Skip to main content

How Signal990 Works

Discover aligned funders, uncover warm relationship paths, generate research briefs, and track your pipeline. Four steps, ten minutes, done.

No credit card required · Free tier available

01

Discover Aligned Funders

Tell Signal990 about your organization and AI matching instantly surfaces foundations aligned with your mission. Each result includes a match score, confidence level, and a narrative explaining why the funder is a strong fit.

  • Taxonomy-based matching across 200k+ foundations
  • Scored results with confidence levels and alignment narratives
  • Behavior insights like loyalty, growth, and openness to new grantees
signal990.com
AI Match Results

Based on your mission, focus areas, and peer organizations

Crown Family Philanthropies

High94%

Strong alignment in youth development; funds 3 orgs in your peer set.

Loyal funderGrowing portfolio

Polk Bros Foundation

High87%

Active in Chicago mentoring; median grant aligns with your ask range.

Open to new grantees

Lloyd A. Fry Foundation

Moderate78%

Funds after-school programs in IL; slightly smaller typical grant.

Expanding focus
02

Uncover Warm Paths

For every foundation, Signal990 maps how your board members, staff, and peer organizations connect to foundation decision-makers. See exactly who can make a warm introduction before you send a cold ask.

  • Board overlap, co-funded orgs, and coalition connections
  • Named paths from your network to foundation trustees
  • Prioritize outreach based on relationship strength
signal990.com

Crown Family Philanthropies

Chicago, IL · Private Foundation

Strong fit
2 warm paths found
Board member Sarah Chen serves on the board of After School Matters, a repeat Crown grantee.
Your ED Mark Rivera co-chairs a coalition with trustee James Crown.

Total giving

$18.4M

Median grant

$50K

New grantees/yr

12-18

03

Generate a Research Brief

One click produces an AI-powered dossier on any foundation. Get an alignment verdict, suggested ask range, comparable grantees, and a recommended approach path — everything your team needs to make a confident first move.

  • At-a-glance summary with alignment, ask range, and champion
  • Deep sections: the case, the opportunity, and your plan
  • Regenerate or annotate with team notes anytime
signal990.com
Research BriefGenerated

At a glance

Alignment

Strong

Suggested ask

$35K - $50K

Champion

Sarah Chen

Next step

Warm introduction

The Case

Crown funds 12 youth orgs in IL...

The Opportunity

Open to new grantees; 6-8 week cycle...

Your Plan

3 recommended next steps...

04

Track in Your Pipeline

Move qualified foundations into a relationship pipeline that mirrors how fundraising actually works. Track every stage from first research through submission, with AI-generated next steps and weighted value at each stage.

  • Kanban board with customizable stages and probability weighting
  • AI-generated next steps and deadline tracking
  • Team collaboration with shared notes and assignments
signal990.com
Pipeline5 active prospects

Research

Fry Foundation

$75K3d

Outreach

Crown Family

$50K8d

Polk Bros

$35K5d

Proposal

Chicago Trust

$40K12d

Submitted

MacArthur Fdn

$100K21d

200k+

Foundations

With full grant data

3M+

Organizations

Searchable with funder history

AI-Powered

Research Briefs

One-click funder dossiers

10 min

Not Hours

Average time to prospects

Stop Guessing. Start Finding.

See how Signal990 compares to the old way of doing foundation research.

Traditional Research

  • 5-10 hours per week searching
  • Manual spreadsheets to track leads
  • Incomplete or outdated data
  • No visibility into network connections
  • Steep learning curve
  • Cold-prospecting foundations blindly
Recommended

Signal990

  • Results in 10 minutes, not hours
  • Connection paths to foundation decision-makers
  • AI research briefs and relationship pipeline
  • 200k+ foundations with full 990 data
  • Clean interface, easy to learn
  • Start with proven funders of similar orgs

Ready to find your next funder?

Join hundreds of nonprofits already using Signal990 to discover foundations that fund organizations like theirs.

    How It Works - Find Foundations in 3 Simple Steps | Signal990