HELP CENTRE
How can we help you?
Everything you need to get started with FoundationMatch — plus answers to the questions we hear most.
Getting started
FoundationMatch is a free tool for a single person at a small nonprofit. You describe your work and get a saved shortlist of grant-makers whose stated priorities match yours — with a written reason for every match.
Step 1: Sign in
Go to the app page and sign in with Google. This creates your account so your shortlists are saved and you can come back to them later. You can look at how the tool works without signing in by browsing the home page.
Step 2: Describe your work
Write a few sentences about what your nonprofit does. Include who you serve, where you operate, and what your focus areas are. The more specific you are, the better the matches. You can also add optional tags for focus areas, location, and population served.
Step 3: Get your shortlist
Click "Find matching funders". The engine compares your description against every funder in the directory, scores them by keyword overlap, and returns a ranked list — each with a written reason explaining the match. Your shortlist is saved to your account automatically.
Step 4: Follow up
Read each funder's match reason, check their website for current guidelines, and decide whether to apply. FoundationMatch is a research starting point — what you do with the shortlist is yours.
Frequently asked questions
How does the matching engine work?
Your description is tokenised into keywords — terms like "rural", "community health", "Zambia", "mothers and children". Each funder's priority statement is also broken into keywords. The engine scores every funder by how many of their priority keywords overlap with yours. The result is a percentage match (0–100) and a written reason that names the shared terms. There is no hidden weighting, no machine learning black box — just measurable keyword overlap.
Is FoundationMatch really free?
Yes. There is no paid plan, no subscription, no credit card required, and no trial period. The matching is the product, not a lead-in to something that costs money. If you find the tool useful, the only thing we ask is that you tell another small nonprofit staffer about it.
Who is this tool for?
A single person at a small nonprofit who is researching grant opportunities and currently doing it by hand — in a spreadsheet, from memory, losing the thread when they are busy. FoundationMatch is for one person working alone. There are no team features, no shared workspaces, and no approvals.
What funders are in the directory?
The seed directory contains 30 well-known grant-makers across common categories — health, education, economic development, environment, human rights, arts and culture. Funders are added based on publicly available priority statements from their websites and 990 filings. The directory is not exhaustive; it covers common categories but will not include every grant-maker in your field. If you know a funder whose priorities we should include, email us and we will consider adding them.
Can I share a shortlist with my team?
Not at this time. FoundationMatch is a single-person tool. The fleet this runs on has no email sender, so sharing links and team invitations are not possible. If you need to share results, you can copy details manually — each funder card includes the match score, the reason, and the funder name. A future version may add a CSV export to make this easier.
What if no funders match my work?
If your work falls outside the categories covered by the current directory, the engine will return zero or very few matches. That is honest information — it tells you to look beyond this tool for funders that serve your specific niche. We would rather tell you plainly than inflate a match score. As the directory grows, coverage will improve.
Known limitations
FoundationMatch is deliberately limited — it does one thing and does not pretend to do more. Here is an honest account of what is not built, mocked, or deferred:
- ✕ 30 funders in the seed directory. This is a starting set, not a comprehensive funder database. Coverage will grow as the directory is expanded. For now, if your work falls in a niche category, you may get few matches.
- ✕ No team collaboration. The tool is for one person working alone. There are no shared workspaces, no invitations, no organisation accounts.
- ✕ No email notifications. The fleet has no email sender. We cannot send you alerts, reminders, or updates. Check back manually to see new funders added to the directory.
- ✕ No grant application tracking. We do not track deadlines, store drafts, or remind you to apply. The shortlist is a research output only.
- ✕ No grant-writing assistance. We do not write proposals, edit narratives, or suggest budgets. The match reason explains the overlap; the application is your work.
- ✕ No API or integrations. The funder directory is maintained within the tool. There is no external API and no sync with Candid, Instrumentl, or grant management platforms.
- ✕ No legal entity registered yet. The business does not yet have a registered legal entity. All terms, privacy commitments, and data handling are provided by the tool operator — the person who will complete that registration.
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