AI tools guide
Master Compass Grant Research, Flexible Research, and AI Section Analysis — the three tools that make your proposals more competitive.
Compass Grant Research
Deep analysis of specific grant opportunities — eligibility checks, competitive intelligence, review criteria, and funder priorities.
Flexible Research
Ask any question and get AI-powered answers with cited sources — literature, statistics, best practices, and budget benchmarks.
Section Analysis & Feedback
Get AI feedback on individual sections or your full proposal — content review, alignment checks, and one-click improvements.
Your AI-powered toolkit
Each tool serves a different stage of the grant-writing process. Use them together for the strongest results.
Compass Grant Research
Understand a grant before you write a word
Run Compass on any bookmarked grant to get a complete intelligence picture. Results are saved automatically and used by the AI when it analyzes your proposal sections later — so the more you research, the smarter the feedback becomes.
Eligibility Analysis
checks if your organization and project meet every requirement.
Competitive Intelligence
what makes funded applications stand out from rejected ones.
Review-Criteria Breakdown
how reviewers will score each part of your proposal.
Funder Priorities
language, themes, and focus areas the funder values most.
Smart Recommendations
specific, actionable suggestions to strengthen your application.
Pro tip: Run Compass before you start writing. The insights save time and help you write a more competitive proposal from the start.
How to use
- Bookmark a grant from the Grant Search page.
- Open your Workspace → AI Research Tools → Grant Research.
- Select the bookmarked grant and choose Eligibility Check, Competitive Analysis, or Full Research.
- Review the analysis — it's saved automatically for future reference.
Flexible Research
Custom queries with cited, reliable sources
Ask any question in natural language and get an AI-powered answer backed by clickable citations from published sources. Use it for statistics, literature reviews, evaluation methods, budget benchmarks, or best practices — anything you need to strengthen your case.
Natural-Language Queries
ask in plain English, get structured answers.
Cited Sources
every response includes clickable links to verify.
Literature & Evidence
find studies, reports, and data that support your narrative.
Budget Benchmarks
discover common line items and cost ranges for similar projects.
Best Practices
learn what reviewers and funders expect for your grant type.
Pro tip: Always verify citations before including them in your proposal. Click the source link, confirm it's current and authoritative, then cite it with confidence.
How to use
- Open your Workspace → AI Research Tools → Flexible Research.
- Type your question in plain language (e.g., 'What are current youth mental-health statistics in urban areas?').
- Review the AI response and click citations to verify sources.
- Copy relevant information into your proposal with proper attribution.
Section Analysis
AI feedback on every part of your proposal
Analyze a single section or your entire proposal. The AI evaluates clarity, completeness, alignment with grant requirements, and persuasiveness — then offers one-click improvement suggestions you can apply instantly and re-analyze to track progress.
Content Review
evaluates clarity, structure, and persuasiveness of your writing.
Requirement Alignment
confirms your prose addresses every funder criterion.
Strength Assessment
highlights what's already working well so you don't lose it.
Improvement Suggestions
specific, actionable feedback you can apply with one click.
Context-Aware
uses your saved Compass research for smarter, grant-specific feedback.
Pro tip: Don't wait until you're finished — analyze sections as you draft them. Catching issues early prevents them from cascading through the rest of your proposal.
How to use
- Open a proposal and navigate to the section you want to review.
- Click 'Analyze Section' or the analysis icon within that section.
- Review strengths, weaknesses, and specific recommendations.
- Click 'Apply Suggestion' to implement changes, then re-analyze to track improvement.
Three ways to analyze your proposal
Choose the level of analysis that fits your stage — from a quick compliance check to a full competitive review.
Section Analysis
Targeted feedback on a single section — Project Summary, Budget Narrative, Specific Aims, Statement of Need, etc.
Full Proposal Analysis
End-to-end review of your entire application for consistency, completeness, and overall competitiveness.
Quick Check
Fast scan for critical issues: word count, missing requirements, formatting problems, and basic compliance.
Recommended AI workflow
Follow this sequence to get the most out of every AI tool — from first discovery to final export.
1. Research first
Run Compass Grant Research before you start writing. Understanding requirements and funder priorities up front prevents wasted effort and missed criteria.
2. Fill knowledge gaps
Use Flexible Research to find specific data, statistics, and evidence you need. Search for evaluation methods, budget benchmarks, or best practices with cited sources.
3. Write, then analyze
Draft your sections first, then run Section Analysis to refine. Don't try to perfect everything before getting AI feedback — iterate and improve.
4. Iterate and track
Run analysis multiple times as you revise. Compare feedback across iterations to track improvement and catch new issues introduced by edits.
5. Stay critical
AI is a powerful assistant, but you're the expert. Review all suggestions, verify research citations, and make your own decisions about project approach.
Tips for getting more from AI
Practical advice on when to use each tool, how to get better results, and where AI stops and your expertise takes over.
When to use each tool
Match the right AI tool to your current task
- Use Compass Grant Research when you first discover a grant — before writing anything.
- Use Flexible Research when you need specific data, statistics, or evidence mid-draft.
- Use Section Analysis after drafting each section — don't wait until the full proposal is done.
- Run a Full Proposal Analysis as your final check before export and submission.
Getting better results
Small changes that significantly improve AI output
- Complete your organization profile in Settings — the AI uses it for more relevant analysis.
- Be specific in Flexible Research queries: include context, population, and geographic scope.
- Save research before writing — the AI cross-references it when analyzing your sections.
- Use the Compass icon inside any section for context-aware research and templates.
What AI can't do
Important boundaries to keep in mind
- Replace your unique expertise, lived experience, and project vision.
- Guarantee funding — no tool can promise that.
- Make strategic decisions about your project approach or methodology.
- Submit applications on your behalf or interact with funders directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is my research and proposal data kept private?
Yes. Your proposals, research results, and organization data are private to your account. AI analysis is performed securely and results are never shared with other users or used to train models.
Can I use Flexible Research without a bookmarked grant?
Yes. Flexible Research works independently — you can ask any question at any time. It's useful for general grant-writing research, finding statistics, and exploring best practices before you've even identified a specific opportunity.
How accurate are the AI suggestions and citations?
AI suggestions are based on grant-writing best practices and funder guidelines. Citations in Flexible Research come from published sources, but you should always verify them before including them in your proposal. Use the clickable source links to check each reference.