Funders may review many proposals and can notice when an organisation describes a problem in general terms. A weak proposal leaves out the specific community, names and numbers that support the request.
The phrases, and what to write instead
| Avoid | Write instead |
|---|---|
| in today's rapidly changing landscape | The specific change, with the year. |
| unprecedented challenges | The actual challenge, with a number. |
| a holistic, comprehensive approach | List the actual programme steps. |
| leveraging synergies between stakeholders | Name the partner organisations. |
| underserved communities | Name the community, the neighbourhood, the count. |
| we are uniquely positioned to | Say what you have that others do not. |
| evidence-based best practices | Cite the specific practice and the study. |
| capacity building | Say what capacity, and how much more of it. |
| transformative impact | The metric you expect to move, and by how much. |
| This funding will allow us to continue our vital work | State what specifically it buys. |
| A needs statement with no names, places or numbers | Add all three. This is the single biggest tell. |
| Bland, voiceless prose throughout | Write the way your staff talk about the work. |
Complete example
Before
We use a holistic approach to address unprecedented challenges in our community. In 2025, 214 residents in East Ward waited more than 30 days for food support, and our two-day referral clinic will serve 80 of them each month.
After
In 2025, 214 residents in East Ward waited more than 30 days for food support. Our two-day referral clinic will serve 80 of them each month.
A holistic approach can be useful when the proposal defines the parts and shows why they work together. The phrase alone gives a reviewer no testable meaning.
In [place], [verified number] people experienced [specific problem] during [period]. We will [steps] for [number] participants by [date].
Use only details you can verify.
Check this draft in the anti-slop editor
The editor checks general writing patterns. This guide includes context advice that the general checker does not test. Your draft stays in the browser; you choose each change.
Open the editor →The rule underneath all of them
Every replacement above does the same thing: it swaps a claim for evidence. That is the whole method, and it is why no tool can finish the job for you. A model can delete results-driven. Only you know the number that belongs there.
Density matters more than any single word. One phrase may be ordinary. Several nearby tells can make a draft feel templated. The full 200+ tell list covers vocabulary, sentence patterns and machine artifacts that apply across many drafts.
Questions
Can funders tell if a proposal was written by AI?
A proposal may feel generic when it could come from any organisation in any city. That signal matters more than one vocabulary choice. Add your neighbourhood, waiting list and verified numbers so the request has a clear source.
Does using ChatGPT hurt my chances of getting funded?
Using it is not automatically the problem. Submitting unverified default output can weaken a proposal. Use it to structure sections, then fill every claim with your own data.
What makes a needs statement sound generic?
The absence of proper nouns. If the statement names no place, no partner, no number and no date, it is describing a category of problem rather than the one you are asking to be funded for.