Grantable is rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about AI tools in the grantwriting world, and the team behind it is gathering insights directly from the grant professionals using it in real time. As one of the early adopters at Resurgens Impact Consulting, Dr. Crystal Kurzen, Phd, GPC, had the opportunity to share what the rollout looked like inside a fast-paced, strategy-driven grant consulting environment. This interview explores how Grantable supported our workflow during heavy grant cycles, strengthened our drafting and evaluation processes, and helped our team create more efficient, value-driven experiences for nonprofits that deliver health and human services and build movements for social justice. For organizations searching for practical examples of AI adoption in the grants sector, this conversation offers a grounded look at what’s working, what’s changing, and where the technology is headed.
What was the rollout process of Grantable like for you as a Resurgens team member?
I first met Philip a few years ago at GrantSummit and remember being immediately impressed by Grantable. I had never seen anything like it before, and even though I couldn’t implement it at my employer at the time (a nonprofit with limited resources and no interest in AI), I never forgot about it. When Grantable became one of the first AI tools RIC tested, I was especially glad because it stood out as the only AI platform explicitly designed for grant professionals.
When RIC began exploring AI for grantwriting last year, I served as the initial tester of Grantable. From the start, I was struck by how intuitive and secure Grantable was. I appreciated that each client could be organized separately with their own content and files, which made it easy to maintain confidentiality and manage multiple projects. The tool immediately helped me save time by drawing on vetted content for applications like concept notes and past applications, allowing me to focus more on strategy and storytelling rather than repetitive drafting.
As we continued to use it, I noticed how responsive the system is and how committed the Grantable team is to refining and expanding its capabilities. Even in the early stages, Grantable delivered tangible value, and it’s only become more powerful as both the technology and our familiarity with it have grown.
When we rolled it out to the full RIC team, the process went smoothly as far as I know. I really appreciated the instructional videos Grantable created for us and how easily accessible they are through our Slack channel. I also found the live Zoom trainings helpful and would welcome additional sessions as new features continue to roll out.
Can you describe what your work is like during peak grant season?
I’m not sure if I would say I have a “peak grant season,” but I’m always working with multiple clients who are simultaneously drafting numerous grant applications. It can be hectic, but staying organized and on top of deadlines helps me remain on track. Drafting less manually by using Grantable helps me manage my time and allows me to devote more brain power to prospecting and developing a strategic grant strategy for clients.
How has Grantable changed the way your team collaborates internally?
I don’t know that I would say that it has changed a lot in terms of our team collaboration. I use Grantable with my clients, and my colleagues at RIC use Grantable with their clients. I could imagine it helping with drafting or refining our internal policies, like our Operating Guide or Grantholster Guide. One way it uplifts our collective work is through assessment. I act as the internal editor for RIC and have used Grantable to help me assess the competitiveness and quality of the application and report drafts that I edit. This has been especially helpful with complicated federal grants that require long proposal narratives with lots of questions to answer. They also often have a published rubric against which they will be evaluated. I upload that and ask the AI Assistant to assess how well the narrative answers the questions and how competitive it is based on the rubric. It often provides interesting and useful feedback that I can add to my evaluation of the document. We also use Grantable to draft talking points and templates of various kinds for our clients.
What specific inefficiencies has Grantable helped eliminate?
For me, Grantable helps craft and rewrite boilerplate language for each application I use it for in an interesting and pleasing way. It also helps draft new responses to questions I may have never answered about a particular client before. What would have taken me a long time to think through and write out takes the AI Assistant (I almost exclusively use this instead of the in-line AI) only seconds. I particularly like that it draws only on the sources I upload. I instruct it to put anything it doesn’t know in brackets and only take information from the sources. It has helped with the creation of applications, concept notes, talking points, document templates (including MOUs, emails, and fundraising appeals), and document evaluations. All of these tasks took longer before using Grantable. It also helps when I’m waiting on information from a client. They may not know how to word program goals, outcomes, or an evaluation plan. I can have Grantable draft those responses based on their materials, and then clients can edit them. We are no longer starting from scratch, which eliminates the “blank screen anxiety” that can take a toll on clients and consultants!
Do you have any advice for other grant consulting firms who might be considering adopting Grantable?
One thing we’ve discussed at RIC is how Grantable has made our entire team more efficient, ultimately giving our clients greater value for their investment. Since drafting an application or report now takes significantly less time, I can redirect that saved capacity toward higher-value work. For instance, I’m able to vet additional opportunities or funders for a client that I might not have had time to explore before.
This efficiency also creates more space for deeper strategic thinking. Instead of being fully absorbed in crafting responses to every individual grant question, I can step back and consider the bigger picture, such as how a specific program aligns with a funder’s priorities or how to develop a compelling approach for a major prospective partner. In that way, Grantable doesn’t just make the grantwriting process faster; it enhances the overall quality and thoughtfulness of our work, allowing us to deliver stronger, more strategic outcomes for our nonprofit partners.
I also do not worry about issues of plagiarism because it is a closed system in the sense that I tell it to use the sources I have uploaded, and it does. It also does not train external AI models or share data with third parties. If you’re on the fence, go for it! AI is here to stay, and we might as well use it for good!
