In the world of grant writing, the struggle with the dreaded blank page is all too familiar. You’ve probably tasted the stress and uncertainty involved in kickstarting the grant writing process, spending countless hours crafting your initial drafts. Doesn’t taste good!
However, with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in the writing process, this struggle may soon become a thing of the past. While AI is not a replacement for your thoughts or creativity, it serves as an exceptional thought partner. AI significantly accelerates your drafting process, freeing up valuable time for you to think critically and edit intelligently.
As David Spark comments, “Writing is more than just a means to convey information; it’s a way to connect on a deeply personal level. When we delegate this task to an AI robot, no matter how sophisticated, we lose a piece of that human connection.”
Whether you’re writing an email to a loved one, or you’re preparing a proposal for grant funders, AI lays a solid foundation. Nonetheless, it doesn’t exempt the flavor and color only your critical thinking and emotion bring.
The Blank Page Problem
AI is not thinking, hence its draft is not final. Its primary advantage lies in its ability to help you overcome the blank page dilemma. For grant writers, the first draft is typically the hardest part of the process. Beda, a company that has made waves in the grant writing arena, exemplifies this journey.
And btw, in case you’re wondering how all our collaboration with Beda started, here’s a little backstory for you! Our partnership with Beda kicked off at a mastermind in Kelowna, British Columbia. Chris (Beda’s Co-founder), with no grant-writing or nonprofit experience, casually mentioned how he was using AI to write grants with an impressive success rate.
Meredith (our CEO) handed him a copy of her book, How to Write a Grant, Become a Grant Writing Unicorn, and right after, they started building Unicorn Copilot together. Before they started using AI, Beda’s grant drafting process took up a staggering 70% of their time, often requiring 40 to 60 hours per application. This time-consuming struggle is something every grant writer can relate to.
Fast forward: Beda’s team started cranking out 40 complex grants a month with only two writers—taking 100-hour applications and whittling them down to four hours! They even hit $750K in their first year, with a 70% profit margin per grant!
So when we thought about a partner who could bring efficiency and scale to our grant-writing consultants, Beda was an obvious choice. We’re excited to help grant writers in our collective hit their big revenue goals, grow to a million and beyond, and change the industry—with a lot of fun along the way!
As you may know, Chris and Meredith gave a presentation at the Fundraising AI Summit, and let’s just say, tech issues had a field day. But that inspired Chris to jump back in at 2 a.m. to work on an even better demo just for us! This energy is why we knew Beda was a perfect fit.
Evolution of the AI Grant Writing Process
Beda's journey to efficiency didn’t happen overnight. In the beginning, their first five grants took a month and a half to two months to complete, using traditional “manpower” methods. The team immersed themselves in interviews, research, and extensive writing, dedicating a week and a half to each grant draft.
Throughout this process, they kept the end goal in mind: to build AI tools that would streamline their workflow. By mapping their learnings from each grant they tackled, they began to identify effective prompts and instructions.
This iterative process allowed them to refine their approach and experiment with various automation techniques, ranging from building their own AI to using existing APIs. With each completed grant, they gained insights that propelled them toward greater efficiency.
The Aha! Moment
After completing around 20 to 30 grants, Beda experienced a significant breakthrough. By November of 2023, they could conduct kickoff calls and generate drafts within minutes. This transformation was monumental; it meant that the majority of their time was now available for critical thinking and editing rather than mere drafting.
With the burden of drafting lifted, Beda's team could focus on evaluating the narrative's coherence, ensuring alignment with grant requirements, and identifying any gaps in their applications. This shift in focus was invaluable, enabling them to hone their skills in crafting compelling narratives that resonate with grant reviewers.
The True Value of AI in Grant Writing
The key takeaway here is that AI enhances the grant writing process by accelerating draft creation, allowing writers to concentrate on what truly matters: crafting a winning application. While AI can generate drafts quickly, the end goal is not just a completed document but a successful proposal that secures funding.
Critical thinking and editing are the lifeblood of effective grant writing. The more time grant writers can dedicate to these aspects, the better their applications will be. AI serves as a powerful tool in this context, enabling writers to leverage their expertise and creativity effectively.
You can dive deeper into our AI Toolkit if you’re thinking about how to build a custom GPT in 2025. We dissected everything you need to know about grant writing and AI.
Final Thoughts
As the landscape of grant writing continues to evolve, embracing AI as a supportive partner rather than a replacement is essential. While it may not be capable of thinking or producing final drafts independently, AI can significantly streamline the initial stages of the writing process.
By overcoming the blank page problem and reducing the time spent on drafting, writers can focus on critical thinking and editing—the true keys to crafting winning grant applications.
However, as awesome a partner as AI may be, it still has its challenges. One of such is that AI hallucinates, and the answers it brings up can be lousy. However, it’s nothing to worry about as we have the innovative solution to that - building context! AI needs context to write better.
In the end, it’s not about the speed at which you write but the quality of the thought that goes into your application. With AI as your ally, you can turn your grant writing process from daunting to dynamic, paving the way for success in securing the funding you seek.
The age of AI is here! Grant writers everywhere are upskilling and shifting their business to new levels. Get our AI Toolkit on how you can build your own custom GPT today. At Learn Grant Writing, we’re doing everything possible to keep our grant writers on the cutting edge of the grant writing industry. Join the collective today to participate!
