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.
Write with AI
Get a complete first draft of any section, or add new content to one you've already started, written for your grant's agency and requirements.
Your AI-powered toolkit with GrantCopilot
Each tool serves a different stage of the grant-writing process. Use them together for the strongest results. Tap a tool to see how it works.
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.
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.
Open any section and click Write with AI for a complete first draft written specifically for your grant's agency, mechanism, and requirements. Already started writing? Click Add with AI instead, and it reads what you have and adds new, complementary content instead of rewriting it.
Grant-Aware Drafting
uses your project details, the section's scope, and your grant type (NIH, NSF, or nonprofit) to write in the right voice and format.
Builds on Existing Text
on a started section, it treats your writing as fixed and adds only new supporting content, never rewriting or repeating what's already there.
Respects Your Word Limit
writes to the exact word or character limit configured for that section, with a safety check to trim any overage.
Saves Automatically
your section is saved before the AI writes and again immediately after, so nothing is ever at risk.
Copy with Formatting
every section also has a copy button that preserves bold, headings, and lists when pasting elsewhere.
Pro tip: Always review what GrantCopilot drafts before you submit. It's built to give you a strong, agency-aware starting point, not to replace your judgment about what belongs in your proposal.
How to use
- Open any proposal and expand a section.
- On a section you haven't started, click 'Write with AI' for a complete first draft.
- On a section you've already written, click 'Edit Section' then 'Add with AI' to add new content.
- Review the draft and tweak as needed. It's already saved automatically, but 'Save Section' is there too.
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.
Five steps to get the most from AI
Follow this sequence to get the most out of every AI tool, from first discovery to final export.
01
Research first
Run Compass Grant Research before you start writing. Understanding requirements and funder priorities up front prevents wasted effort and missed criteria.
02
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.
03
Write, then analyze
Use Write with AI for a first draft of each section, or Add with AI if you're stuck partway through. Then run Section Analysis to refine. Don't try to perfect everything before getting AI feedback. Iterate and improve.
04
Iterate and track
Run analysis multiple times as you revise. Compare feedback across iterations to track improvement and catch new issues introduced by edits.
05
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 Write with AI on a blank section, or Add with AI when you're stuck partway through one.
- 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.
Ready to try GrantCopilot's AI tools?
Start a free trial to access Compass Grant Research, Flexible Research, and AI Section Analysis on every proposal you write.
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
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.