AI grant writing workshop kit for funders

A ninety-minute session you can run for your grantees, built around their own documents and a real funding opportunity. Use it as written or fold it into your capacity-building program. It’s free and needs no sign-up.

The agenda

Where AI helps in grant writing, and where people stay in charge (15 minutes): AI is good at reading long announcements, organizing what you already know, and producing a first draft fast. The program design, the evidence, the budget, and the relationships stay with your staff, and every claim gets checked before it goes out.
Reading a funding announcement (20 minutes): Each attendee brings one open opportunity. Using Quillify, they ask whether their organization qualifies, then compare the answer with the announcement’s own eligibility section. The lesson is the habit: confirm eligibility before anyone writes a word.
Drafting from your own documents (25 minutes): Attendees upload a past proposal, an annual report, or a program description, and Quillify drafts a letter of inquiry to the funder from it. A draft built from the organization’s own words reads like the organization.
Checking the draft (15 minutes): Pairs trade drafts and check three things: every fact is true, the letter answers what the announcement asks for, and the draft follows the funder’s rules on AI use. Some funders ask applicants to disclose AI help, so read the instructions first.
An AI-use policy for your organization (15 minutes): Attendees leave with a one-page policy their board can adopt: what staff may use AI for, what they check, and what they disclose.

What attendees bring

One open funding opportunity: A real announcement the organization intends to apply for, or one the facilitator picks for the room.
One document that describes the work: A past proposal, an annual report, or a program summary. Two or three pages is plenty.
A laptop: Quillify runs in the browser. Attendees create a free account at the start. Searching is free with no card, and new accounts get starter credits once they verify their email, enough for this exercise.

Notes for the facilitator

Say where your foundation stands on AI: Attendees will ask whether you accept AI-assisted applications. Decide your answer before the session, and put it in your own guidelines afterward.
Keep the room on their own work: The exercise works best when each attendee drafts for a real application. Generic prompts produce generic drafts.
End with the next step: Give attendees a date for the next open round, and point them to the policy template so the habit outlasts the session.

What attendees take home

A drafted letter of inquiry for a real opportunity, a checked eligibility answer, and an AI-use policy ready for their board. The AI-use policy template. What funders have published about AI-written applications.

Funders who want grantees to keep going after the session can sponsor their Quillify seats for a year. How sponsoring works.

Want help running it?