easier for you. I find it gratifying knowing that our platform has made collaboration easy for your team. Great callout regarding funding opportunities matches to two or more projects on an account. We do flag each of those in the Matches view with a green banner: '<3 Saved | [X number of projects]' where you can hover over it to see the names of the projects. That being said, you bring up a good point about not wanting to duplicate efforts. I will pass feedback this along to our Product team, thank you! We're all ears if you more feedback comes to mind :) ~Nate Replied February 2025 ## More reviews [Next reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/nonprofit/instrumentl-profile/reviews/?page=2) --- Instrumentl Reviews, Pros and Cons - 2026 Software Advice