Using AI for grant writing: tips to support your application
If you’re using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help write your funding application, you’re not alone, and you’re not doing anything wrong.
More and more charities are turning to AI tools to support their grant writing process, and there are real benefits to doing so.
But how you use AI is important. Done well, it can save you time and help you structure a strong application. Done poorly, it can introduce errors that slow down funding decisions or undermine an otherwise strong application.
Here’s how to use AI for grant writing in a way that genuinely strengthens your application.
Can you use AI to write a grant application?
Yes, but AI should be used as a tool to support your work and never to replace human judgement, relationships or accountability.
AI tools can help you overcome writer’s block, structure your answers, and draft initial responses to application questions.
What AI can’t do is replace your knowledge of your community, your project, or your organisation.
The strongest grant applications are based on real experience and local insight. AI can help you communicate that, but it can’t provide it.
Always review and edit AI-generated content
The single most important rule: never submit an AI-generated application without checking it first.
AI produces fluent, confident-sounding text, but that doesn’t mean it’s accurate. Before you submit, read through every section and ask:
- Is this factually correct?
- Does it reflect what our organisation actually does?
- Does it sound like us?
Mistakes that slip through unchecked create extra work for everyone and can delay your funding decision while our team follows up for clarification.
Check every budget figure independently
AI can help you format and structure a budget, but it has no way of knowing what things actually cost.
Every figure in your application should come from real quotes or research, not AI-generated approximations.
A budget that doesn’t add up or includes costs that don’t relate clearly to your project, is one of the most common issues that slows grant applications down. Take the time to verify each line before you submit.
Remove AI prompts before submitting your application
It sounds simple, but it’s easy to miss: if you’ve been using an AI tool to draft your application, make sure no prompts or instructions have been accidentally left in the form. A final read-through before submission will catch this.
Keep answers relevant and specific
We look for clear, focused information about your project, not lengthy background context. You don’t need to explain why utilities cost money, or provide general information about your sector. Stick to what’s specific to your project, your community, and the outcomes your funding will deliver.
Concise, relevant answers are easier to assess and make a stronger impression.
Don’t ask AI to generate your project idea
This is where AI use can weaken an application. As a place-based, community funder, we are looking for projects that identify real, local need. If your project idea has been generated by AI rather than developed through community knowledge and experience, it will often show.
The strongest applications come from organisations that know their communities well and can speak to that with confidence and specificity.
Write in your own voice
You don’t need to sound like a professional grant writer. We want to understand your project and the people behind it, and an authentic, human voice does that far more effectively than polished but generic AI prose.
Use AI to help you find the words. But let the voice, the knowledge, and the passion be yours.
A well-prepared application works in your favour
We want to fund great projects. Our starting point when reading your application is how do we make it happen. But to do that, we need accurate information and a clear picture of what you’re planning.
A well-prepared, human-reviewed application allows us to make a fair, confident decision.
Our approach to AI
We’ve thought carefully about how we use AI.
Our AI policy is guided by our commitment to fight poverty, enrich lives and strengthen communities, without causing harm, bias or exclusion. AI is a tool that can support our work, but it will never replace human judgement, relationships or accountability.
We encourage all applicants to read our AI policy here.
