Foundation Directory Online
Donor prospect research software
Nonprofit software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
Take the quiz to check if Foundation Directory Online and its alternatives fit your requirements.
$449.00 per year
Free Trial unavailable
Free version
Small
Medium
Large
- Public sector and nonprofit organizations
- Healthcare and life sciences
- Education and training
What is Foundation Directory Online
Foundation Directory Online (FDO) is a web-based prospect research database used to identify and research grantmaking foundations and other funders. It is primarily used by nonprofit development teams, grant writers, and fundraising consultants to build prospect lists, review funder profiles, and track giving history and key personnel. The product centers on curated philanthropic data and search/filter tools rather than CRM-style donor management workflows.
Deep foundation and grant data
The platform provides structured profiles on foundations and other funders, including fields commonly used in grant prospecting such as interests, geography, leadership, and giving history. It supports research workflows where users need to validate fit before investing time in outreach. Compared with tools focused on individual wealth screening, it is oriented toward institutional funders and grantmaking activity.
Robust search and filtering
Users can search across multiple attributes (e.g., subject areas, location, type of support) to build targeted prospect lists. Filters and saved results help teams narrow large datasets into actionable shortlists. This is useful for organizations that manage multiple programs and need repeatable prospecting criteria.
Standardized, comparable profiles
Funder records follow a consistent structure, which makes it easier to compare prospects and document rationale for targeting. This supports internal collaboration between development staff and program teams when aligning funding priorities. Standardization also helps when onboarding new staff who need a common research framework.
Limited donor management features
The product is primarily a research database and does not function as a full nonprofit CRM for moves management, gift processing, or constituent communications. Teams typically need separate systems to manage relationships, tasks, and reporting across campaigns. This can create workflow gaps if users expect an end-to-end fundraising platform.
Integration depends on workflows
Data export and downstream use often require manual steps or organization-specific processes to move research into other tools. Without tight integrations, teams may duplicate data entry or maintain parallel records. This is a consideration for organizations that want automated syncing with fundraising and analytics systems.
Best fit for grant prospecting
Organizations focused mainly on individual major gifts, alumni fundraising, or event-driven giving may find that the core value is narrower than tools designed for those use cases. The dataset emphasis on institutional philanthropy means it may not address all prospecting needs for individual donors. Mixed-model fundraising teams may need additional products to cover non-grant revenue streams.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | $54.99 per month (billed monthly) or $449.00 per year (one‑time annual payment; equals $37.42/mo) | Access to core grantmaker profiles (limited/full views depending on item), searchable 990s, My FDO; lower-cost entry plan for individual/smaller users. |
| Professional | $219.99 per month (billed monthly) or $1,599.00 per year (one‑time annual payment; equals $133.25/mo) | Full profile views, grants data, detailed financials, saved cohorts/lists, downloads, up to 5,000 profiles/month (Professional level feature set). |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing (contact sales) | Organization-wide access, designed for foundations, academic libraries, and large organizations; custom user counts/pricing; contact sales for quote. |
Seller details
Candid
New York, NY, USA
2019
Non-profit
https://candid.org/
https://x.com/CandidDotOrg
https://www.linkedin.com/company/candid/
