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Grant Writing with AI: How I Trained ChatGPT to Win Grants and Scale My Brand
Here’s how I used ChatGPT to win grants, save on copywriting costs, and help people secure more than $80,000.
Most people don’t realize that only about 10% of grant applications are successful. That means most applications, no matter how passionate or well-meaning, don’t make it past the first round. And for small business owners, especially those without a team or a budget for professional writers, the odds feel even lower.
That’s exactly why I started exploring grant writing with AI. I wanted to save time, boost my chances, make my applications feel more personal, and finally make the process feel possible to win.
In my recent interview with Coach K on the Access Granted Podcast, I shared the exact process I used to apply for her Legacy Grant using ChatGPT. I didn’t just talk about prompts. I showed how I trained ChatGPT to understand her mission, match her tone, and write answers that sounded like me.
And when Coach K saw the response?
“This is perfect!”
If you’re curious what made her say that, go watch the full interview.
The Grant That Put ChatGPT to Work
Coach K’s Legacy Grant was more than just another opportunity. For me, it was a real test of everything I’d been teaching. The grant provides $1,000 each quarter to help entrepreneurs grow, launch new ideas, or scale their existing businesses. Anyone can apply, and the process is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to win.
Coach K’s Legacy Grant fuels bold entrepreneurs with funding, belief, and a fast-track to growth.
You’re asked to share your business experience and explain how you’d use the grant to create impact. And that’s where most people get stuck. They either overthink it, undersell themselves, or sound too templated. I wanted to show what happens when you flip that script using AI.
So I took a screenshot of the grant page using a Chrome extension called Go FullPage and dropped it into ChatGPT. Then I asked the questions that matter most:
“Do you know Coach K?”
“What does she care about?”
“How do I answer this question so she can’t say no?”
I wasn’t looking for generic answers. I wanted alignment, empathy, and strategy. So, when I gave ChatGPT the prompt, “Write a winning answer to…” “What will you use this grant for?” It delivered.
Not just a paragraph, but a full response with:
- A three-point spend plan.
- 60-day roadmap with milestones.
- Impact statements tied directly to Coach K’s mission.
- A tone that matched my voice, word for word.
And when Coach K read it, she didn’t just approve. She was genuinely interested. My answer showed her I understood the mission, its impact, and the purpose behind the grant. That’s what made it work.
Training ChatGPT to Sound Like Me
Of course, ChatGPT didn’t just know how to write like me. It had to be trained.
Most people skip this step, which is why their results often sound robotic or off-brand. Before I asked ChatGPT to write anything, I gave it everything it needed to understand me. I shared my bio, awards, past grant answers, transcripts from interviews, and links to my social media. I also dropped in examples of how I speak when I’m excited, serious, or persuasive, so it could pick up on my rhythm, not just my words.
Custom Instructions? Turned on. Memory? Activated. I told ChatGPT exactly how I want to sound: confident, warm, and strategic. Whenever something didn’t feel right, I adjusted it and kept refining. I treated it like a new team member, learning how things work.
Because when I apply for a grant, I’m not just trying to sound professional. I’m trying to sound like me. The version of me that connects, builds trust, and gets the reader nodding along. That’s what makes the difference.
That’s why the grant response worked. It wasn’t just well-written; it was well-trained. It reflected my voice, my values, and my vision. When Coach K read it, she didn’t just see a good answer. She saw me.
Proof That the System Works
Alicia Lyttle and Coach K discuss how AI-powered grant writing helped entrepreneurs win over $80K.
Want to see what happened when this system got put to work?
Melvin used the same grant writing with AI setup and secured $80,135. Merriweather was a first-time applicant with no writing background and still landed $5,000. My sister and I entered our first pitch competition and walked away with $10,000.
These weren’t lucky breaks. We all used the same playbook: clear inputs, aligned messaging, and a ChatGPT setup that actually understands your needs.
What I love most? None of us was trying to sound perfect. We weren’t professional writers. We just focused on being clear, confident, and staying true to our mission. Once we learned how to give ChatGPT the right information, everything started to make sense.
The grant stopped feeling intimidating. The pitch stopped feeling out of reach. It felt doable. Repeatable. Winnable.
And once you see it work, you start thinking, “Okay… what else can I win?”
Pitching with AI Confidence
That pitch competition win with my sister? We didn’t just show up. Simulations were run ahead of time..
ChatGPT helped us prep like we were already there. It guessed 7 out of 10 judge questions. We did mock interviews. Our answers got sharper, and it even pointed out weak spots we hadn’t noticed.
By the time we pitched, we weren’t guessing. We were ready. Every answer had a purpose. Every word tied back to impact.
And somewhere in the prep, I remember saying,
“If they ask it, we’ve got it. “
“If they don’t, we’ll bring it up anyway.”
That’s the kind of confidence grant writing with AI gives you. It’s not just about polished responses. It’s about having the mindset to own the room.
Scaling Beyond Grants
Alicia Lyttle explains how grant writing with AI helped her scale beyond funding and build lasting systems.
After that pitch win, I stopped seeing ChatGPT as just a grant tool. I began treating it like a real member of my team.
I used to outsource everything: sales pages, event marketing, social posts, video edits, even sermon planning. Now, I handle it all with ChatGPT for just $20 a month.
But saving money is only part of the story. The real value is in building systems. When you teach AI to understand your brand, your tone, and your goals, it becomes more than a shortcut. It turns into a real strategy.
Whether I’m writing a grant or launching a funnel, I treat ChatGPT as if it were on payroll. And here’s the line I keep coming back to: “If AI can think like me, it can build like me.”
That’s the shift. That’s what makes it scalable.
Train It Like It’s on Payroll
If you’ve made it this far, here’s the part I want you to carry forward: AI is most effective when it understands you. Not just your business, but your habits, your goals, and what makes you unique. That’s when its responses start to feel like your own work.
Grant writing with AI makes this possible. It’s not about taking shortcuts; it’s about approaching each project with clarity, confidence, and the right context. Whether you’re applying for Coach K’s Legacy Grant or preparing your next pitch, the aim is the same: let AI help you present your best work.
Because once it’s trained, it’s not just helping you apply. It’s helping you lead.
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