Free course · 8 modules · 28 min of video

Your development office has one person. Give them a brain.

A hands-on course that builds your organization's AI knowledge system and three working tools: pipeline, proposals and reports.

Start with module 1

OpenGrants is not affiliated with Anthropic. Anthropic runs its own nonprofit program and a free introductory course, both cited in lesson 1: Claude for Nonprofits (opens in a new tab) and AI Fluency for Nonprofits (opens in a new tab).

Watch module 1

Turn your mission, programs, outcomes and past proposals into a Claude-based knowledge system, then build the tools that run your grant pipeline, proposals, reports and donor communications on top of it.

Who it's for

This course is for

Executive directors and development directors with no dedicated grants staff
Small teams where one person carries proposals, reports and donor letters
Solo grant consultants who want to run one brain per client

It isn't for

Organizations looking for someone to write the grant for them
Large institutions that need IT procurement before trying a tool

What you'll walk away with

A Claude Project that holds your organization’s memory: ten core documents, organized
A voice and style guide so drafts sound like you, plus a fact-check routine
A ranked prospect pipeline built from your own programs
A reusable LOI and proposal drafting workflow with a human review step
Workflows for funder reports, board memos and donor thank-yous
A one-page AI use policy for your board

The modules

What a nonprofit brain is, and how to set one up
The difference between chatting with AI and giving it your organization's memory, plus the exact Claude setup: plan, privacy settings, and your first Project.
OpenVideo 3:55
The ten documents your brain needs
Which ten documents make an AI draft accurate, how to shape each one so Claude uses it well, and prompts to draft the ones you don't have yet.
Email requiredVideo 3:41
Your voice, not AI's
Build a voice guide that makes drafts sound like your organization, write full project instructions, and catch invented facts before a funder does.
Email requiredVideo 3:31
Tool 1: the prospect pipeline
Build a ranked grant pipeline with OpenGrants saved searches, match scores and funder tracking, then have your brain triage it against your programs.
Email requiredVideo 3:29
Tool 2: the LOI and proposal drafter
A six-stage drafting workflow that turns funder guidelines and your brain into a reviewable first draft, packaged as a reusable Claude Skill.
Email requiredVideo 3:08
Tool 3: funder reports, the board memo, and donor thank-yous
Three reusable workflows that turn program data into funder reports, a one-page board memo, and specific thank-you letters without exposing donor or client data.
Email requiredVideo 3:17
Guardrails: privacy, funder AI policies, and who signs off
What never goes into the brain, how to check each funder's AI policy, who signs off on AI-assisted work, and a one-page AI use policy for your board.
Email requiredVideo 3:23
Capstone: the brain, live
Run one real proposal end to end through your brain: pick it from your pipeline, draft it in stages, check it, sign it off, and feed the result back.
Email requiredVideo 3:21

Try a sample

From module 1: What a nonprofit brain is, and how to set one up

Check yourself

Name the three layers of a nonprofit brain and the order to build them in.
Why does a fact mentioned in last week’s chat not help this week’s draft, and where should that fact go instead?
On which plan types are your chats not used for training by default, and where do you set this on an individual plan?
A consultant with eight clients asks whether to build one Project or eight. What do you tell them, and why?
Which capability must be on before Skills work?

Questions

Will AI write our grants?

It drafts from your own documents. A person reviews, fact-checks and owns every submission. Lesson 3 and lesson 7 cover how.

Is our data safe?

Lesson 7 covers beneficiary privacy, what never to upload, funder policies on AI-assisted applications and who signs off.

Do I need to be technical?

No. The lessons use Claude’s regular interface and documents you already have. The one technical section, in lesson 4, is optional.

What does it cost?

The course is free. Lesson 1 is open to everyone; you confirm your email to continue from lesson 2. Claude itself is a separate product with its own plans.

Is OpenGrants part of Anthropic?

No. OpenGrants is not affiliated with Anthropic. The course teaches Claude because its features map cleanly onto how a development office works.

Get the full course

The course is free. Enter your email and we'll send you a confirmation link. Once you confirm, every module of The Nonprofit Brain opens on this device.