At Thrive Grant Services, we partner with growth-oriented nonprofits to expand their grant funding pipeline with strategy, structure, and clarity. We specialize in helping organizations with established programs, typically with budgets of $500K or more, strengthen their grant readiness, identify aligned funding opportunities, and submit high-quality proposals that reflect their true impact.
Is AI hurting your grant strategy?
Effective Use of AI in Grant Writing: Where it Works, and Where it Can Hurt YouYou have a looming grant deadline and a to-do list a mile long. AI’s siren song promises to write a polished grant in seconds. But should it? Now that the AI genie is out of the bottle, it’s not going back in. It makes sense to experiment and see how this tool can help you. But if there’s one thing I’m hearing from the grant field, it’s to use it with caution. Why AI-written applications hurt your chancesAI’s speed is flooding funders with generic requests, leading institutions like the NIH to cap submissions. Worse, reviewers aren't impressed. Will Mendoza Torrico, cofounder of AI-adoption company i90, points out, "Funders have had no incentive to use AI. While it's a tool for grant writers and grant managers, funders often don't use it and can identify it pretty quickly." You still need human-written grantsSuccessful grant work extends far beyond the application form. It requires a partner focused on the full roadmap: listening to industry shifts, cultivating funder relationships and understanding the nuances AI misses. As a grant consultant, I'm focused on this every day. I'm spending time learning and listening to funders, nonprofits and industry news. Capturing the bigger picture lets me create a more comprehensive submission that’s better positioned for success. How to leverage AI for efficiencyTreat AI like a tireless coworker who occasionally gets things wrong. It's an excellent assistant for energy-draining tasks, like analyzing spreadsheets. But it's a liability for relationship-based work or your main narrative, where accuracy and ethics are crucial. Based on my experiences and what I’m hearing from others, these are the best AI uses for your grant processes:
Go for AI-assisted, not AI-written grantsExperiment with AI as a supplement, not a substitute. You still need a human to guide strategy and craft factual, ethical narratives that rise above the growing pile of AI-slop. Upcoming funding opportunitiesTruliant Foundation https://www.truliantfcu.org/about-us/community/truliant-foundation Deadline: LOI due June 15, 2026 Truliant Foundation’s Community Grants program provides support to nonprofit organizations that are strengthening and improving local communities where Truliant members live, work, worship or attend school. National Trust for Historic Preservation https://savingplaces.org/preservation-funds Deadline: June 1, 2026 The National Trust Preservation Funds (NTPF) provide small grants to support local preservation efforts. Funding is intended to advance ongoing work or serve as seed money for new initiatives that promote preservation planning and education. Joy in Childhood Foundation https://www.joyinchildhoodfoundation.org/ Deadline: June 4, 2026 The Joy in Childhood Foundation, powered by Dunkin’, supports organizations in the U.S. located near Dunkin’ communities. The Foundation’s signature grant programs are open to hospitals and community health centers with pediatric departments.
Thrive Tip: Before deciding whether to use AI for a step in your grant process, think of who you’d give it to if you were outsourcing to another person. If it’s an assistant, let AI help you. If it’s a peer or expert, keep it in human hands.
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Thrive Grant Services
At Thrive Grant Services, we partner with growth-oriented nonprofits to expand their grant funding pipeline with strategy, structure, and clarity. We specialize in helping organizations with established programs, typically with budgets of $500K or more, strengthen their grant readiness, identify aligned funding opportunities, and submit high-quality proposals that reflect their true impact.
Unlocking DAF Grants: The Fast-Growing Pipeline to Add to Your Grant Strategy It's almost impossible to open your inbox without seeing another headline about Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs). They remain one of the fastest-growing streams in philanthropy. Chariot’s latest report found that DAF revenue grew 153% last year. You could deem DAFs an individual giving opportunity. Individuals fund them and dictate how the funds are distributed. And for the billions in DAF grants issued by commercial...
Are You Working in the Shadows? Shine a Light on The Tasks Draining Your Time A recent report by Instrumentl, a grant database and management system, confirms what you already feel in your bones: grant professionals are drowning in administrative tasks. Instrumentl named this invisible labor “shadow work.” After talking to over 1,000 grant professionals, they found that the average person spends about 30 hours a week on shadow work, costing organizations $53,700 per year. That’s a problem too...
"No" Doesn't Mean "Never": A Deeper Look at Grant Rejection and Resilience Rejection stings, whether it’s a childhood crush, a dream job or a grant that could have been a lifeline for your mission. Here’s a secret: one grant rejection is rarely the end of the line. When you plant a new fruit tree, you have to nurse it for years before enjoying your first juicy bite. Grant applications are often the same. “No” usually means, “not now” or “not yet.” You need to wait a few cycles for your...