October 4, 2023
Finding grant opportunities to apply for is central to most non-profit organizations. While a grant database is ideal for conducting prospect research, many nonprofits lack access to subscription databases and instead rely on free sources such as Google and other search engines. A Google search on grant funding can generate an unwieldy number of results. While some results will be relevant, most will not, and it can take a significant amount of time to separate valid hits from false leads.
To help those of you relying on Google to find funding opportunities, we have several suggestions on how to structure your search so that you get the best and most relevant results.
Tips for Using Google to Find Grant Information
1. Identify exactly what information you need. Before entering anything in a search bar, it’s important to be clear about the information you seek. For example, if you want to learn more about a funding opportunity or program that you’ve already identified, you can search for more information about the program by putting its name in quotes in the search bar. By putting quotes around the name, you are telling Google you are looking for this exact name. If you want to know how to apply to the program, you could add AND apply after the program name, which can help pull up information specifically on how to apply for this program. By entering terms specific to the information you seek, you have a better chance of having the exact webpage you need pop up on the first page of the search results.
2. Use Google’s Advanced Search function. You can use Google’s Advanced Search to find information such as grant opportunities on a particular topic or from a particular funder. If your search generates quality results, you can save your search parameters to your favorite note program so that you can easily run the same search again. For example, if you want to find opportunities related to climate, you can ask Google to search for pages containing the words apply grants and “climate.” A helpful feature of the Advanced Search function is that you can specify a “last update” date to surface the most recent information on a topic (or, in this case, a program). You can also narrow your results by adding a language and a region.
3. Search websites for specific content. If you want to avoid having to scroll around a foundation’s website to find information on its opportunities, you can have Google search for pages on the foundation’s website that contain the word “opportunities.” Below are the results we got when we entered site:nsf.gov opportunities into the search bar. You can also use Google’s Advanced Search function to do the same thing by entering the name of a site or domain as part of your query.
4. Conduct a Boolean search using AND, OR, or NOT to refine results. Using the connectors AND, OR, or NOT (important: AND, OR, and NOT must be capitalized to signal to Google that they are filter words) can help narrow or broaden the results. You could type Gates Foundation AND grant application to generate results related to applying for grants (note that if you use the words apply or application without “grant,” some of the results may relate to applying for jobs). If you want to conduct a more flexible search, you can use OR, such as grants OR funding opportunities. To learn more tips about conducting a Boolean search, see this article on the topic from Scribbr: “Boolean Operators | Quick Guide, Examples & Tips.”
5. Search web pages for keywords. Once you get your search results, you may see several websites or pages that could have the information you need. When you open a page, use Control + F (PC) or Command + F (Mac) to search the page for your keywords. This search works well for things like searching on specific application guidelines, such as the application deadline, eligibility, or page limits. When you use this function, the word you are searching for will be highlighted, and you can navigate to each mention using the up and down arrows in the search bar.
6. Use “awards” as a keyword. In addition to using the words “grant” and “funding opportunity” in your Google searches, it can also work well to search using the words “awards,” “grantees,” or “recipients” combined with the name of the funder. One of the benefits of looking at a funder’s list of grantees is that you can read about projects the funder has supported, which can help you determine if your organization or project would be a good match with the funder’s interests. Additionally, by researching grantees working in areas similar to your organization's, you can identify funders and funding programs that might be a good fit.
7. Use Google Alerts. Another tip is to leverage Google Alerts, which will send you email notifications when Google finds content matching your search terms. Of all the tips, this one is the least reliable. Google Alerts seems to work best for news items related to a particular funder rather than for finding funding opportunities. If you have a short list of funders you are interested in, a better method is to subscribe to each funder’s mailing list to receive updates directly from the funder.
Google Bard’s Suggestions for Using Google to Find Grant Opportunities
In addition to the strategies above, you can also ask Google’s new AI assistant, Bard, for help to see what suggestions it has to direct you to the most relevant content on Google.
To the question, “What are some of the best ways to use Google Search to find grant opportunities?” Bard produced the following response:
Here are some tips on how to use Google Search to find grant opportunities:
1. Use specific keywords. When you're searching for grants, use as specific keywords as possible. For example, instead of searching for "grants for nonprofits," try searching for "grants for nonprofits that support education in underserved communities."
2. Use the advanced search features. Google's advanced search features let you narrow your results by date, language, file type, and more. This can be helpful if you're looking for specific types of grants, such as grants for a particular cause or grants from a particular funder.
3. Search for grant databases. There are many grant databases available online, and many are free to use. Google can help you find these databases by searching for keywords like "grant database" or "grant directory."
4. Search for government grant websites. Government agencies at all levels offer grants to nonprofits and other organizations. To find government grant opportunities, Google for keywords like "federal grants," "state grants," or "local grants."
5. Search for foundation websites. Foundations are a major source of grant funding for nonprofits. To find grants from foundations, Google for keywords like "foundation directory" or "foundation database."
Here are some additional tips:
Use Google Alerts. Google Alerts can send you email notifications whenever new results are published for your chosen search terms. This is a great way to stay up to date on new grant opportunities.
Follow grantmakers on social media. Many grantmakers are active on social media, where they often announce new grant opportunities. To find grantmakers on social media, search for their names or keywords like "grantmaker" or "foundation."
Network with other nonprofits. Talk to other nonprofits in your community to see what grants they've applied for and been awarded. They may be able to give you some good leads on grant opportunities that are a good fit for your organization.
Finding grant opportunities can be a time-consuming process, but Google can help you make it easier. By following the tips above, you can identify the best grant opportunities for your organization and increase your chances of success.
AI doesn’t always produce correct or helpful information. In this case, Bard did a good job, and we agree with its summary of tips. Some of the tips are stronger than others—as mentioned above, we haven’t found Google Alerts to be that helpful, and using social media can be a time sink—but all of the suggestions are reasonable.
Conclusion
Whether Google is your only way to find opportunities or you are using Google to supplement research you’ve completed in a funder database, Google can be a valuable tool in finding and tracking grant opportunities and funders. The number one tip for finding relevant opportunities with Google is to be specific in your search terms. The second tip is to use Google’s Advanced Search function to help refine your search terms.
If none of these suggestions lead to relevant results, it may be worth investing in a funder database. Funder databases are the easiest, most efficient way to find grant opportunities. And many databases offer additional features, like the ability to store search results and even manage grant proposals. To learn more about the various database options, please see our post “Choosing a Grant Database Based on Your Needs and Budget.” We’ve also compiled a list of different types of funder databases in our resources section.
Finally, if you want an economical database covering funders active in the United States, Canada, and internationally, you might consider GrantStation. GrantStation is one of the most affordable databases. You can learn more about GrantStation’s pricing at https://grantstation.com/product/grantstation-membership.