I found a grant my nonprofit could get, and I have to write the whole proposal by myself.
Bring the funder's guidelines, your organization's facts, the need with real numbers and sources, what you'll do, the budget and how you'll measure results. HidenGPT's Anything format drafts one section at a time, such as a 500-word statement of need, in plain language. You check every figure against your records and follow the funder's format.
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How to do it in HidenGPT
- 01
Read the funder's guidelines twice and copy each question, word limit and required attachment into one checklist before you write a sentence.
- 02
Gather your facts in one document: mission, history, staff, the people you serve, the numbers that show the need with their sources, the plan, the budget and how you'll measure results.
- 03
Draft one section per request: paste the funder's question word for word, the facts that answer it and the word limit, and add “use only these facts”.
- 04
Check every number against your records, fill or delete every [bracket], and have someone who knows the program read it for accuracy.
- 05
Assemble the sections in the funder's order, build the budget yourself, and submit before the deadline with every attachment they asked for.
Anything: Describe what you need; it works out the format and writes it.
The parts most funders expect
Candid, the nonprofit research organization, lists the usual elements on its learning site (read on 15 October 2026). The funder's own guidelines always come first; this is the default shape when they say little.
- Cover letter. Separate from the summary; asks for the amount, mentions your latest contact with the funder and is signed by the executive director. - Executive summary. Usually read first: the problem, your solution, the amount requested and why your organization can do it. Write it last. - Statement of need. Why the project is necessary and what problem in the community it addresses. Candid stresses that this is the community's need, not your organization's need for money. - Project description. Activities, outputs and outcomes, who does the work, how you'll evaluate it and how it continues after the grant. - Organization information. Candid says a page is usually enough. - Conclusion. Your longer-term vision and the fit with the funder's priorities. - Budget. Income and expenses for the grant period. - Supporting materials. What the funder asks for, such as an IRS determination letter, financial statements or a board list.
Candid also warns against reusing one standard proposal for every funder, and suggests calling the funder if you can't supply a required item, to ask what they'll accept instead.
Example: a statement of need
Written by hand from the facts in the example request, 214 words. Brackets mark the number the request didn't supply.
“Statement of need
On October 1, 84 adults were on the waiting list for one-to-one reading tutoring at Westside Adult Reading Center. The average adult on that list waits five months for a tutor.
That wait matters because of who these learners are. Most are working adults between 25 and 60 who left school without reading well and have spent years working around it. When we asked last year's learners why they came, 61% said they wanted to read to their children or grandchildren. Others named a job application, a driver's license test or a letter from a doctor they couldn't follow. [County adult literacy figure, source and year.]
We are not short of willing tutors. We are short of the staff time to train and match them. Our two staff members coordinate 35 volunteers alongside running the center, and each new tutor needs about 12 hours of training and a careful match before their first session.
A part-time tutor coordinator would let us train 20 more volunteers in the grant year, enough to reach roughly a quarter of the current waiting list within twelve months. Without that role, the list will keep growing faster than we can reach it.”
Note what it doesn't do: no claim about national literacy rates nobody checked, no adjectives about the learners, and the ask is tied to a number the funder can follow up on.
Small business grants: where they actually come from
Many searches for a small business grant end on pages promising money for anyone. The US Small Business Administration's own grants page, read on 15 October 2026, is blunt: SBA does not provide grants for starting or expanding a business. Its grants go mostly to nonprofits, resource partners and educational organizations that train entrepreneurs.
The programs it does list for businesses are narrow. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) fund scientific research and development, through sbir.gov. The State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) gives awards to states and territories, and businesses apply through their state's STEP office for help with exporting. The same page warns that SBA contacts you only from @sba.gov email addresses, which is worth knowing when an offer arrives by text.
Other real sources tend to be local: city or state economic development programs, community foundations, industry associations and some corporate programs, each with eligibility rules. Read the eligibility section before you write anything; it saves days spent on a grant you could never get.
For an SBIR or STTR application, the technical content has to come from your team. A drafting tool can help with plain-language summaries, not with the science.
Drafting one section at a time in HidenGPT
A full proposal is too long and too varied to draft in one go, so this page opens Anything with a word count of 500 and Tone on Professional: about one page, the usual size of a statement of need. Change the number for each section. Many online portals limit answers in characters rather than words; HidenGPT's character counter tool shows where you stand before you paste.
Paste the funder's question word for word into the request, because reviewers score answers against their own wording. Anything has no built-in rule about invented facts, so “use only these facts and put [brackets] where something is missing” belongs in every request, and every statistic needs its source and year from you. A light red pen pass cuts stock phrases like “we are committed to making a difference” and shows a naturalness score before and after; the score is an editing aid, not an AI detector.
On a plan, a voice built from annual reports or past proposals you wrote keeps every section sounding like one organization. Build the budget yourself in a spreadsheet: the draft can describe it, but the numbers are yours.
Not the right tool if
- Inventing outcomes, partners or statistics. Funders check, and a false figure can cost you this grant and the next.
- The technical or scientific core of a research grant. That has to come from the people doing the work.
- Funders who prohibit AI-assisted text in their guidelines. Read the guidelines and follow them.
Other ways to do it
- Candid's learning resources and your local nonprofit center
- Good for learning the basics and finding funders; many regions have a nonprofit resource center with workshops.
- A freelance grant writer
- Worth it for a large federal application or when you have several deadlines at once. Agree on the fee and the scope in writing before they start.
- Your state's Small Business Development Center
- For small businesses, an adviser at no cost can tell you which grants you are actually eligible for before you write anything.
- ChatGPT or another chatbot
- Helpful for outlining, but it fills gaps with plausible statistics, so every number needs a source you checked yourself.
Questions
How do you write a grant proposal for the first time?
Start from the funder's guidelines, not a template: list every question, limit and attachment, gather your facts, then write one section at a time and the executive summary last. Have someone who knows the program check the facts.
What are the main parts of a grant proposal?
Usually a cover letter, executive summary, statement of need, project description, organization information, conclusion, budget and supporting materials. Candid lists these as the basic elements, but the funder's guidelines always decide the order and limits.
How long should a grant proposal be?
As long as the funder allows and no longer; many set page, word or character limits for each section. Without limits, a statement of need of about one page and an organization section of about one page are common.
Can a small business get a grant to start or grow?
Rarely from the federal government: the SBA says it doesn't give grants to start or expand a business. Look at SBIR and STTR if you do research and development, your state's STEP office for exporting, and local economic development programs.
What is a statement of need in a grant proposal?
The section that explains the problem in the community your project addresses, with evidence. It is about the people you serve, not about your organization needing money.
Is it OK to use AI to help write a grant proposal?
Often yes, but read the funder's guidelines first, since some set rules on it. HidenGPT drafts from the facts you give it; you check every claim and number, and you submit the proposal as your organization's own work.
Can I try it before paying?
Yes. The homepage gives visitors 2 drafts a day without an account, enough to try one section. A plan adds saved drafts and voices built from your organization's writing; Pro is $3 for the first month.