Steal this prompt to find grant funders that are perfect for you
“We don’t need more random grant lists—we need a list of funders that are the right match for our work.”
Sound like you?
That’s exactly why I generally don’t post grant opportunities or broad funding lists. There are SO many out there, and only a tiny fraction are truly a fit for any one organization.
(It's also why I teach in my free masterclass how to zero in on the right ones.)
But this week, I’m doing something different.
Why most grant opportunities aren’t a good fit
You’ve probably spent hours scrolling through long lists of funders who are listed as supporting your topic or region—only to walk away feeling more frustrated than focused.
Maybe you saw the list posted on LinkedIn. Maybe you got it from a database. On the surface, it looks promising. The funder gives to climate initiatives. Or they mention “community development” in your country. But once you dig into their actual giving history, you realize:
Their climate work is exclusively academic.
When they say “community development”, they mean infrastructure projects in urban centers, not grassroots work.
The average grant size is nowhere near what you need—or too large for your organization’s current stage.
This is the problem with most lists of grant opportunities. They look generous and wide-reaching, but in practice, only a tiny fraction are a true match.
It’s no wonder so many grant writers say, “We don’t need more random grant lists—we need a list of funders that are the right match for our work.”
That kind of alignment—issue, location, size, values, and more—isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between spinning your wheels and building real funding relationships.
The smarter way to find aligned funders
Instead of starting with broad lists and narrowing them down manually, there’s a smarter way: reverse the process.
Start with your organization’s unique DNA—your mission, geography, issue area, funding needs, and values. Then look for funders who align with that.
This isn’t about finding “any” grant. It’s about finding the right grants:
Ones that consistently give in your country or region.
Ones that fund organizations doing similar work.
Ones whose average grant size makes sense for your scale.
And ideally, ones whose values echo your own.
This approach doesn’t just save time. It builds clarity and confidence. It helps you craft stronger applications because you’re not forcing a fit—you’re showing one.
And here’s the good news: you don’t have to do it alone. Thanks to recent advancements in AI, there's now a single prompt that can do this kind of alignment work for you—if you know how to prompt it right.
Using AI to streamline your grant search
AI isn’t magic—but when used well, it can feel pretty close.
Instead of manually digging through websites, PDFs, and expensive grant databases, you can now ask AI to do the heavy lifting. With the right prompts, AI tools can sift through vast amounts of data and surface funders that match your exact criteria—faster and often more thoroughly than human research alone.
When used strategically, AI can help you quickly uncover grant opportunities that are actually relevant to your mission.
Think of it like giving a superpowered intern the world’s best search skills… and no coffee breaks.
Here’s what AI can help you find:
Funders that are active in your geographic region
Specific issue areas that match your work
Past giving trends and grant size preferences
Alignment in language, tone, past projects supported and values
Of course, you still need to review and verify what it gives you. AI can pull data fast, but context, nuance, and judgment are still very much human work.
Used strategically, though, AI turns what used to be a multi-day research slog into a focused, 30-minute strategy session.
Tips to get the best results from AI tools
Not all AI prompts are created equal. If you want quality results, you need to give the AI clear, specific instructions—and then double-check what it gives back.
Here are a few quick tips to get better, faster, and more relevant results when searching for funders using AI:
1. Be specific in your ask
Instead of saying “Find funders for nonprofits,” say:
“Find funders who support youth mental health in rural Kenya, give grants between $10,000–$50,000, and prioritize grassroots organizations.”
2. Use tools that are built for research
While ChatGPT is great, platforms like Perplexity AI or Grok often pull in more current, source-linked data (and don’t have a penchant for making things up). That makes them especially helpful for grant research.
3. Double check the sources
AI can summarize quickly, but it doesn’t always get it right. Particularly if a funder has changed its focus areas over the years. Always click through to funder websites or original documents to verify the match before you move forward.
4. Keep tweaking the prompt
If the results aren’t quite right, don’t give up—adjust the wording and add additional specifications until you get what you need.
5. Ask AI to check its own work
Yes, really. Once you get a list, ask the AI to review the funders and rank them by alignment with your mission. You’d be surprised how much this extra step can improve the output.
Steal this prompt to find funders that are perfect for you
Here’s the exact prompt I built using what I learned in a 6-week AI bootcamp. Just copy, paste, and fill in the blanks in Perplexity AI (if you haven’t used Perplexity before, not to worry, it's just like ChatGPT and also free, it’s just better at research). This prompt is designed to surface funders and grant opportunities that actually align with your work—not just in topic, but in geography, size, stage, values, and more.
PROMPT:
As the fundraising lead at [name of your organization], I am currently seeking institutional funding opportunities to strengthen our work in [your thematic area: education, health, etc.]. Our organization is legally registered in [country of registration], and we primarily operate in [region or country of implementation]. We have an annual budget of approximately [amount], a team of [number of people], and our programs are currently in a [idea / pilot / scaling] phase. We are looking for funding partners that support organizations like ours.
Here is our organization’s website: [website].
Your task is to act as an expert in institutional fundraising and recommend a list of 20 potential donors (grantmaking foundations, bilateral or multilateral agencies, or other institutional funders) that meet the following criteria:
- Proven track record of funding organizations working in our thematic area.
- Have supported projects operating where we do.
- Offer grants in the range of [minimum amount] to [maximum amount] USD.
Additionally, prioritize alignment with the following criteria as much as possible:
- The current phase of our programs
- The size of our organization
- Our organization type
- Our values
The output should be a table that includes for each donor: Name, website, typical grant size, causes/programs supported, geographic focus, and a brief note on why it is a good fit for our organization.
You may include examples similar to [mention 1 to 3 perfect-fit donors you’ve already identified].
If there is no evidence that a donor provides grants to organizations, do not include them in the table.
Want more unconventional funders?
Drop the same prompt into Grok. Different tool— and sometimes completely unexpected gems.
And remember: always check the AI’s work. Use this prompt as a filter, not a final answer.
Want more support? Here's where to go next
If this approach feels like a breath of fresh air, you’re not alone. Hundreds of nonprofit leaders are starting to see how AI can be a strategic ally—not just a shiny new tool.
But prompts are just the beginning.
If you want:
Help refining your search strategy,
A deeper understanding of how to assess funder alignment,
Or a walkthrough of how to make AI tools work for your team (not overwhelm them)...
👉 Check out my free masterclass. It goes step-by-step through how to use AI for grant prospecting—without the fluff or overwhelm.
Because finding the right funders shouldn't be a guessing game.
And with the right tools (and mindset), it doesn't have to be.
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