A Funds Online alternative, after DSC's closure
The Directory of Social Change announced in October 2026 that it is closing after more than 50 years and has appointed an insolvency practitioner. Funds Online stays open for existing subscribers during the closure, but DSC has not said for how long. If you relied on it for trust research, this page sets out what OpenGrant can and cannot replace, so you can decide before your access ends.
Source: Directory of Social Change, “Directory of Social Change is closing”. Checked 19 October 2026.
What OpenGrant covers
- 49,000+ grant-making trusts from the Charity Commission for England and Wales and OSCR registers, with latest income, what they fund, who they fund and where they work.
- Open calls from GOV.UK Find a grant, the lottery distributors, UKRI and Innovate UK, devolved governments, councils and the major foundations, checked daily and linked to the funder's own page.
- Past giving from 360Giving: totals, typical award sizes and recent recipients for every funder that publishes.
- Who funds organisations like yours: enter a charity number to see which funders have given to it, then look at peers.
- Email alerts, CSV export, calendar deadlines and a shortlist with application stages.
What it does not replace
- Researcher-written trust profiles. Funds Online's editors summarised application processes and preferences for trusts that publish little online. OpenGrant shows what the registers and 360Giving publish, with a link to each source, and no editorial summary.
- Company giving. DSC's corporate dataset has no direct equivalent here yet.
- DSC's printed guides and training. OpenGrant is a search tool only.
If those matter most to you, keep notes from your Funds Online profiles while you still have access.
Moving your research across
- Save what you can from Funds Online now. Copy notes and any application details from the funders you saved or track, while your subscription still works.
- Create a free OpenGrant account. Every open grant, with its full criteria and how to apply, plus a weekly alert for one search. No card needed.
- Run a peers lookup on your own charity number to find funders you were not tracking. The first lookup is free.
- Subscribe if you need the trust research. Searching all 49,000+ trusts by name, cause or charity number, past-giving breakdowns, unlimited peer lookups, daily alerts and exports cost £29 a month, cancel any time. Each funder page links to its register entry, website and any 360Giving data.
Price and terms
| OpenGrant | Funds Online (DSC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free account; full access £29/month | £475 + VAT a year per dataset, charity rate, one user |
| Contract | Monthly, cancel any time | Annual |
| Status | Open to new users | Closing; existing subscribers only |
| How records are built | Charity registers, 360Giving and funder pages, each linked to its source with a last-checked date | Researcher-written profiles from accounts and funder websites |
Funds Online pricing as published on fundsonline.org.uk, checked 19 October 2026. Funds Online is a trademark of its owner; OpenGrant is independent of the Directory of Social Change.
Questions
Is Funds Online still working?
The Directory of Social Change said in October 2026 that it has appointed an insolvency practitioner to close the charity, and that Funds Online will remain working for existing subscribers during the closure period. It has not said what happens to the database afterwards. Check dsc.org.uk for the latest position.
Is OpenGrant a replacement for Funds Online?
For most of the job, yes; for one part, not yet. OpenGrant lists 49,000+ grant-making trusts from the Charity Commission and OSCR registers, open calls from statutory, lottery and foundation funders, and 360Giving past-giving data. It does not have Funds Online's researcher-written profiles of trusts that publish little online.
How much does OpenGrant cost?
Every grant, with its full criteria and a weekly email alert, is free with an account. Funder research, unlimited peer funding lookups, daily alerts and exports cost £29 a month, cancel any time, with three days before the first charge.