Grant writing is a vital aspect of many organizations’ operations, but it often demands an extensive amount of time, specialized skills, and financial resources. Addressing these challenges, a team led by Sean Carroll, former chief of staff and COO of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has developed Grant Assistant, an AI-powered tool designed to assist grant writers in the proposal creation process. Grant Assistant aims to streamline and enhance the grant writing process by providing support and guidance to professionals in the field.
Writing a grant proposal is a labor-intensive and costly endeavor. It involves numerous hours of program design, content creation, responding to donor inquiries, compliance checks, and formatting. For smaller grassroots organizations, the outcome of a grant proposal can have a significant impact on their survival. Carroll recognized these challenges and saw an opportunity to leverage AI to assist grant writers.
Grant assistant’s approach
Unlike traditional document creation tools that provide a blank canvas for users to compose a proposal from scratch, Grant Assistant takes a different approach. It begins by having users complete a questionnaire that resembles the inquiries a project consultant might pose. This information informs an AI-generated draft of the grant proposal. Additionally, the platform features a “suggestion engine” that highlights relevant content from uploaded documents to enrich the proposal with references.
Grant Assistant aims to provide valuable support to grant writers without replacing them. Carroll emphasized that the tool is meant to enhance professionals’ work in the field by offering guidance and assistance throughout the proposal creation process. It seeks to address the common challenge of starting with an executive summary before the substance of the proposal is complete.
Grant Assistant’s AI model, while not disclosed in detail, has undergone fine-tuning using USAID writing style guides and policy documents. The platform is being trained to handle complex proposals for funders such as USAID, the European Union, State-level agencies, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, among others.
One significant concern when using generative AI for tasks like grant proposal writing is the potential for “hallucination.” Hallucination refers to the AI generating false or misleading information confidently. In the context of grant proposals, where accuracy and evidence-based claims are crucial, this is a notable challenge.
Carroll contends that Grant Assistant’s suggestion engine, which incorporates research, data points, and citations, serves as a safeguard against hallucination. However, it may place the responsibility on the user to verify and compare the recommendations from the suggestion engine with the content generated by the proposal-drafting model. This raises questions about the platform’s ability to effectively mitigate this limitation.
Grant Assistant is still in its early stages, with a team of eight people and primarily self-financed, apart from a $200,000 equity round and a $50,000 grant from Atlantic Philanthropies. As the platform continues to develop, there is an expectation that it will explore more reliable methods to combat hallucination and ensure the accuracy of grant proposals, considering the high stakes involved in securing grant awards.
Focus on customer acquisition
In the short term, Grant Assistant’s primary focus is on customer acquisition, as it is pre-revenue. The startup has reportedly secured non-binding agreements with government contractors in the international development sector, a promising sign for its future growth. These agreements may eventually translate into contracts, providing Grant Assistant with a competitive edge in the market, as it seeks to distinguish itself from rivals like Fundwriter.ai and Grantable.
Grant Assistant envisions a future where its integrated tools, intuitive AI, and user-friendly workflow will significantly reduce the time and cost associated with creating grant proposals. Large mission-driven organizations could allocate the saved resources to crucial program delivery, while smaller organizations can compete more effectively with their innovative ideas.
As Grant Assistant continues to evolve and address the challenges of AI-generated content, it may become an indispensable tool for grant writers, potentially revolutionizing the grant application process. The platform’s success in acquiring and retaining customers, along with its ongoing efforts to improve AI-generated content quality, will determine its impact on the grant-writing landscape.
Grant Assistant, led by a team with extensive experience in grant management and international development, aims to simplify and enhance the grant proposal creation process with the assistance of AI. While the platform shows promise, challenges related to AI limitations and hallucination must be addressed to ensure the accuracy and reliability of grant proposals generated using this technology. The startup’s focus on customer acquisition and securing contracts in the international development sector will be pivotal in shaping its future impact on the grant-writing industry.
