GRANTFINDER USER GUIDE
GRANTfinder provides information on grants, loans and awards from local, regional and national sources, including UK government, European funding, charitable trusts and corporate sponsors.
STEP 1 - GET ACCESS
BIPC are here to help. Many resources are paid-for, so BIPC has an account. We set you up as a user, and away you go!
Access
Available in Exeter, Barnstaple and Paignton Libraries – please ask a member of staff to log you in.
Access to Grantfinder has been temporarily extended to Devon Libraries and Torbay Libraries members at home.
Please complete the form at the foot of this page for a username and password. These will be reset regularly – contact us again if you need an updated password.
Log in at search.grantfinder.co.uk, and click the ‘Search Grantfinder’ button.

STEP 2 - SEARCH RESOURCE
We’re in to the ‘nitty gritty’ now – this is where you find the gold!

Searching
There are 3 ways of searching. Search tips are in the yellow box on the right of the screen.
- Guided search. Describe your organisation, where your activity or project is taking place and what you are doing, to see possible relevant funding sources. You don’t need to fill in everything. For example, you can jump straight to ‘Where you are,’ type in your location, select from the list, and click the ‘Search now’ button to see funding available in this area.
- Organisation. To find out what’s available from a specific funding body, such as Arts Council England. Enter their name, then select from the list.
- Text search. Search by key words. For example, to see what’s available to support literacy, type this in the text search box and click the ‘Search now’ button.

- Searches can be combined. To search for funding for literacy projects in Devon, click on ‘Where you are,’ type Devon and select Devon, South West, then click on ‘Text search’, enter literacy. Click the ‘Search now’ button to run your search.
- When starting a new search, be sure to click the ‘New Search’ button or (from the drop-down menus) Search – New Funding Search. This ensures your previous search is cleared.
- The Show criteria button near the top of the screen allows you to check which classifications and filters you’ve used in your search.
Filtering your Results
Narrow your search results using the buttons on the right, then click ‘Apply Filter’. ‘Filter by Status’ will allow you to limit your results to funds that are currently open for applications, ‘Filter by funding type’ will allow you to select grants, loans, tax relief etc.
Viewing your Results
Click on the title of any fund to see the full details.
Downloading your Results
Select the funds on each page that interest you, using the tick-box to the left of the fund title. You can select all items on a page, using the buttons at the top of the list. Your selections will remain as you move through the results pages.
Once you are happy with your selection, click the ‘Produce report’ button at the top of the screen. From here you can add a title, choose which details to include, and download or email the selected results to yourself.
Additional Features
The toolbar near the top of the screen provides many additional features, including:
- News. All GRANTfinder news can be found from the drop-down menu. Funding news relevant to your search will also be displayed in a tab next to your search results.
- Library contains articles to support you in applying for funding.
- Bulletins showcase the most important funding changes every week.
User Guides
Go to My Resources – My Toolkit (from the drop down menus) to find a detailed user manual and short introductory training videos.

STEP 3 - YOU'RE A DATA-ACE!
Pat yourself on the back! You’re using Data to help your business.
Please feel free to contact BIPC Admin if you need any further help in using GRANTfinder.