Drafting Applications

Writing compelling grant applications with AI assistance

The 10 Standard Sections

Grant Assistant organizes applications into 10 standard sections that cover most grant requirements:

1. Executive Summary

Overview of your project and request

2. Statement of Need

The problem you're addressing

3. Goals & Objectives

What you'll achieve

4. Methodology

How you'll do it

5. Timeline

When activities will happen

6. Evaluation Plan

How you'll measure success

7. Budget Narrative

Justification for costs

8. Organizational Capacity

Why you can do this

9. Sustainability Plan

How it continues after funding

10. Conclusion

Final appeal and summary

Section Status Workflow

Each section moves through these statuses:

Not Started → Drafting → Needs Revision ↔ Ready → Locked

Generating Drafts

For each section, you can click "Generate" to have Claude create an initial draft. The AI uses:

  • Your organization profile
  • Your project details (goals, outcomes, budget)
  • The grant requirements and funder information
  • Research notes from your analysis
  • Other sections you've already written (for consistency)

Important: AI-generated drafts are starting points, not final products. Always review and customize the content to match your voice and add specific details that only you know.

Refining with Conversations

After generating a draft, use the conversation feature to refine it:

  • "Make this more concise while keeping the key points"
  • "Add more specific data about our target population"
  • "Rewrite the opening to be more compelling"
  • "Emphasize our partnership with [organization]"
  • "Make this sound less formal"

Section-by-Section Tips

Executive Summary

Write this last, after completing other sections. It should:

  • Hook the reader in the first sentence
  • Summarize the problem, solution, and expected impact
  • Include your specific funding request
  • Be standalone - readers may only read this section
Statement of Need
  • Lead with data and statistics
  • Connect the problem to your specific community
  • Show urgency - why now?
  • Don't propose solutions here - just establish the need
Goals & Objectives
  • Goals are broad (what you want to achieve)
  • Objectives are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
  • Tie directly to the need you established
  • Be realistic - don't overpromise
Budget Narrative
  • Justify every line item
  • Show how costs are calculated
  • Demonstrate cost-effectiveness
  • Note any matching funds or in-kind support

Version History

Every time you save or generate content, a new version is created. You can view the version history to see previous drafts and how the section evolved. This is helpful for recovering content or understanding what changed.

Document Preview

The draft sections page includes a "Document Preview" at the bottom that shows all your sections combined. Use this to review flow and consistency before copying content to the actual application.