AI Use Disclosure Statement Template
Some funders require you to say if you used generative AI on an application, some encourage it, and some set limits on how much AI-written text they accept. This page gives you a fill-in statement and a short record-keeping log so you can describe your use accurately and in the funder's terms.
Not legal advice. This is a drafting aid. Your funder's own instructions always take precedence over this template. Policies below were checked in October 2026; read the linked official page again before you submit.
Step 1: Find out what your funder requires
Rules differ a lot. A few examples, each linked to the funder's own page:
| Funder | What it says (summary) | Official page |
|---|---|---|
| Spencer Foundation | Requires you to disclose generative AI use in LOIs, pre-proposals, proposals, and reports, with a short note on how and where it was used. Assistive uses such as grammar and spelling are exempt. | Spencer policy |
| Wellcome | Asks you to declare substantive use of generative AI in the application form. Minimal use, such as translation, improving English, or formatting, is not required to be declared. | Wellcome policy |
| NSF | Encourages (does not require) proposers to say in the project description if and how generative AI was used. | NSF merit review and AI |
| NIH | Allows AI in limited aspects of an application. Applications substantially developed by AI are not considered original ideas and are not reviewed. This is a limit on use rather than a disclosure form. | NIH notice |
| NEH | Requires applicants to acknowledge AI-generated text in the application with footnotes or marginal notes. | NEH AI policy (PDF) |
| MacArthur Foundation | Applies to grantee and vendor work products: disclosure is expected when AI is a primary contributor to the final work product. General operating support grants are excluded. | MacArthur policy |
Many funders have no published AI policy. In that case, ask the program officer (or decide together with your client) instead of guessing.
Step 2: The statement
Fill in the bracketed instructions with your own details, then delete the brackets. If you did not use generative AI, keep only the first sentence of the "AI use" section.
AI Use Disclosure Statement — Template
[Organization name] | [Funder name] | [Application title] | [Date]
AI Use in This Application
[Select one: "No generative AI tools were used to produce the content of this application." OR continue with the sections below.]
Tools Used
[Tool name and version or model, if known] | [Provider]
Tasks the Tool Was Used For
[List only tasks you actually did with it, e.g., brainstorming an outline, summarizing your own source material, editing for clarity. Do not list tasks you did not do.]
Where It Appears in the Application
[Which sections, or "throughout." Match the funder's required location, e.g., a form field, the project description, or a footnote.]
Human Review
[Who reviewed the AI-assisted text, what they checked (facts, figures, citations, organization details), and when.]
Information Provided to the Tool
[State plainly what you did and did not enter, for example whether any confidential or personal data was entered into a tool.]
Contact
[Name, title, email]
Step 3: Keep a simple log
Writing things down as you go makes the statement easy to complete, and easy to check, at submission time.
| Date | Section | Tool | What it did | Who checked | Funder-required note? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Three mistakes to avoid
- Listing more or less than you did. Describe only what you actually did with the tool.
- Presenting the AI as the final reviewer. Responsibility for the content stays with the organization and the person who signs.
- Reusing another funder's wording unchecked. A sentence that fits one funder's rule may not fit yours. Check your own funder's rule first.
Related reading and tools
For what AI can and can't be trusted with in a grant proposal, and the evidence behind it, read Can AI Write a Grant Proposal? For the sections of the proposal itself, see the Grant Proposal Template, the Letter of Inquiry / Letter of Intent Template, and the Budget Narrative Template.
The Freelance Grant Writer's AI Toolkit ($34) includes a pre-submission checklist that has you confirm the funder's AI policy before you submit, plus prompts for drafting each section.
Transparency note: this page was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publication by the Freelance Ops Kit brand.