of 6— Gather your project information before prompting

What you'll accomplish

Grant narratives that used to take days can be drafted in hours using ChatGPT as your writing collaborator. This guide gives you a workflow for producing competitive application narratives (project descriptions, significance statements, and work plans) for NHPRC, IMLS, NEH, and most state and private foundation grants.

What you'll need

A ChatGPT account at {{tool:ChatGPT.url}}. Free tier works; {{tool:ChatGPT.plan}} ({{tool:ChatGPT.price}}) gives longer context for bigger applications
Basic project details: collection description, proposed work, timeline, and budget outline
The grant program guidelines (download the PDF from the funder's website)
Time needed: 45–60 minutes for your first draft; 2–3 hours to refine for submission
Cost: Free or {{tool:ChatGPT.price}}/month for {{tool:ChatGPT.plan}}

How-To Guide: Use ChatGPT to Write Archival Grant Proposals

Step 1: Gather your project information before prompting

Before you open ChatGPT, gather these inputs in a text document. The more specific you are, the better the output:

Institution name and type
Collection name, creator, dates, and extent (linear feet)
What's wrong with the current state (unprocessed, inaccessible, deteriorating)
What you'll do (process, digitize, create finding aid, etc.)
Who will benefit and how (researchers, genealogists, students, general public)
Timeline (months)
Budget outline (staff time, materials, digitization costs)
Any prior grants or related work

Tools:ChatGPT