Resource developmentFundraisingCEO

First draft of a funding bid narrative

Draft a compelling narrative for a grant application, grounded in your community and priorities.

Fill in the details

9 placeholders

Type your details in and we'll drop them into the template. Empty slots stay as tokens so nothing goes missing.

Association name

Funder name

Amount

Communities served

Strategic priorities

Programme

Local problem

Track record

Communication tone

Prompt template

9 placeholders

Draft a funding narrative for {{association_name}} applying to {{funder_name}} for {{amount}}.

Use this context:
- Communities we serve: {{communities_served}}
- Strategic priorities: {{strategic_priorities}}
- The programme we're funding: {{programme}}
- The problem in our community: {{local_problem}}
- Our track record: {{track_record}}

Write 600 words covering: (1) the need, in the community's own voice, (2) our approach and why we're trusted to deliver it, (3) outcomes and how we'll evidence them, (4) value for money. Tone: {{communication_tone}}.

Do not invent statistics. Where you would normally cite a number, write [insert local stat].

Replace each highlighted placeholder with real context. Keep names and safeguarding details out.

Human review checklist

Tick each before you send or publish the output.

Replace every [insert local stat] with a real, sourced number
Have someone from the community read it and flag anything that sounds hollow
Check tone matches the funder's language
Confirm the outcomes are actually measurable

When to use this prompt

Reach for this prompt when you need to draft a compelling narrative for a grant application, grounded in your community and priorities. It's designed for Fundraising, CEO, Ops lead. Typically used within Fundraising work.

Draft with AI, then have a colleague verify facts and tone before use.

How to use it

1
Gather your inputs
You'll need: funder_name, amount, programme, local_problem, track_record.
2
Fill in the highlighted placeholders
Copy the template above and replace every highlighted placeholder with real, local context.
3
Run it in your AI tool
Paste into your preferred AI assistant. Ask a follow-up if the output misses your association's tone.
4
Work through the checklist
Tick every item before you send, publish or act on the output.

Why this prompt works

Explicitly forbids fabricated statistics — the most common AI failure in bids — and forces the community voice up front.

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