Grant accounting software for QuickBooks Online
Keep the books you trust. Add grant budgets, restricted-fund visibility, allocations, and funder reports—not a new accounting system.
From $25/month · 14 days free · Card required · Read-only by default
The short answer
If your nonprofit receives grants and already runs its books in QuickBooks Online, you may not need a full-blown grant accounting suite. GrantLink is the grant-accounting layer on top of QuickBooks, for teams whose grant work has outgrown side spreadsheets. If you need multi-entity ERP, do not use QuickBooks Online, or make grants rather than receive them, evaluate a system built for that job instead.
Buy the grant workflow—not another ledger.
For many nonprofits already on QuickBooks, the missing piece is grant-specific accounting work, not a bigger finance system. Compare the job each option is built to do.
Scroll the table horizontally to compare all four options.
| What you need | QuickBooks + GrantLink | Enterprise grant / fund accounting | QuickBooks only | Grant-discovery tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep QuickBooks | Yes; your source ledger | Often replaces the ledger; verify integrations | Yes | Usually separate from the books |
| Grant budgets | Grant budgets and synced actuals | Typically available; verify modules | Plan and setup dependent; grant schedules may be manual | Not the core purpose |
| Restricted funds | Fund tracking and restricted-fund visibility | Often native fund accounting | Requires a deliberate tracking and reconciliation model | Not an accounting control |
| Allocations | Shared-cost allocations linked to source activity | Typically configurable; verify workflow | Manual entries and supporting schedules | Not the core purpose |
| Funder reports | Excel / CSV exports from reviewed grant data | Often configurable; verify funder formats | Customize reports and assemble funder schedules | Focus on opportunities and applications |
| Who it’s for | Grant recipients staying on QuickBooks Online | Organizations needing a broader finance system | Teams with simple grant needs and controlled manual work | Teams finding funding opportunities |
| Cost shape | Starter $25 / Professional $75 / Unlimited $150 per month, plus QuickBooks | Broader subscription, implementation, and migration scope; request a quote | Your QuickBooks subscription plus staff time | Separate discovery subscription; does not replace accounting |
Category-level comparison, not a claim about every vendor. Features vary by product, plan, and configuration. Confirm required controls and report formats before buying.
When you actually need the expensive software
A larger system can be the right investment. Buy it because you need its accounting foundation—not because “grant accounting software” sounds like it has to be an enterprise purchase.
- You need multi-entity ERP
- If consolidated financial statements, intercompany accounting, or broader ERP controls are the requirement, evaluate a finance suite that supports them natively. A grant layer is not a replacement for that foundation.
- QuickBooks is no longer the right ledger
- If your accounting requirements exceed QuickBooks—or you use another ledger—choose the accounting system first. GrantLink is built around QuickBooks Online, not as a standalone ledger or a universal integration layer.
- You award grants to other organizations
- Grant-makers need application intake, reviewer selection, award decisions, and disbursement workflows. Evaluate grant-maker software for those needs; GrantLink serves the recipient’s post-award accounting work.
Keep QuickBooks. Choose your grant capacity.
Starter is $25/month for 5 active grants. Professional is $75/month for 25 active grants. Unlimited is $150/month for unlimited active grants. Your QuickBooks Online subscription is separate.
Try one representative grant: review its budget, restricted-fund context, a shared-cost allocation, and an export before committing. GrantLink is not a replacement for accounting policy or professional review.
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