What to say when a funder asks how you used AI
How do I disclose AI use in a grant application?
Say which tool you used, what you used it for, and who checked the result. Two or three sentences is enough. For example: "We used [tool] to research funders, check eligibility and produce a first draft from our own program documents. Our staff rewrote and fact-checked every section, and the program design and data are our own." Describe only what actually happened, and follow the funder's own rule if it has one.
Last reviewed October 2, 2026.
What a good answer covers
- The tool
- Name it. A funder that asks wants to know what touched the application.
- The tasks
- Research, eligibility checks, outlining, drafting, editing. List the ones that apply.
- The source material
- Say that the draft came from your own documents and data, if it did.
- The human review
- Who rewrote, checked figures and approved the final text.
When to disclose
Always answer when a funder asks. NSF encourages proposers to describe any generative AI use in the project description. When a funder has no rule and does not ask, a disclosure is your choice.
Write a short internal AI policy once: which tools staff may use, what may never be pasted into them, and who checks the output. Every disclosure after that is consistent and quick.
Who asks this most
The answer above is the same whoever you are. What Quillify does about it is not.
Related
- Writing your organization's AI policy for grant workHow do we write an AI policy for grant work?
- How funders treat AI in grant applicationsCan I use AI to help write a grant application?
- Will a funder know if I used AI?Will a funder know if I used AI on my grant application?
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