Based on insights shared in the CharityHowTo webinar
Grant research has always been one of the most time-consuming parts of nonprofit work. Opening dozens of tabs, scrolling through outdated databases, and digging through long PDF guidelines can take hours — sometimes days. And even after all that effort, many organizations still struggle to find opportunities that truly fit their mission.
But during a recent CharityHowTo webinar, Osamu Wakabayashi revealed a powerful and surprisingly simple approach: using ChatGPT’s Deep Research feature to automate the hardest parts of grant research. The result? Nonprofits can identify verified, tailored funding opportunities in as little as 15–20 minutes.
Below is a practical breakdown of how this works — and how your team can replicate it immediately.
According to the webinar, nonprofits often face common challenges such as limited time, increasing competition, and endless searching with very little clarity about which grants are a real fit. Many organizations apply repeatedly and face rejection simply because they’re starting with incomplete or outdated information.
AI helps remove that friction by doing the heavy lifting for you.
Deep Research is more than a Google search. It pulls information from multiple platforms — government websites, PDFs, community forums, YouTube, social discussions, and other open sources.
This allows ChatGPT to verify data, gather real links, and cross-check information in ways that would take a human hours.
Think of it as having a dedicated research assistant who works incredibly fast.
Osamu walked attendees through a simple, repeatable workflow that anyone on your team can use — even volunteers or interns.
Here’s the practical version:
Turn on the Deep Research mode (the icon often looks like a telescope). This tells the system to gather data across the web, not just generate text.
The webinar included a ready-to-use template where you simply fill in key details:
– type of organization
– cause area
– target population
– location
– funding range
This removes guesswork and ensures you don’t miss important details.
This part requires patience — Deep Research takes several minutes because it actually processes documents, reviews grant PDFs, and checks multiple sources.
Grab a coffee ☕ while the system works.
ChatGPT returns a shortlist of grants with links and summarized eligibility details. This alone replaces hours of manual searching.
This is one of the most tactical and time-saving steps. You can tell ChatGPT to:
“Create a spreadsheet of these results and format it for my grant tracking sheet.”
It automatically populates a Google Sheet template provided in the webinar.
15–20 minutes, you have something funders love to see:
a clear, organized, and up-to-date pipeline of opportunities.
One of the biggest advantages of this workflow is that anyone can repeat it monthly. Osamu recommended adding tabs in your spreadsheet for each month and keeping the research ongoing.
This transforms grant research from a stressful scramble into a predictable process your entire team can share.
Privacy concerns came up frequently during the webinar, and for good reason. Osamu explained that:
– ChatGPT Free/Plus can use conversations for training unless you opt out
– Business and Enterprise plans do not train on your data by default
He also recommended sticking with the ecosystem your organization already uses — Copilot for Microsoft users and Gemini for Google Workspace — to minimize vendor risk.
It’s a good reminder that privacy settings should be part of your workflow from day one.
Grant research shouldn’t drain your nonprofit’s limited time, energy, and morale. With AI, nonprofits can:
✔ uncover hidden or niche grant sources
✔ evaluate opportunities with better accuracy
✔ consolidate information into usable formats
✔ save hours per week for mission-driven work
The real magic of this workflow isn’t the technology — it’s the confidence and clarity it gives organizations that are often overwhelmed by the grant landscape.
#NonprofitTech #GrantResearch #SmartFundraising