In competitive funding conditions, UK charities are under constant pressure to do more with less. From writing compelling funding applications to researching eligibility criteria, grant writing can drain time and resources. But what if your team had an always-on assistant that could help identify appropriate funders, draft tailored applications, and even embed your charity’s voice into every submission?
That’s where AI for grant writing comes in.
In this blog, we’ll explore how artificial intelligence, especially tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and purpose-built AI agents, can transform how charities approach funding. We’ll outline the greatest AI tools for grant writing, explain how to create custom grant-finding agents, and walk you through using AI to streamline everything from searches to submissions. We’ll also address risks and FAQs, so you can use AI confidently and successfully.
If you’re new to the topic, this guide builds on the basics covered in our introduction to how charities can use AI responsibly and effectively.
Which AI model is best for grant writing?
When it comes to grant writing, different AI models serve different purposes. Some are general-purpose (like ChatGPT), while others are built explicitly for nonprofits and funders.
Here are the top AI tools charities can use to support their funding efforts:
GrantWrite AI
Designed explicitly for nonprofits, GrantWrite AI helps automate the grant writing process by tailoring responses based on previous successful applications. It learns the tone and structure preferred by funders and helps draft key sections like outcomes, budgets, and impact statements.
Plinth
Plinth goes beyond writing to help charities find, manage, and report on grants. Its AI engine can generate application drafts, track progress, and offer real-time suggestions to improve responses.
Grantable
Grantable is an AI-powered platform that streamlines grant applications by using a repository of previous answers to auto-fill sections of new applications. This cuts time spent retyping and improves consistency across submissions.
ChatGPT
As a powerful general AI tool, ChatGPT can assist with idea generation, proofreading, and drafting proposals. When fine-tuned with your charity’s data (via a Custom GPT), it becomes even more effective for producing high-quality, personalised responses.
Microsoft Copilot
Integrated across Word, Excel, and Teams, Copilot helps streamline the administrative side of grant writing, whether you’re organising budgets in Excel or revising drafts in Word using AI suggestions. For charities already using Microsoft 365, the benefits of using Microsoft Copilot for nonprofits go beyond writing, supporting collaboration, data security, and day-to-day efficiency.
It’s also worth understanding the difference between Copilot Studio and Copilot for Microsoft 365, as this affects how agents are built, managed, and shared across charity teams.
For a deeper look at how these tools work in practice, this guide to AI agents explores how charities can embed organisational knowledge directly into Copilot.
What Are AI Agents (or Custom GPTs) and Why Do They Help Charities?
AI agents (also known as Custom GPTs or Copilot Agents) are innovative versions of AI tools like ChatGPT, trained on your organisation’s detailed information. Instead of repeating your mission, values, and projects every time you need help, an AI agent remembers and applies that context automatically.
What Copilot Agents / Custom GPTs are
These are tailored AI assistants that recognise your charity. You can upload documents, define your tone of voice, and set up your ideal writing structure. The result? An AI tool that responds like it’s part of your team.
Shortcutting context with embedded information
Rather than repeating key facts about your organisation for each application, custom GPTs let you “embed” your information once and reuse it. This saves time and decreases errors.
Improving consistency and quality
Because your AI agent draws from the same organisational documents and language every time, your grant submissions remain aligned with your charity’s voice and messaging. This improves trust with funders.
Building a Grant-Finding AI Agent for Your Charity
Creating your own AI grant assistant might look technical, but with tools like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, it’s more accessible than ever. Here’s how to get started:
Step-by-Step: Creating Your Copilot Agent
Step 1. Open Microsoft Copilot.
Load Microsoft Copilot using either the Microsoft Teams version or the online web version.
Step 2. Select “Create an Agent”
Look for the sidebar in the Copilot interface and click the button labeled “Create an agent”.
Step 3. Choose “Describe” or “Configure”
Once the builder opens, you will see two tabs:
- Describe: This allows you to talk to the AI to set it up (e.g., “I want to build a grant finding agent”).
- Configure: This tab allows you to manually type in specific, detailed instructions.
Step 4. Provide Detailed Instructions (The Context Phase)
In the configuration area, you must provide the specific “meat” of the agent’s knowledge.
This stage is critical. Before the AI is ever asked to search for grants or draft applications, it needs to be given clear, structured information about the charity itself. This upfront context allows the agent to work accurately and consistently without requiring repeated explanations later. This “front-loading” of information is what separates an AI agent from a one-off ChatGPT prompt and significantly improves the quality of its outputs.
The sources recommend including:
- Mission Statement: What your charity does (e.g., “providing accessible mental health support”).
- Demographics and Location: Where you are based and who you serve.
- Financial Profile: Your annual income and the size of grants you are looking for (e.g., “£1,000 upwards”).
- Operational Needs: Whether you want funding for “operational work,” “project work,” or both.
Step 5. Define Search Criteria Instruct the agent on how to behave when searching.
Tell it to search the internet, check eligibility criteria, and filter out any grants that have expired or are unsuitable. You can also specify certain websites for it to check, such as “Funding Central” or the “National Lottery”.
Step 6. Add Knowledge (Paid Feature)
If you have a paid license, you can enhance the agent by uploading specific documents (like mission statements or past tender responses) or linking to your website. This helps the AI learn your organisation’s specific “tone of voice”.
Step 7. Save and Deploy Once you have entered your details (you have up to 8,000 characters for instructions), click “Update” or “Save”. Your agent is now ready to use for finding and drafting grant applications.
Define Your Charity’s Core Information
Upload or paste your charity’s mission, history, strategic priorities, and recent project descriptions. Include your values, beneficiaries, and standard boilerplate text. This becomes the data base for your AI agent.
Tell the Agent Where to Look
Your AI can be trained to search relevant databases like Funding Central, or 360Giving. Use prompt engineering to tell it to focus only on UK-based, unrestricted, or programme-specific grants that match your size and cause.
Use Existing Documents for Better Outputs (Paid Feature)
If you’re using ChatGPT Plus, you can upload documents like annual reports, previous applications, or theory of change diagrams. The AI will use these to generate responses that align with your existing language and logic.
Watch the full walkthrough in our webinar:
How to Use AI for Grant Writing and Streamline Grant Searching
AI can save hours each week by helping your team find suitable grants faster and draft applications more proficiently.
Smarter, More Targeted Search
Instead of manually browsing through hundreds of listings, AI can analyse large databases and highlight the most relevant opportunities based on your specific eligibility, past funding history, and project focus.
Drafting Complete Application Templates
AI tools can auto-generate entire sections of a grant application, including:
- Project title
- Executive summary
- Intended outcomes
- Budget estimates
- Submission checklists and deadlines
The result? Faster submissions with greater precision and less admin.
Benefits and Risks of Using AI for Grant Writing
Benefits:
- Time savings
- Consistency
- Scalability
- Accessibility
Time savings:
One of the most important advantages of using AI in grant writing is the substantial reduction in time spent on drafting applications. AI tools can generate first drafts, reword existing content, and summarise funder requirements in a fraction of the time it would take a human.
Charities can cut their drafting time by up to 70%, freeing up valuable hours to focus on their core mission. Adam Graham, Managing Director of Qlic IT, highlighted this shift in efficiency in our webinar:
“You’re going from, I imagine, spending hours and hours and days and days finding the grants and writing the applications, to spending a few hours to find many grants to apply for all of them...”
For small teams managing multiple responsibilities, this kind of efficiency can be transformational.
Consistency:
Maintaining a coherent voice and message across all applications is fundamental, especially for charities applying to multiple funders. AI writing assistants can be trained on an organisation’s tone of voice, values, and language, ensuring that every application reflects the charity’s brand correctly. This consistency helps build trust and familiarity with funders over time.
Scalability:
AI allows charities to increase the number of applications they submit without substantially increasing workload. With automation handling repetitive drafting and research tasks, a single staff member can manage a elevated output of grant applications than would otherwise be possible. This scalability is particularly useful during peak grant cycles or when responding to short-notice opportunities.
Accessibility:
For smaller charities without a dedicated grant writer, or even a full-time fundraising team, AI tools level the playing field. By guiding users through the grant writing process, suggesting content, and providing templates, AI can empower staff or volunteers with limited experience to produce convincing applications. As a result, these organisations can compete more effectively for funding against larger charities with more resources.
Risks
- Misinformation
- Outdated data
- Eligibility errors
Misinformation:
AI can sometimes “hallucinate”, producing content that sounds plausible but is factually incorrect. This is particularly risky when writing about a charity’s impact, services, or financials. If left unchecked, these inaccuracies can damage credibility with funders.
As Adam Graham, Managing Director of Qlic IT for Charities, puts it:
“I’m never going to pull out the information from my AI, stick it into a grant application and send it off without checking it.”
AI should be treated as a drafting and research aid, not a replacement for human judgment. Every AI-generated application must be carefully reviewed and verified to ensure accuracy, relevance, and trustworthiness before submission.
Outdated data:
Unless explicitly integrated with up-to-date databases, AI models can sometimes pull information that is months or even years old. This is especially challenging when referencing funders’ criteria, deadlines, or grant amounts. Always cross-reference AI output with current information from funder websites or databases to avoid submitting outdated proposals.
Eligibility errors:
AI tools can summarise and interpret eligibility criteria, but they may miscalculate subtle nuances in requirements. For example, a grant that appears to support youth services may exclude those delivered in schools, or limit funding to specific regions. Manual checks are still essential to ensure the charity doesn’t waste time applying for grants they aren’t eligible for.
AI for Grant Writing: Frequently Asked Questions
Is it okay to use ChatGPT for grant writing?
Yes, but treat it as an assistant, not a replacement. You must review and improve AI-generated content for tone, accuracy, and relevance.
Do grants check for AI?
Not typically, but funders do expect authentic, relevant, and human-reviewed content. AI is fine, as long as the final submission mirrors your charity’s voice.
What is the average success rate of a grant writer?
It varies, but experienced grant writers may achieve success rates of 30–50%. Using AI can help improve these odds by increasing application volume and consistency.
What is the AI tool for finding grants?
Tools like GrantNav, Plinth, and Grantable use AI to help charities find grants. You can also build your own AI agent that searches only the most relevant sources
Final thoughts
AI can be a game-changer for UK charities seeking funding, but it’s a copilot, not an author.
It’s always good to ensure they are using ai best practices, as when used thoughtfully, AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can help your team secure more grants, faster and with less administrative burden.
However, it’s essential to maintain control; verify information, update eligibility requirements, and review drafts for accuracy.
Don’t wait for the next outage to happen!
Contact the team at Qlic to implement an effective response plan.
