Zovo Grant Finder

Find federal grant opportunities

find_grant_opportunities

Read-onlyIdempotent

Use this when the user wants to find federal grants, search federal grants by eligibility, or build a grant pipeline tracker of open grant opportunities. Queries a live federal listing and returns XLSX and calendar downloads, up to 30 rows per page. Do not use for private foundation, state or local grants.

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`page`	No	Page number after screening and sorting, e.g. 1; from 1 to 20.
`keyword`	No	Words to search for, e.g. youth mentoring; quotes are removed.
`agencies`	No	Department or sub-agency codes, e.g. ["HHS", "DOC-EDA"].
`statuses`	No	Notice status, e.g. ["posted"]; defaults to posted and forecasted.
`categories`	No	Funding categories, e.g. ["ED", "HL"].
`eligibility`	No	Applicant types, e.g. ["nonprofit_501c3"]; unrestricted notices are included.
`instruments`	No	Funding instruments, e.g. ["G"] for grants or ["CA"] for cooperative agreements.
`max_results`	No	Rows per page, e.g. 25; from 1 to 30.
`closing_after`	No	Inclusive earliest closing date, e.g. 2026-10-21; defaults to today in America/New_York.
`closing_before`	No	Inclusive latest closing date, e.g. 2026-12-20; at most 730 days after today.
`match_all_words`	No	Require all keyword words, e.g. true; default false matches any word.
`posted_within_days`	No	Number of days since posting, e.g. 7 for a weekly scan.
`include_no_close_date`	No	Keep rolling or undated notices, e.g. true; default true.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`page`	Yes
`rows`	Yes
`shown`	Yes
`errors`	Yes
`source`	Yes
`matched`	Yes
`summary`	Yes
`has_next`	Yes
`downloads`	Yes
`calendar_events`	Yes
`total_available`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedOct 22, 2026

TDQS

A4/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive, open-world. The description adds real value beyond them: live data source, XLSX and calendar download artifacts, and a 30-row page ceiling. It omits rate limits or what happens at page 20+ / empty results, which would be the extra step to a 5.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Two sentences with the trigger, exclusion, and output behavior front-loaded; every clause earns its place and nothing is redundant with the schema.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 13-parameter, zero-required, open-world search tool with an output schema present, the description is sufficient to call correctly: scope, exclusions, page size, and downloadable outputs are all stated. Return shape and pagination edge behavior are covered by the output schema and schema constraints respectively.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100% with per-parameter examples and constraints, so the schema carries the full burden. The description references 'by eligibility' but adds no constraints, defaults, or interactions between the 13 filters beyond what the schema already states.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description uses a specific verb+resource ('find federal grants', 'search federal grants by eligibility') and scopes it to a live federal listing. It does not name the sibling show_grant_details, so the search-vs-details distinction must be inferred, keeping it just short of a 5.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It opens with an explicit trigger ('Use this when the user wants to...') and includes a clear exclusion ('Do not use for private foundation, state or local grants'). It lacks explicit routing to the sibling tool for detail lookups, so 4 rather than 5.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

All Zovo Grant Finder tools Inspect

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