Our Artificial Intelligence Policy
High Plains Grants uses a robust toolbox to write winning narratives for our clients, and that toolbox includes artificial intelligence. We use the AI features built into our standard software, and we occasionally use Anthropic's Claude and Perplexity for research, drafting support, and editing. We believe a reputable grant writer discloses the use of AI to clients and uses it sparingly — as a tool that makes applications more compelling, accurate, and competitive.
Why we disclose
The reality of our industry is that most grant writers are using AI right now, including independent contractors, boutique firms, and large national firms. Many do not disclose this, for reasons that include the technology's novelty, concerns about accuracy, and the sensitivity of client information. We take a different position. Transparency about our methods protects you, strengthens our work together, and reflects the standards we hold ourselves to as professionals.
We should also be candid about the alternative. A grant writer who refuses to use AI on principle can deliver a less competitive application while billing additional hours for work that modern tools handle efficiently. Antiquated practices are not the same as careful ones.
How we use AI in practice
A few concrete examples of how AI shows up in our workflow:
When we receive an RFP, we may upload it to Claude and ask it to generate a skeleton document organizing all required narrative questions in the formatting requirements of the NOFO. This gives us a structured starting point rather than a finished draft.
When a narrative needs supporting research — for example, describing the obstetric care deserts that many rural communities across the Mountain West are navigating — we may use Perplexity to surface and cite peer-reviewed sources, government data, and reputable reporting.
For financial analysis, we convert publicly available IRS Form 990 data into structured spreadsheets, then use tools like Microsoft Power BI to visualize trends. This allows us to describe accurately how your organization arrived at its current financial position.
We use Grammarly Pro to check for typos, conciseness, and readability across our deliverables.
How we will not use AI
High Plains Grants will never deliver a document composed entirely of AI-generated content. Every grant, report, and narrative we submit on your behalf is authored, structured, and substantively shaped by a human grant writer.
We make every reasonable effort to ensure that no proprietary, confidential, or strategic client information is uploaded into any AI system. Public materials, RFPs, our own working notes, and de-identified research questions are fair game. Your internal financials, donor lists, strategic plans, and any information you have shared with us in confidence are not.
Client-specific restrictions
We recognize that some clients, funders, or projects may have their own policies that prohibit or restrict the use of AI tools. If your organization prefers that we not use AI on your project — or if a specific funder requires a fully AI-free submission — let us know at the outset of our engagement. We may be able to accommodate these requests and will document the arrangement in our scope of work. We also maintain the right to refuse service.
The human commitment
The people of High Plains Grants author, proof, edit, and verify the accuracy of every final document to the best of our ability.
Mistakes can still happen in any human process, and when they do, we own them and correct them. Our commitment is to keep them rare and to handle them with the same transparency that guides everything else in our practice.
Policy last updated: February of 2026. We review this policy at least annually and update it as tools, norms, and best practices evolve.