Claude Project: Grant Writing Assistant

What This Builds

A Claude Project loaded with your school's grant writing materials (your fact sheet, your strongest past narratives, your school's theory of change) so that every new grant application starts from your complete school story, not a blank page. You'll produce better first drafts in less time, and the drafts will sound like your school rather than a generic charter school.

The difference between the Level 3 Grant Writing guide and this advanced approach: the Level 3 guide has you paste your fact sheet into each conversation. This project has your fact sheet, your best writing samples, and your school's language baked in permanently. You open it, paste the grant prompt, and get a draft that already knows your school.

Prerequisites

• Claude Pro subscription (required for Claude Projects)

  • Cost: {{tool:Claude.price}}/month
  • Sign up at {{tool:Claude.url}}
• Comfortable using Claude for grant narrative work (Level 3)
• Your school fact sheet (from the Level 3 Grant Writing guide, or 30 minutes to build one)
• At least 1 previously submitted grant narrative you can reference (funded or not)

The Concept

Think of this as hiring a grant writer who already knows your school cold. You don't have to brief them on your enrollment, your demographics, your test score trajectory, or your theory of change. They've read everything and can cite your specific numbers in any narrative section.

Without this project: paste fact sheet → explain school → draft grant → edit for accuracy → edit for voice → submit.

With this project: paste grant prompt → check draft for accuracy → submit.

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Build your grant knowledge library

Before creating the project, gather your materials into a folder. You need:

Core materials (required):

• School fact sheet: The 1-pager from the Level 3 guide with enrollment, demographics, achievement data, programs, theory of change, and mission statement. If you haven't built this yet, do it now. It's worth 30 minutes.
• School overview narrative: A 500-word description of your school you've written before (from a previous grant, your website "About Us" page, or your charter application). This gives Claude your voice.

Strengthening materials (include what you have):

• 1 to 3 funded grant narratives, especially sections you're proud of
• Your charter application's Educational Program section (well-written, captures your model)
• Your most recent annual report or board presentation (has current data and narrative)
• Any school-specific data that doesn't fit in the fact sheet: discipline rates, teacher retention data, family satisfaction survey results, student retention rate

What you're NOT uploading: Grant RFPs, funder requirements, or application forms. Those go into individual conversations. The project knowledge is your school's story. Grant-specific requirements change by funder.

Part 2: Create the project

1. Open Claude at {{tool:Claude.url}} → Projects → New Project
2. Name it: [School Name] Grant Writing
3. Click Edit project instructions and write your system instructions:

You are a grant writing assistant for [School Name], a [grade range] charter school in [city/neighborhood].

Your role: Help me draft compelling, accurate grant narrative sections that tell our school's story and align to funder priorities.

What you know about our school is in the uploaded documents. Before drafting any narrative, check the documents for current enrollment, demographics, and achievement data — use specific numbers, not vague claims.

Grant writing principles to follow:
1. Lead with students — frame need through what students deserve, not through what they lack
2. Use specific data from our fact sheet — never invent statistics or use placeholder data
3. Connect to funder priorities explicitly — if I tell you the funder values equity, academic rigor, or family engagement, weave those terms into the narrative
4. Keep narratives within word count — if I say 750 words, deliver 740-760
5. Avoid jargon funders may not know — explain terms like "MTSS" or "MAP assessment" the first time they appear
6. Do not promise outcomes we don't have data for — frame forward-looking statements as commitments or goals, not claims

Our school's theory of change: [write 2-3 sentences describing why your school works — your core belief about how students learn and succeed]

Tone: Compelling and evidence-based. Not pleading. We're a strong school making a specific ask, not a struggling school begging for help.

1. Upload your grant knowledge library documents
2. Click Save

Part 3: Build your workflow for a new grant

When you receive a new grant RFP, your workflow becomes:

Step 1: RFP analysis (new conversation in the project):

I have a new grant RFP. Please analyze it: [paste the key sections of the RFP — or upload it if it's a PDF]

Tell me:
1. What does this funder prioritize? (What language do they repeat?)
2. Which sections are required and what are the word limits?
3. Which aspects of our school are strongest matches?
4. Any red flags — requirements we might not meet or restrictions on how funds can be used?

Step 2: Draft each section (same conversation or new one):

Draft the "[Section Name]" section. Grant prompt verbatim: [paste].

Word count: [N] words
Funder's top priorities for this section: [list 2-3 from your RFP analysis]
Anything specific to include that's not in our uploaded materials: [any current context — a new program, a recent data point]

Step 3: Revision: After reviewing the draft, give specific editing instructions:

Revise: The second paragraph is too abstract — replace with a specific example from our school. Also, the word count is [X] — trim to [target].

Real Example: $50,000 Literacy Grant

Setup: Your project has your school fact sheet (380 students, 85% FRL, 45% ELL, reading benchmark data), a 2-year-old funded grant narrative about your reading program, and your charter application's curriculum description.

The grant: A local education foundation offering $50,000 for literacy programs, requiring: School Overview (500 words), Statement of Need (750 words), Program Description (1,000 words), Evaluation Plan (500 words).

What you type for Statement of Need:

Draft the Statement of Need section. Grant prompt: "Describe the academic need your school serves and why literacy programming is a priority."

Word count: 750 words
Funder language from the RFP: They emphasize "language-rich environments," "family literacy," and "early intervention." Use those phrases.
Current data to add: Our Q1 benchmark this year showed 62% of K-2 students are on track for grade-level reading by end of year — up from 54% last year but still below our 75% goal.

What you get: A 750-word narrative that cites your specific enrollment, your demographic data, your benchmark trajectory (including the recent Q1 number you added), frames need through what your students deserve, and uses the funder's own language. You edit for accuracy (verify every number) and submit.

Time saved: A well-configured project reduces the Statement of Need from 90 minutes of writing to 20 minutes of reviewing and editing.

What to Do When It Breaks

• Claude uses outdated numbers: Update your fact sheet document in the project. Old documents stay until you delete them. Replace, don't just add.
• Draft doesn't match the funder's tone: Add more detail about funder priorities before asking for the draft. "This funder is academically conservative. Emphasize data and rigor, not social-emotional language."
• Claude invents a program or outcome we don't have: This happens. Your review step must check every factual claim against your actual school. Add to your instructions: "If you're unsure whether we have a specific program, ask me rather than assuming."
• Narratives are too similar across sections: Each section should have a distinct purpose. Prompt each section separately with its specific objective, not "continue drafting."
• Word count is off: Tell it explicitly: "You gave me 820 words. Edit to exactly 750. Cut from the program description paragraph first."

Variations

• Simpler version: Skip the project setup and just use a very thorough fact sheet (2 to 3 pages) that you paste into every grant conversation. Less setup, slightly more friction per grant.
• Extended version: After winning a grant, add the funded narrative to your project knowledge base. Over 2 to 3 cycles, your project will have examples of what actually gets funded for your school. Claude's drafts will improve.

What to Do Next

• This week: Build the project with your fact sheet and one previous grant narrative. Test it on a grant you've already submitted to see if the draft would have been better than what you wrote.
• This month: Use the project for your next real grant application.
• Advanced: After winning grants, add the successful narratives to the project. After losing, add a note about what the funder's feedback was. The project becomes your institutional grant writing memory.

Advanced guide for charter school administrators. Claude Projects require a Claude Pro subscription. All grant narratives must be reviewed for factual accuracy before submission.