Blog
Grant strategy, funding guides, and product updates from GrantCue — the grant management platform.
Topic
Prospect Fit vs Application Problem: Diagnosing Why Grants Keep Getting Declined
After a run of declines, the fix depends on the cause: the wrong funders or a weak application. Tests, a decision table and what to change for each.
Score My Grant Proposal Against the Rubric: How Reviewers Score
Score your grant proposal against the rubric with a four-step table, using the point scales NIH, HRSA and DOJ reviewers publish, and read what a self-score cannot tell you.
Subaward Agreement Template: Required Terms, the FDP Template and Fixed Amount Subawards
What a subaward agreement must carry under 2 CFR 200.332(b), how the FDP templates work, when a fixed amount subaward is allowed, and a composite budget with indirect lines.
Does a Funder Fund Admin and Indirect Costs?
Whether a funder pays admin and indirect costs: federal rules, dated foundation policies, and how to budget for both.
TechSoup GrantStation Discount: Price, Eligibility and How It Works
GrantStation through TechSoup: the $199 admin fee, the $150 TechSoup Plus price, who qualifies, how to redeem and renew, and when promotions run.
GrantStation Free With GPA Membership: How the Benefit Works
How the free GrantStation benefit for GPA members works, how to redeem it, and the price math against list price.
Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA): How to Prepare One
Prepare a schedule of expenditures of federal awards (SEFA): required fields, what counts as expended, a worked example, Assistance Listing numbers and ledger tie-out.
How to Find Local Family Foundations Without Websites
Find local family foundations that have no website, using free 990-PF filings, geography signals and contact details.
Candid Search Download Limit: The Caps and How to Work Within Them
The Candid search download limit by plan, with the date each cap was read, what counts toward it, and routines that stay inside the limits.
No-Cost Extension on a Federal Grant: Rules, Deadlines and How to Request One
A no-cost extension moves a federal award's end date without new money. See what 2 CFR 200.308 allows, how NIH and NSF differ, the deadlines, and a request outline.
How to Reach a Foundation Program Officer Before Applying
How to reach a foundation program officer: when to email, who to write to, what a short note says, and what officers cannot discuss.
Do Funders Fund Salaries? Including Staff Time in a Grant Budget
Do funders fund salaries? Yes for program staff, with limits on admin pay. How to show salaries, fringe and admin time so funders accept them.
Cost Allocation Plan for Local Government: Central Service Costs and Indirect Cost Proposals
What a local government's cost allocation plan and indirect cost proposal are, who must submit them, which federal agency approves them, and a worked pool, base and rate example.
Foundation Grant History Free Lookup: How to See Who a Funder Paid
See who a funder has paid using free public filings: where to look, how to read the grant list, what patterns mean.
Grant Matching Service for Nonprofits: How It Works and What It Costs
How a grant matching service scores fit, which funders filing data cannot see, and what the price buys.
SBIR Reporting Requirements: Progress, Financial and Final Reports by Agency
Which progress, financial and final reports an SBIR or STTR award requires at NIH, NSF, DOE and the Navy, when each is due, and which ones hold back payment.
Foundation Directory Online Free at a Library: Candid Locations Near You
Foundation Directory Online free at a library now means Candid search on site: how to find a partner location near you, what you can do there, and why a site can drop it.
Does a Foundation Accept Unsolicited Requests? What It Means and What to Do
How to tell whether a foundation accepts unsolicited requests from its guidelines and 990-PF checkbox, how common a closed door is, and which routes stay open.
Indirect Cost Rate Negotiation: How to Get a NICRA From Your Cognizant Agency
When a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement beats the 15 percent de minimis rate, how to find your cognizant agency, what the proposal holds and how long the wait runs.
Free 990 Search for Grant Research: Every Tool Compared
IRS, ProPublica and Grantmakers.io compared as free 990 search tools for grant research: coverage, limits, best use.
Grant Funding Snapshot October 2026: 2,979 Grant Listings
2,979 active grant opportunities, at least $40.9B in published funding and 556 deadlines in the next 30 days. October 2026 data from GrantCue's catalog, compared with August.
Grantmakers.io Review: How to Search Grantees and Foundations for Free
A review of Grantmakers.io, the free 990-PF search: how to search grantees, what it covers, its limits and how to pair it with paid tools.
How Detailed Should a Grant Budget Be? Line Items, Rounding and Funder Forms
A grant budget needs the detail the funder's form asks for. How that plays out on federal forms, foundation forms and modular budgets, plus rounding rules.
Federal Grant Procurement Requirements: 2 CFR 200.317 to 200.327 for Local Governments and Nonprofits
Which buying method 2 CFR 200.320 allows at each dollar level, the current micro-purchase and simplified acquisition thresholds, required contract clauses, and what the procurement file must hold.
Program Budget vs Project Budget vs Organization Budget in a Grant
Organization, program and project budgets in a grant: what each includes, a regional share of a national program, and a three-column template showing other funding.
Candid Gold Seal: Free Premium Access and Every Route That Still Works
Candid Gold Seal free Premium access, with the 2026 terms, plus the other free routes small nonprofits still use: accounts, partner sites and free filings.
Organizational Capacity Statement for a Grant: What to Include and How to Write It
What an organizational capacity statement must prove, how federal notices weight it, and a fill-in structure with a composite example you can adapt.
SBIR Phase 1 vs Phase 2: Award Sizes, Timelines and How to Move Up
What SBIR Phase 1 and Phase 2 each fund, the award ceilings NIH and NSF publish, how long each phase runs, and how to decide when to apply for Phase 2.
Capacity Building Grants for Small Nonprofits
What capacity building grants pay for, what published programs require, and how small nonprofits find them.
Free 990 Lookup on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: The Full Filing View
A free 990 lookup on ProPublica, step by step: open the Full Filing view and read a foundation's 990-PF grant list, application block and payouts.