1. The Problem
Your development director spends 40+ hours per grant application. You submit 10 grants. You win 1-2. Your programs go unfunded.
Walk into any nonprofit office during grant season. The development team is buried in applications. Each one demands 40-50 hours: reading dense RFPs, researching funder priorities, writing program narratives, justifying budgets, proving impact with data you don't have formatted the way they want it. You submit to 10 foundations. Maybe 2 respond. One funds at 60% of your request. The other wants 'more data' you'll spend another week gathering. Meanwhile, three programs you planned are on hold because you couldn't secure funding. Your team is exhausted. Your mission is stalled.
40-50 hours
Per grant application
Development directors spend a full work week on each grant: analyzing requirements, researching the funder's priorities, drafting narratives, building budgets, gathering supporting docs. That's 400-500 hours for 10 applications.
15% approval rate
Industry average
Most nonprofits win 1-2 grants out of every 10 submitted. You're writing 8-9 applications that go nowhere, burning hundreds of hours on rejections. The math doesn't work—you need funding now.
$250K+ unfunded
Programs delayed annually
When grants don't come through, programs get cut. Youth services, community outreach, research initiatives—all on hold. Your team planned for growth but you're stuck maintaining, not expanding.
"We submitted 12 grants last year. Won 2. I spent 480 hours writing applications—that's 12 full work weeks. For $180K in funding. We needed $600K to run our programs at full capacity. The math is brutal."
— Development Director, community health nonprofit, 7 years in role
2. The 3 Core Prompts
Example: 01: Analyze Requirements
You are a grant analyst specializing in RFP interpretation. Analyze this grant application and extract the critical requirements in a structured format. For each requirement, identify: 1. Core criteria (what they're evaluating) 2. Weighted importance (if stated or implied) 3. Evidence type they expect (data, narratives, case studies) 4. Red flags (deal-breakers or common rejection reasons) 5. Alignment opportunities (where your org naturally fits) Grant RFP text: [PASTE FULL RFP HERE] Output as JSON with this structure: { "grant_name": "", "funder": "", "total_award": "", "deadline": "", "priority_areas": [], "evaluation_criteria": [ { "criterion": "", "weight": "", "evidence_required": [], "red_flags": [], "our_alignment": "" } ], "submission_requirements": [], "strategic_notes": "" } Be specific. Flag gaps where our org might be weak. Highlight where we're strong.
✅ Generated Output:
✅ Intro Paragraph:
{ "grant_name": "Community Health Innovation Fund", "funder": "State Health Foundation", "total_award": "$250,000 over 2 years", "deadline": "2025-11-15", "priority_areas": [ "Chronic disease prevention", "Health equity in underserved communities", "Measurable population health outcomes" ], "evaluation_criteria": [ { "criterion": "Demonstrated community need", "weight": "30%", "evidence_required": [ "Local health data showing disease burden", "Community input (surveys, focus groups)", "Comparison to state/national averages" ], "red_flags": [ "Generic national statistics without local context", "No community voice in needs assessment" ], "our_alignment": "STRONG - We have 2023 county health survey data (n=1,200) showing 40% diabetes prevalence in our service area vs 28% statewide. We conducted 8 community listening sessions." }, { "criterion": "Evidence-based intervention model", "weight": "25%", "evidence_required": [ "Peer-reviewed research supporting approach", "Pilot data or prior implementation results", "Logic model showing inputs → outcomes" ], "red_flags": [ "Unproven or experimental methods without justification", "No clear theory of change" ], "our_alignment": "MODERATE - Our diabetes prevention program is based on CDC's National DPP framework (proven model), but we haven't run it locally yet. Need to cite CDC efficacy studies + explain our adaptation for Spanish-speaking population." }, { "criterion": "Organizational capacity", "weight": "20%", "evidence_required": [ "Staff qualifications and FTEs dedicated to project", "Financial stability (audit, budget)", "Track record of similar programs" ], "red_flags": [ "Understaffing or unclear roles", "Financial instability or audit findings", "No history of managing grants this size" ], "our_alignment": "STRONG - We have 2 FTE health educators (both bilingual, certified DPP trainers), clean 2024 audit, and we've managed 3 grants totaling $400K from this funder before. Zero compliance issues." } ], "submission_requirements": [ "5-page narrative (specific sections listed)", "Detailed budget with justifications", "Logic model diagram", "Letters of support from 3 community partners", "Board resolution authorizing application", "Most recent audit" ], "strategic_notes": "This funder funded us twice before—relationship is strong. They explicitly want 'innovative approaches to health equity,' so emphasize our culturally adapted curriculum and partnership with Latino Health Coalition. Weakness: we don't have pilot data yet, so lean heavily on CDC's National DPP evidence + our staff's prior experience running DPP at other orgs. Get letters of support from County Health Dept and our clinic partners ASAP." }
✅ Meta Description:
Why this works: Grant writing isn't creative writing—it's matching your org's strengths to a funder's priorities. This prompt turns a 40-page RFP into a strategic roadmap: what they care about (weighted criteria), what evidence they expect, where you're strong, where you need to shore up gaps. You know exactly what to write before you start writing. // Try it now: Find any grant RFP (foundation websites, Grants.gov, your inbox). Copy the full text. Paste it into ChatGPT or Claude with this prompt. You'll get a structured analysis in 2 minutes that would take you 3 hours to do manually. This is your grant compass—it tells you if you should even apply and what to emphasize if you do.
3. Your 10-Minute Quick Win
Test the system right now
Don't wait until you have a grant deadline. Try these prompts today with a real RFP (or a past application) and see how fast you can go from requirements to draft.
Find an RFP
Grab any grant RFP from your inbox, a foundation website, or Grants.gov. If you don't have one handy, use a past application you submitted. You just need the full text of the requirements.
Run Requirements Analysis
Copy Prompt 1 into ChatGPT or Claude. Paste the full RFP text where it says [PASTE FULL RFP HERE]. Hit enter. You'll get back a structured JSON analysis showing evaluation criteria, evidence requirements, red flags, and your alignment.
Draft One Section
Take the JSON from Step 2 and your program details. Run Prompt 2 for the 'Statement of Need' section. You'll get a 400-600 word draft with data, human stories, and funder-aligned language. Read it. See how close it is to submission-ready.
Build This Into Your Workflow?
We create custom Grant Writing Assistants that integrate with your CRM, learn from your past successful applications, and handle compliance requirements automatically. Your team focuses on relationships and strategy—AI handles the 40-hour application grind.