Apify Public Data & Leads

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Search

grants_gov_opportunity_search

Read-only

Find US federal funding opportunities from Grants.gov by keyword, agency, status, or number. Returns deadlines, award ranges, eligibility, and contacts.

Instructions

Search official US federal funding opportunities from Grants.gov by keyword, agency, status, opportunity number or Assistance Listing. Returns deadlines, award ranges, eligibility, contacts and canonical source links.

Behavioral Transparency:

Execution: Network call executed synchronously in the cloud via Apify Actor 'captainhandsome/grants-gov-opportunity-search'.
Side Effects: Reads public sources and creates a billed Actor run and dataset on your Apify account.
Authentication: Requires APIFY_TOKEN environment variable.
Latency & Limits: Typical run duration is 10-60 seconds; include_details adds one detail request per result.

Usage Guidelines:

When to use: Use for grant prospecting, research-funding discovery and federal opportunity monitoring.
When NOT to use: Do not use for awarded federal contracts (use 'usaspending_contracts') or European procurement (use 'ted_eu_tender_search').
Named alternatives: Use 'usaspending_contracts' for historical US awards or 'ted_eu_tender_search' for European tender notices.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`keyword`	No	Keywords to search in opportunity titles and descriptions.
`statuses`	No	Opportunity statuses to include.
`max_results`	No	Maximum opportunities to return.
`agency_codes`	No	Federal agency codes such as NSF or HHS.
`include_details`	No	Fetch award, eligibility, synopsis and contact details.
`assistance_listing`	No	Assistance Listing number, formerly CFDA, such as 47.070.
`opportunity_number`	No	Exact or partial funding opportunity number.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`run`	No
`error`	No
`status`	Yes
`results`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed41 schema fields changedv1.1.0Sep 15, 2026
- addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```
- addedInput schema / properties / agency_codes / maxItems
```
Added value: +100
```
- addedInput schema / properties / statuses / maxItems
```
Added value: +100
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / error
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "object"
+}
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / agency_name / description
```
Previous value: -"Owning federal agency."New value: +"Owning federal agency name."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / agency_name / title
```
Added value: +"Agency Name"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / agency_name / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / award_ceiling / description
```
Previous value: -"Maximum award amount."New value: +"Maximum award amount in US dollars when supplied."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / award_ceiling / title
```
Added value: +"Award Ceiling"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / award_ceiling / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +[
+  "integer",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / award_floor / description
```
Previous value: -"Minimum award amount."New value: +"Minimum award amount in US dollars when supplied."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / award_floor / title
```
Added value: +"Award Floor"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / award_floor / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +[
+  "integer",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / close_date / description
```
Previous value: -"Application deadline."New value: +"Opportunity closing date in YYYY-MM-DD form."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / close_date / title
```
Added value: +"Close Date"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / close_date / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / contact_email / description
```
Previous value: -"Agency contact email."New value: +"Agency contact email address."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / contact_email / title
```
Added value: +"Contact Email"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / contact_email / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / eligibility / description
```
Previous value: -"Applicant eligibility description."New value: +"Plain-text applicant eligibility description."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / eligibility / title
```
Added value: +"Eligibility"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / eligibility / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / estimated_funding / description
```
Previous value: -"Estimated total program funding."New value: +"Estimated total program funding in US dollars when supplied."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / estimated_funding / title
```
Added value: +"Estimated Funding"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / estimated_funding / type
```
Previous value: -"number"New value: +[
+  "integer",
+  "null"
+]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / grants_gov_url / title
```
Added value: +"Grants.gov URL"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / grants_gov_url / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / open_date / description
```
Previous value: -"Opportunity opening date."New value: +"Opportunity opening date in YYYY-MM-DD form."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / open_date / title
```
Added value: +"Open Date"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / open_date / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / opportunity_number / title
```
Added value: +"Opportunity Number"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / opportunity_number / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / status / description
```
Previous value: -"Current Grants.gov status."New value: +"Current Grants.gov opportunity status."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / status / title
```
Added value: +"Status"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / status / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / title / description
```
Previous value: -"Official opportunity title."New value: +"Official funding opportunity title."
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / title / title
```
Added value: +"Title"
```
- changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / title / type
```
Previous value: -"string"New value: +[
+  "string",
+  "null"
+]
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / run
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "object"
+}
```
- addedOutput schema / properties / status
```
Added value: +{
+  "enum": [
+    "success",
+    "empty_unverified",
+    "partial",
+    "error"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}
```
- changedOutput schema / required
```
Previous value: -[
-  "results"
-]New value: +[
+  "results",
+  "status"
+]
```
Addedv1.0.13Sep 14, 2026

TDQS

A4.6/5.0

Behavior5/5

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

Annotations already mark readOnly/openWorld/non-destructive, so the bar is lower, but the description adds valuable context: network execution via Apify Actor, a billed run/dataset side effect, APIFY_TOKEN requirement, and latency impact of include_details. This is rich behavioral disclosure that is consistent with the annotations.

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

Conciseness4/5

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

The definition is well organized with labeled sections and a front-loaded purpose sentence. There is minor redundancy between the 'When NOT to use' and 'Named alternatives' bullets, which repeat the same alternative tools nearly verbatim, but overall the structure is clear and efficient.

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

Completeness5/5

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

Combined with the rich input schema, annotations, and output schema, the description covers execution model, authentication, side effects, latency, usage boundaries, and the types of data returned. There is no critical missing context for an agent to correctly select and invoke this tool.

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%, so the schema already documents all parameters and the baseline is 3. The description mostly restates these fields, though it does add a useful note that include_details adds one detail request per result. It does not meaningfully extend parameter semantics beyond the schema, but no compensation is needed.

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

Purpose5/5

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

The description opens with a specific verb and resource: 'Search official US federal funding opportunities from Grants.gov' and enumerates the searchable fields (keyword, agency, status, opportunity number, Assistance Listing). This clearly distinguishes it from siblings like usaspending_contracts and ted_eu_tender_search.

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

Usage Guidelines5/5

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

It explicitly states when to use the tool ('grant prospecting, research-funding discovery and federal opportunity monitoring'), when not to use it ('awarded federal contracts' and 'European procurement'), and names specific alternatives. This gives an agent direct routing guidance between similar search tools.

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