The short version
Instrumentl is a grant-management platform: prospecting, AI application drafting, reusable answer snippets, pipeline, and post-award tracking, from $299 a month billed annually ($349 month to month) for up to three users. DonorGraph is a donor-intelligence tool whose grants module answers the research question — who funds organisations like yours, how much, how recently, and who on their board you already know — and it comes inside the same $129 plan that screens your individual donors with a cited AI brief.
What you get, side by side
| Question a buyer asks | DonorGraph | Instrumentl |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Solo $129/mo, or $1,296/yr billed annually: 150 complete screenings a month, 1 seat. donorgraph.com/pricing.html Grants module included. | Discover $299/mo billed annually, or $349/mo monthly, up to 3 users. instrumentl.com/pricing, fetched 2026-10-19 |
| Higher tiers | Team $349/mo (600 a month, 3 seats); Org $799/mo (2,500 a month, 10 seats); Enterprise $1,799/mo (10,000 a month, unlimited seats, API). | Pre-Award $499/mo annual ($579 monthly), up to 5 users; Full Lifecycle $999/mo annual ($1,159 monthly), up to 15 users; Enterprise custom. |
| Funder data | 17M foundation grants from IRS 990-PF across about 127,000 funders, Form 990 Schedule I grants, plus a federal grants tab. | 450,000+ funder profiles and 37,000+ active RFPs, updated daily; 10+ years of 990 data. instrumentl.com |
| Finding funders like you | "Who funds orgs like yours": funders ranked by grants to organisations with your cause and geography, each grant tied to the IRS return and tax year. | AI funder matching with summaries of why a funder fits. |
| Your existing funders | Active / new / lapsed status for every funder that has given to you, with ask-size guidance from their giving history. | Pipeline and tracker for funders you add. |
| Board connections | Board Bridges: which of your donors sit on a funder's board, from IRS 990 officer lists. | Lists funders' key people from 990s; matching them against your donors is not described. |
| Deadlines | Deadline calendar for funders that publish deadlines. | Deadline tracking with Google, Outlook and Apple calendar sync. |
| Writing applications | Not a grant-writing tool. | AI drafting, Apply advisor and reusable Answer Snippets (Pre-Award and up). |
| Individual donors | Included: wealth screening with a cited AI brief, batch CSV screening, SEC insider alerts, and capacity and ask estimates with sources. | Not part of Instrumentl. |
| Commitment | Month to month at the published price, no annual contract; cancel any time, effective at the end of the current billing period. Annual billing saves two months. | Annual plans billed upfront, or a higher monthly price; 14-day free trial. |
| Try it first | Yes: three complete screenings on your own donors, no card, no sales call. | 14-day free trial on Discover, Pre-Award and Full Lifecycle. |
Where DonorGraph is different
Funders and donors in one seat
Most small shops raise from both foundations and individuals. DonorGraph's $129 plan includes the grants module and 150 complete donor screenings a month, so the same person can research a family foundation and the family behind it without a second subscription.
Every grant tied to its IRS return
Funder history in DonorGraph comes straight from IRS 990-PF returns and Schedule I, and each grant is tied to the return and tax year it came from. You can see exactly who a foundation funded, for how much, and in which year.
Relationships, not just matches
Board Bridges lines up a funder's officers and trustees against your own donors, so the first step can be an introduction rather than a cold application.
A lower price with no contract
DonorGraph is $129 a month, month to month, or $108 a month on annual billing. Instrumentl's Discover plan is $299 a month on annual billing, or $349 month to month.
Who switches
- Small development shops that do some grant seeking and a lot of individual-donor work.
- Executive directors who want funder research without a $3,588-a-year grants subscription.
- Teams who want to see which board members connect them to a foundation.
- Organisations that prefer month-to-month billing.
Cost at three sizes
| Program size | DonorGraph (published) | Instrumentl |
|---|---|---|
| One person, research focus | Solo $129/mo or $1,296/yr — grants module + 150 donor screenings a month | Discover $3,588/yr billed annually ($299/mo), or $349/mo monthly |
| Small team | Team $349/mo or $3,492/yr — 3 seats, 600 screenings a month | Discover (up to 3 users) $3,588/yr; Pre-Award (up to 5) $5,988/yr |
| Grants department writing many applications | Org $799/mo — 10 seats (no application-writing tools) | Full Lifecycle $11,988/yr billed annually, up to 15 users |
Instrumentl figures are from its published pricing page. Instrumentl includes application-writing and post-award tools that DonorGraph does not offer, so larger grants teams are comparing different products.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Instrumentl cost?
Instrumentl publishes Discover at $299 a month billed annually ($349 monthly, up to 3 users), Pre-Award at $499 a month annually ($579 monthly, up to 5 users) and Full Lifecycle at $999 a month annually ($1,159 monthly, up to 15 users). Enterprise is custom. There is a 14-day free trial.
Does DonorGraph include grant research on every plan?
Yes. The grants module — 17 million IRS 990-PF grants, funders like yours, your funders' status, ask-size guidance, Board Bridges and the deadline calendar — is included from the $129 Solo plan up.
Where does DonorGraph's funder data come from?
IRS Form 990-PF returns and Form 990 Schedule I, refreshed monthly, plus federal grant listings. Each grant is tied to the return and tax year it came from.
Can DonorGraph write grant applications?
No. DonorGraph is a research and donor-intelligence tool. If you write many applications, Instrumentl's drafting and snippet tools are built for that.
Is there anything Instrumentl does that DonorGraph doesn't?
Yes. Instrumentl covers the whole grant lifecycle: AI application drafting, reusable answer snippets, collaborators, post-award payment and compliance tracking, and accounting integrations. It lists 37,000+ active RFPs updated daily, syncs deadlines to your calendar, and is SOC 2 Type II certified. DonorGraph does not have a SOC 2 report.
- Instrumentl pricing (instrumentl.com/pricing), fetched 2026-10-19: Discover, Pre-Award, Full Lifecycle and Enterprise prices, user limits, 14-day trial.
- Instrumentl homepage (instrumentl.com), fetched 2026-10-19: 450,000+ funder profiles, 37,000+ active RFPs, 10+ years of 990 data, SOC 2 Type II.
- Instrumentl help center, Pre-Award plan and 990 insights articles (help.instrumentl.com), fetched 2026-10-19.
- DonorGraph pricing and plan contents: donorgraph.com/pricing.html, fetched 2026-10-19. Grants features are available on every plan (DonorGraph product documentation, 2026-10-19). Grant counts from DonorGraph's 990-PF ledger (17M grants, about 127,000 funders).