Grant Writing & Funding · 107: Behind the Scenes with the Co-Founder of Instrumentl (Plus, grant research tutorial!)

Behind the Scenes with the Co-Founder of Instrumentl (Plus, grant research tutorial!)

*Get a $50 Discount to Instrumentl with Coupon Code: HOLLY50. Click here and put in HOLLY50.**

“Where do I find grants?” is a frequent question that I get. Believe you me, this is not always a one-word answer.

This is a ‘well, it depends’ kind of answer. Are you looking for federal grants, foundation grants, etc.?

But after speaking with Angela Braren, Head of Growth and Co-founder of Instrumentl, I might soon be changing to a one-word answer, Instrumentl.

You’ll understand why after listening to the podcast or watching the YouTube video!

If you are tired of tracking grants in Excel sheets or jumping around on Google and constantly missing out on deadlines, then Instrumentl might be what you are looking for.

If you are a freelance grant writer, Instrumentl may be right for you as you can track multiple client grant projects, send nicely formatted reports to clients, and get pings when grants have been updated.

Basically, what I found out is that Instrumentl is kind of like a dating app. I know, I said eharmony and she said Tinder (which clearly ages me), but it’s super cool. You put in your grant project and Instrumentl data starts to work for you, locating specific grants that meet your project’s needs.

Note that a unique difference between Instrumentl and other grant research platforms is that it matches your projects with specific grants applications, not foundations. What do I mean by this? Well, a foundation may have ten different grant programs it rolls out. Instead of just matching you with the foundation where you still need to see which specific grant program is the best fit, Instrumentl does that for you.

In any case, I’ll let Angela go more into depth on the unique factor, among a myriad of other great things. Plus, she takes the screen and walks you through the new interface. If you want to see that, then check out the YouTube video!

A little bit of background behind Angela, is that I actually met her in November 2019 at the Grant Professionals Association annual conference. After she showed me some of what Instrumentl can do, I asked her to be on the podcast! Eek, it was like she was reading my grant writing mind of how I want grant research presented.

But what really intrigued me is that Instrumentl is a women-owned business, developed by women who actually worked in the nonprofit arena and faced some of the same overwhelming issues in grant research as all of us changemakers. Then they coupled with (ahem) another woman in the tech industry to work grant research magic. Love it!

Angela and I discuss:

What is the Instrumentl platform?
Angel’s fascinating background and the making of Instrumentl
The development of the platform and how it was funded
The importance of gaining trust from your market
Making authentic connections in the community
New features on Instrumentl and what makes it unique
How they keep their grants up-to-date
How many funders are being tracked
User experience for freelance grant writers
Instrumentl preview and tutorial!

Resources from this episode:

Learn more about Instrumentl

Save $50 on Instrumentl with Coupon Code: HOLLY50. Click here and put in HOLLY50.

Angela’s Top Quotes:

“We used to joke around that we were building Tinder for grants. Swipe left or swipe right on a funder.”

“Think big. Think as big as you can possibly think.”

“At Instrumentl, we’re always trying to build something that people really want, people really love.”

“We believe that in order to build a solution for a group of people, in this case, grant seekers, we really need to be connected and make authentic connections.”

Angela’s Bio:

Writing, winning & awarding grants for 14 years
Started as a grant writer/jill-of-all-trades at an environmental nonprofit after college and most recently at the Global Fund for Women in San Francisco.
Lead Instrumentl building what she wishes she had when she was a fundraiser.
When she’s not thinking about grants she’s either at yoga, on a hike or hanging out with her two calico rescue cats, Bella and Possum.