Grant prospecting for nonprofits
Small nonprofits die of grant-search exhaustion. The executive director is the fundraiser, the program lead, and the accountant, and the funder research that big organizations staff with a development office simply doesn’t happen.
This business sells that research as a service: a monthly matched-funder pipeline, giving-history intelligence on each prospect, and a deadline calendar. Flat monthly fee, no percentage of grants won.
The job
For each client you maintain a live prospect pipeline: federal and state programs they’re eligible for, foundations whose actual giving history (from IRS Form 990-PF data) matches their size and mission, and upcoming deadlines. Monthly deliverable: the refreshed pipeline with three to five researched prospects, each with giving history, typical grant size, and eligibility notes.
The 990 intelligence is the differentiator. Most small nonprofits pick funders from directory listings; you show them who actually wrote checks to organizations like theirs, at what size, in which years. Add-on: application strategy briefs and narrative first drafts for the grants they pursue.
Who it suits
Former nonprofit staff, grant writers who’d rather research than write, librarians, and analysts. If you can read a 990 and summarize it plainly, you’re qualified.
Startup cost and tools
| What | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Engine calls per client per month | ~$1–$2.50 | Matching ($0.15), foundation intel ($0.12–$0.25), deadlines ($0.08), drafting support ($0.20) as needed |
| Site + delivery | $0–$45/mo | Standard stack; deliver as a simple monthly document |
Engine prices are the live public catalog prices, the same sheet agents pay. No subscription is required to use them.
The licensing question
No license. One ethical rule that doubles as positioning: charge flat fees, not percentages of grants won. Percentage compensation violates fundraising-profession ethics (AFP code) and several funders prohibit it. Some US states require registration for "fundraising counsel"; the definitions usually target campaign management rather than research services, but check your state’s charitable-solicitation law once you’re advising on strategy rather than just researching.
How the engine does the heavy lifting
Grant matching across federal, state, foundation, EU, and global development sources, plus 990/990-PF financial intelligence on both funders and peer organizations.
/api/grant/match$0.15Personalized grant matching/api/grant/funder-990$0.25Private foundation giving intelligence (IRS Form 990-PF)/api/grant/org-intel$0.20Nonprofit financial intelligence (IRS Form 990)/api/grant/deadline$0.08Grant deadline tracker/api/grant/writer$0.20Grant narrative draftingYour first customer in 30 days
- Build one complete sample pipeline for a real local nonprofit, free, in exchange for a testimonial and permission to show the (redacted) deliverable.
- Price monthly and flat. Small nonprofits budget in monthly line items.
- Pitch five more local organizations with the sample in hand. Local wins beat cold outreach in this sector.
- Track one number per client: dollars applied for from your pipeline. It’s the renewal conversation.
Hand this to your assistant
This blueprint has a machine-readable page with the current endpoints, prices, and setup steps. Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT, or any assistant that can fetch a URL:
Machine page: https://pulse.theaslangroupllc.com/fieldguide/grant-prospecting-service.json
Start this one
The engines are pay-per-call, no subscription. Agents pay per call over x402 (USDC on Base or Solana). If you're a human, get a starter key: it takes about a minute, includes a $0.25 trial balance, and tops up by card (Stripe) or USDC. No crypto wallet required. Prefer email? Write to info@theaslangroupllc.com with the subject "Starter key: grant-prospecting-service" and we'll provision one by hand, usually the same day.
The Field Guide book, with all 75 blueprints expanded, is in progress. The hub is free either way.