Grant Prospecting Software
Grant Prospecting Software for Modern Development Teams
Grant prospecting is one of the highest-value jobs in fundraising. It is also one of the worst-served by software. Most tools either dump too much data into a list or hide too much behind paid tiers. CIFIS treats prospecting as the start of a real workflow. Find funders, score their fit, qualify the realistic ones, save them to a pipeline, and move them to a decision. Every step is backed by source data.
What prospecting software has to do well
Good grant prospecting software has to answer four questions for every funder. Are they real and current? Do they fit our mission and geography? Are we realistic for them given our readiness? What is the path from here to an application or partnership? CIFIS answers all four quickly, and shows the reasoning so you can defend the answer.
- Verification: IRS-matched, timestamped records
- Fit: Strategic Partner Score with documented inputs
- Readiness: CAPS scoring across six areas
- Path: saved pipeline with stages and notes
Built for development directors and grant writers
Development directors use CIFIS to keep prospect research tight against fundraising goals instead of letting it sprawl. Grant writers use it to qualify funders before recommending them to clients. Consultants use it across multiple engagements without switching tools. CIFIS is light on setup and heavy on explanation, because the bottleneck in prospecting is rarely the tool. It is the read.
Saved pipeline: from prospecting to decision
Save funders and opportunities to a pipeline and move them through stages: research, decide, draft, submit, decision. Every saved prospect carries its match score, source records, and the notes your team adds. When a decision comes in, close the loop in CIFIS. Over time the pipeline becomes a record of what your organization actually wins, which sharpens future prospecting.
Ask CIFIS: an assistant for prospect researchers
Ask CIFIS answers prospecting questions in plain language and cites the records it used. Ask why a foundation surfaced. Ask why an opportunity scored low. Ask what is holding a recommendation back. Ask where information came from. CIFIS does not invent prospects, does not generate proposals, and does not make claims it cannot source.
Frequently asked questions
How is CIFIS different from older prospect research tools?
Older tools focus on access to data. CIFIS adds explainable matching, readiness scoring, and a working pipeline, so prospecting becomes a workflow instead of a research task.
Can grant writers use CIFIS across multiple clients?
Yes. CIFIS supports multi-organization workspaces, so consultants can run prospecting for each client engagement on its own.
Does the software include federal grant prospects?
Yes. CIFIS surfaces federal program opportunities alongside foundation grants and community capital products.
Can I check organizational readiness before prospecting?
Yes. The CAPS readiness score rates your organization on mission, financial, impact, governance, documentation, and compliance.
Can I share saved prospects with my team?
Yes. Multi-user workspaces let teams work the pipeline together and leave notes on shared prospects.
Does CIFIS guarantee funding?
No. Funding decisions are made by funders and grantmakers. CIFIS provides intelligence to support those decisions.
See CIFIS for your organization
CIFIS is the funding intelligence platform connecting nonprofits, community foundations, CDFIs, and consultants to grants, funders, and verified opportunities, with explainable matching and readiness scoring.