Henry Taylor

I used AI to write a government grant application and got $45,000

I'm a farmer not a writer. Grant applications have always beaten me. Long forms, weird language, needing to explain things in ways that tick boxes I don't even understand. My neighbour's daughter suggested I try AI. I was doubtful. I had a regional agriculture grant to apply for. $45,000 for irrigation infrastructure upgrades. I'd started the application twice and given up. I sat down with ChatGPT for an afternoon. I explained my farm, what I wanted to do, why it would benefit the business and the environment, and it helped me translate all of that into the language the grant form was asking for. I also used it to look up similar successful grant applications and understand what language and framing grant assessors typically respond to. "Sustainability outcomes," "regional economic impact," that kind of thing. My wife proofread the final version. We submitted it. We got the grant. $45,000. I'm not exaggerating when I say I would not have submitted that application without AI. I just wouldn't have. It would have sat unfinished like the previous two attempts.