Using AI to Write Grant Proposals

April 28, 2024

Can you use artificial intelligence (AI) to write your next grant proposal? New companies like Grantable and Grant Assistant believe the answer is yes. But can you truly step away from the process and rely on an AI tool to do all the work? Probably not—at least not yet. However, AI tools can reduce the work associated with writing a proposal.

The Process

While AI tools may not be able to write an entire proposal, they can help develop proposal sections. AI tools for proposal writing build responses based on content the applicant uploads, including copies of the solicitation,  reports, staff biographies, and boilerplate text. Based on the tool’s understanding of the solicitation's requirements in each section, it uses the uploaded material and answers to prompts to craft a response. After the software prepares a draft, the user must review the generated content to confirm its accuracy and refine the response.

The AI tools on the market today are more summative than creative. They can mine uploaded content for relevant information, but cannot, for example, design a project or prepare a monitoring and evaluation plan. The user-applicant is still a crucial part of the process because, without the user feeding the AI tool information and shaping the content, the tool’s output will not be specific or correct.

The companies behind AI proposal-writing software state that their tools will not generate an identical response to the same solicitation for multiple users. If applicants A and B subscribe to the same software and use the tool to prepare proposals for the same funding opportunity, the proposals will not be identical because the AI tool creates its response based on organization-specific information uploaded by the user.

While capabilities will be different, it seems possible that if two organizations use the same AI tool to apply to the same opportunity, some AI-generated text might be similar across the proposals for sections that focus on universal rather than organization-specific information. One example that comes to mind is the proposal’s background section. The background section typically covers the history of the problem or situation the funding opportunity seeks to address. If the AI tool uses information pulled from the internet (rather than user-uploaded content) to draft this section, it seems reasonable that similar-sounding language might appear in multiple proposals developed through the same tool. AI software companies downplay the risk of duplicate responses by saying the user should customize the language generated by their tools. In practice, some users may not have the time or interest to review and revise the AI-generated text.

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The Starting Place

New AI software tools seem to come out every day. You have several options if you want to start using AI for your proposals. However, most AI tools marketed specifically for grant or proposal writing have limited free plans, if they have them at all. Instead of purchasing a proposal-specific AI application, one option is to use a more general AI tool like Google Gemini (previously called Bard) or Microsoft Copilot to start testing the AI waters. Both tools offer free and premium plans.

Google Gemini

The free version of Gemini produces responses very quickly. The responses are short and to the point. For example, in response to the question “How can grant writers use Gemini to write proposals?” Gemini responded:

Grant writers can leverage Gemini's strengths throughout the grant proposal process, from research to final edits. Here's how:

Research and Planning:

Understanding Funder Priorities: Struggling to grasp a funder's focus? Copy and paste their website's mission statement or relevant news articles into a Google Doc. Use Gemini's "Help me Write" feature with a prompt like "You are applying for a grant from [funder name]. Draft a targeted grant proposal... Include goals of our project, KPIs, and budget requests." Gemini can extract the funder's priorities from the provided text and use that to craft a proposal outline aligned with their interests.

Drafting the Proposal:

Targeted Content: Once you have a grasp of the funder's priorities, you can use Gemini again to draft specific sections. For instance, prompt Gemini with "Write a compelling Needs Statement for a grant proposal on [your cause area]" This can jumpstart your writing and ensure the Needs Statement resonates with the funder's goals.

Editing and Polishing:

Clarity and Concision: Gemini excels at revising and editing text for clarity and conciseness. Draft your proposal sections and then use Gemini's "Help me Write" feature with prompts like "Improve the clarity of this paragraph" or "Rewrite this sentence to be more concise" to ensure your message shines through.

Overall Benefits:

Efficiency: Using Gemini can save grant writers significant time by streamlining research, drafting specific sections, and revising for clarity. This allows them to focus on the proposal's strategic direction and impactful storytelling.

Focus: Gemini helps grant writers stay focused on the funder's priorities by highlighting relevant information and crafting content that directly addresses their interests.

Remember:

While Gemini is a valuable tool, it shouldn't replace your expertise. Use its output as a starting point and always edit and tailor it to your specific project and grantmaker.

The response above was produced through Gemini’s free plan. Gemini’s premium plan, Gemini Advanced, should produce even more nuanced responses. Here’s what Gemini has to say when about the differences between the free Gemini plan and Gemini Advanced, which costs $19.99/month.

The key differences between the free Gemini plan and Gemini Advanced boil down to two main points:

Model Capability:

Free Gemini: Uses a capable large language model, likely Gemini 1.0 Pro.

Gemini Advanced: Utilizes Google's most powerful AI model, Gemini 1.0 Ultra. This translates to superior reasoning, problem-solving, and handling complex tasks, especially in coding.

Features:

Free Gemini: Handles various tasks like creative writing, information retrieval, and basic conversation.

Gemini Advanced: Offers all the above plus in-depth creative text formatting, advanced code assistance (including debugging and code manipulation), and a deeper understanding of your conversational flow.

Here's a quick comparison table:

Additionally, Gemini Advanced comes bundled with a Google One AI Premium Plan subscription, which offers:

• 2TB of cloud storage across Google Drive, Gmail, and Photos.

• Premium Google Support for all Google products.

Is Gemini Advanced worth it?

It depends on your needs. If you just need basic interactions and tasks, the free Gemini plan is sufficient. However, if you require in-depth assistance with creative writing, complex coding, or want to have longer and more nuanced conversations, then Gemini Advanced might be worth considering, especially with the initial free trial.

Microsoft Copilot

The other AI tool that we suggest exploring is Microsoft Copilot. As with Google’s Gemini, in summarizing the features of Copilot, we turned to Copilot itself for information.

Microsoft Copilot’s free version will meet the needs of users who do not plan to use Copilot regularly.  If you want faster performance, more nuanced responses, and the ability to save chat histories, Copilot Pro—a $20/month add-on to Microsoft 365 personal or family accounts—would be the better choice. To learn more about Copilot Pro’s enhanced features, we asked Copilot to describe the pro version’s enhanced performance features.

When we refer to enhanced performance in the context of Microsoft Copilot Pro, we are highlighting several key aspects that set it apart from the free version:

Faster Response Times:

* Copilot Pro is optimized for quicker responses. It processes your queries and requests more efficiently, reducing the time you need to wait for a helpful answer.

* This enhanced speed can be especially beneficial when you’re working on time-sensitive tasks or need immediate assistance.

Improved Accuracy and Precision:

* Copilot Pro’s AI algorithms have been fine-tuned to provide more accurate and precise information.

* It understands context better, leading to more relevant and context-aware responses.

* Whether you’re writing code, drafting an email, or seeking information, Copilot Pro aims to deliver high-quality assistance.

*** Advanced Language Understanding:**

* Copilot Pro has a broader vocabulary and better comprehension of complex language structures.

* It can handle nuanced queries, technical jargon, and domain-specific terminology with greater proficiency.

* This makes it an excellent choice for users who work in specialized fields or have specific requirements.

Increased Image Generation Capacity:

* While the free version allows up to 15 image generations per day, Copilot Pro offers a more generous quota of up to 100 images per day.

* If you frequently create visual content, such as logos, artwork, or diagrams, this expanded capacity can be quite valuable.

Priority Access to Updates and New Features:

* Subscribers to Copilot Pro receive priority access to new features, enhancements, and improvements.

* As the service evolves, you’ll be among the first to experience the latest capabilities.

In summary, Copilot Pro is designed for users who require faster, more accurate, and context-aware assistance, along with additional image generation capabilities. If these features align with your needs, the Pro version is worth considering! 😊🚀[1] [2].

Which should you choose, Google or Microsoft? The best tool may depend on whether you work in the Google or Microsoft ecosystem. If you work for an organization that uses Microsoft 365, Copilot would be a natural choice because it integrates with other Microsoft products.

Using AI Tools to Conduct Background Research

The use case we find most compelling for using AI software is conducting background research as part of a literature review. Most proposals, particularly the more complex ones, require the proposal team to conduct desk research. The research questions may address political stability in a country, the most pressing health issues in a particular region of the world, or the demographics of a country, state, or city. AI tools like Copilot can do a good job at summarizing key issues and notable events for questions like this, pulling information from reputable sources such as the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and government websites.

If you are using an AI tool that does not store your search history, you must remember to copy both your query and the results (with the relevant source links) and paste them into another platform, such as Microsoft OneNote or Microsoft Loop. Other, non-Microsoft options to save your queries include a document generator like Google Docs, a wiki like Notion, Slab, or Capacities, or a virtual notebook like Evernote. Wherever you end up storing your chat history, you’ll want to document some information about the query for reference later, such as the date of the query and which AI software you used. If you use AI-generated material in your proposal, depending on funder guidelines and your organization’s policies on AI use, you may need to declare this information in the proposal.

Is AI Going to Eliminate the Need for Proposal Writers?

Eventually, AI tools may be able to produce a decent rough draft of grant proposals. Currently, these tools are still in their infancy and are not about to displace grant writers. Even when AI may be adept enough to prepare a decent first draft of a proposal, a human will still need to review the draft to ensure the information the tool has pulled from external sources on the internet is trustworthy and correctly cited. Additionally, AI tools are useful for catching spelling and grammatical mistakes, but they are not perfect and can introduce errors. Human editors are, and may continue to be, required. Additionally, a grant proposal is not a work of fiction. The solutions proposed must be realistic, relevant, and evidence-based. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario where an AI tool will be able to and can be trusted to do it all: Summarize the solicitation without error, prepare accurate CVs, draft a technical narrative that is innovative and responsive based on information drawn from 100% reliable sources, and produce a budget and budget narrative with minimal input by applicants.

Should You Use AI for Your Grant Writing?

What AI software can do successfully is summarize content, and this is its greatest benefit. While our recommendation may change in a few months, for now, we recommend using a free AI tool such as Microsoft Copilot or Google for limited tasks, such as background research and simplifying awkward or cumbersome writing. Do you still need to review the results with a critical eye? Yes, you still need to verify the sources the AI tools cite and confirm that any grammatical fixes it suggests for your proposal draft are necessary and correct. Even though it’s not a completely hands-off process, using AI for these use cases can be beneficial.

Regarding AI software costs, if your organization uses Microsoft 365 for its operations and can afford it, you may want to consider the enterprise version of Microsoft Copilot. It costs $30/month or $360/year per user, which is not cheap. However, if using Copilot saves time and produces better work, the expense may be worth it for a select group of staff members. The advantages of Copilot include its integration with other Microsoft products, its ability to search for organization-generated content stored on SharePoint, and its protection of organization data.

Learn More

We recommend taking a course to learn more about using AI. Google recently announced Google AI Essentials, and courses are also available on Microsoft-owned LinkedIn Learning.

How and whether to use AI to write grant proposals is a contentious topic. If you have experience using AI tools like Google’s Gemini or Microsoft’s Copilot as part of your grant writing process, we invite you to share your experiences in the comment section below.