Best Free Grant Management Tools

A comprehensive roundup of free or open-source grant management software options for organisations on a tight budget.

By Plinth Team

Best Free Grant Management Tools

If you’re not ready for a full system, free and open‑source tools can cover intake, tracking and reporting with careful setup.

  • Start quickly: Use forms and spreadsheets you already know.
  • Integrate with care: Connect tools with light automation to avoid re‑typing.
  • Know the limits: Security, audit and scalability are where free tools fall short – where Plinth excels.

What “free tools” can cover

Common choices include Google or Microsoft Forms for intake, Sheets or Excel Online as the data store, Drive or SharePoint for files, CiviCRM for contact management, and Metabase for dashboards. Basic automation is possible with free tiers of tools like Power Automate or Make.com. These options are familiar and inexpensive, but they come with gaps: limited validation and uploads in forms, weak permissions and auditability in spreadsheets, fragmented document management, hosting and maintenance overhead for open‑source CRMs, and brittle automations with run limits.

Suggested lightweight stack

A workable approach for small rounds is to collect applications in Microsoft Forms, store data in Excel Online, keep files in SharePoint with a clear convention, set up a Power Automate flow to notify reviewers and assign IDs, and export monthly to a read‑only Metabase dashboard for trustees. This works if you accept limited auditability and invest time in maintenance.

When to graduate to an integrated system

Move up when you have any of the following:

  • Multiple programmes or panels; many stakeholders to coordinate
  • Sensitive information requiring granular permissions and logging
  • Need for consistent due diligence and applicant feedback at scale
  • Desire to see portfolio outcomes without onerous reporting cycles

That is where Plinth is different: end‑to‑end workflow, secure controls and AI assistance for reviews and impact – all without leaving one system.

Free tools may still incur costs for storage, admin time, and risk (for example, data leakage or lost audit history). Factor these into total cost of ownership.

Frequently asked questions

Are free tools compliant with UK GDPR?

They can be, if configured correctly with appropriate access controls and retention policies. An integrated platform like Plinth makes this simpler with role‑based permissions and audit logs.

How do we avoid spreadsheet errors?

Lock calculated fields, use data validation, and keep a single source of truth. Consider moving to Plinth as volume grows.

Can we build reviewer panels with free tools?

Partially, using shared folders and spreadsheets, but you’ll lack structured scoring, conflicts handling and provenance. Reviewer portals are built into Plinth.

What about impact reporting?

You can aggregate in Sheets/Metabase, but extracting outcomes from narrative reports is manual. Plinth reads reports and tags outcomes automatically.

Citations and trusted sources

About the author

Compiled by the Plinth Editorial Team, drawing on dozens of UK grant implementations. Updated August 2025.

Recommended next reading