How to write a first draft of a grant proposal with AI

Give the AI the funder's own instructions and your real facts, and tell it to mark every claim that needs a source. You get a first draft you can check and finish in minutes, with the gaps visible instead of hidden.

Reviewed by AICourseHubPro · Last updated

Who this is for

  • Grant writers and development staff at small and mid-size nonprofits
  • Executive directors who write proposals themselves
  • Volunteers helping a charity with a funding application

What you need before you start

  • The funder's guidelines and scoring criteria for the section you are writing
  • Your own facts, data and sources (for example programme numbers and where they come from)
  • An AI assistant your organization allows (ChatGPT, Claude or similar)

Worked example: Draft a Statement of Need from the funder's criteria and your own facts

The input

Act as an experienced grant writer.
Context: Funder guidelines for this section: Statement of Need. Describe the need, who is affected, the evidence, and why your approach fits. Scored on clarity of need (40%), evidence (40%) and fit (20%). Our facts: Riverside Reading Partners (a fictional example) runs an after-school reading programme in two elementary schools. In the 2025-26 school year 118 children in Grades 2 to 4 took part. The schools' own spring assessment (Appendix B) found 41 of those 118 children reading below grade level at the start of the year. Each child is paired with a trained volunteer for two 40-minute sessions a week. No city-wide figure has been supplied.
Task: Draft the Statement of Need in about 150 words (shortened for this example).
Format: Opening that states the need, evidence with sources, who is affected, and why our approach fits.
Limits: Use only the facts and sources I gave. For any claim needing a source, write [SOURCE NEEDED]. Follow the funder's word limit and criteria.

The output

Statement of Need

Many children in our community start the school year without the reading skills they need to keep up. [SOURCE NEEDED: local or city-wide figure for children reading below grade level]

In the 2025-26 school year, 118 children in Grades 2 to 4 took part in Riverside Reading Partners at two elementary schools. The schools' own spring assessment (Appendix B) found that 41 of those 118 children, about 35 percent, were reading below grade level at the start of the year.

These children are affected most directly: without extra support early on, falling behind can make every other subject harder. [SOURCE NEEDED: research linking early reading level to later outcomes]

Our approach fits this need. Each child is paired with a trained volunteer for two 40-minute sessions a week, giving steady one-to-one reading practice in the school setting.

What to check or change by hand

  • Check 118 and 41 against your records, and recalculate the percentage yourself (41 of 118 is 34.7%)
  • Fill each [SOURCE NEEDED] with a real source, or delete the claim
  • Compare the draft with the funder's word limit and scoring criteria
  • Ask a colleague to check the facts before anything is submitted

Free template

Grant proposal section prompt and checklist (Word) (DOCX), free with your email address.

Cautions

  • Read the funder's guidelines: some require you to disclose AI use or limit it.
  • Never submit a statistic or claim you cannot source. Leave [SOURCE NEEDED] marks visible until you have resolved each one.
  • Do not paste personal details about the people you serve into a public AI tool.

Frequently asked questions

Can AI write a whole grant proposal for me?

It can draft one section at a time from your facts, which is faster and safer. A person still decides the strategy and checks every fact before it goes to a funder.

Why does the prompt tell the AI to write [SOURCE NEEDED]?

Without that rule, AI tends to fill gaps with statistics that sound plausible but are not supported. The mark makes each gap visible so you can add a real source or delete the claim.

Do funders accept AI-assisted proposals?

It depends on the funder. Some ask you to disclose AI use and some limit it. Check each funder's guidelines, and only submit text you have verified and can stand behind.

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