Northamptonshire Community Foundation: Our Statement on the Use of AI in Funding Applications and Reports

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot are increasingly used to support writing and research. We recognise their potential, especially for applicants who are new to funding processes or face barriers such as English being an additional language.

If you choose to use AI tools to help write your funding applications we will not reject an application solely because AI was used. However, how you use AI matters.

Use AI responsibly
As with any software, the use of generative AI is your own responsibility. The final content of your application or report and the project it describes must be owned by you as the applicant.

AI can be a useful starting point, but it often produces generic or inaccurate content. To create a strong application:

• Make it personal: Edit AI-generated content to reflect your unique experience, your community’s voice, and the impact you aim to make.
• Be specific: Clearly describe what you’ll do, where, when, and why it matters; using real examples from your work.
• Check for accuracy: Always fact check AI outputs and use trusted data sources.
• Review your budget: Don’t rely on AI to plan finances: ensure your figures are accurate, eligible, and offer good value.
• Be mindful of data privacy: Free AI tools may store data you enter. Make sure you comply with data protection rules.
• Environmental Impact: These tools have a real environmental impact so only use them where they genuinely improve your application. Northamptonshire Community Foundation is a member of the ACF Funder Commitment on Climate Change: https://fundercommitmentclimatechange.org/

Our commitment
We welcome the use of AI when it is used sensibly and transparently. We do not currently use AI in any part of our grant making process, but we will keep our stakeholders informed if this changes. As AI tools continue to evolve, we will regularly review our position to ensure our processes remain fair, inclusive, and community led.