麻州政府推出「GrantWell」AI輔助工具 助力地方政府及社區組織申請政府撥款

 （Boston Orange編譯）麻州政府今(25)日推出，放在州政府官網上，供地方政府、社區組織及非營利單位免費使用，應用AI來簡化流程，增加效率的申請補助撥款工具「GrantWell」，期以幫助申請補助單位在撰寫申請時切入重點，更有效率。

 

「GrantWell」是麻州聯邦資金與基礎設施辦公室（FFIO）和東北大學 Burnes 社會改變中心合作開發出來的工具，旨在幫助地方政府及社區機構掃除在爭取政府各項資金時面對的複雜文書程序等障礙，進而更快找到補助機會，了解相關補助的規定與要求。有效的節省行政成本。

 

              https://grantwell.virtualassistance.mass.gov/landing-page/basePage是這新工具的網址，已掛在麻州政府官網上，開放全州社區免費使用，。

 

             GrantWell 的功能核心在於自動化處理撥款文件。它能掃描複雜的申請說明，並以淺白語言總結出申請資格、核定標準與截止日期。使用者可透過內建的聊天機器人詢問計畫細節，或要求系統生成專案敘述的初步草案，縮短從解讀規定到動筆撰寫的時間。

 

麻州政府強調，GrantWell 屬於輔助性質，定位是協助工作人員打好申請補助基礎，並不能完全取代人工撰寫與審核過程。推出這工具是麻州提升政府運作效率的一個環節，目前與 麻州交通廳（MassDOT ）的 「補助中心（Grant Central ）」等現有系統互補運行。研發團隊表示，將根據使用者回饋持續更新功能，確保工具符合地方官員的實際需求。

Healey-Driscoll Administration Launches GrantWell, a First-of-its-Kind AI-Powered Tool to Assist Communities with Applying for Grants

 

BOSTON – Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration launched a new AI-powered tool to make it easier for communities to apply for grants. The tool, called GrantWell, was developed by the Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office in partnership with Northeastern University’s Burnes Center for Social Change. GrantWell is designed to simplify the process of seeking grant opportunities, understanding their requirements, and writing applications. Access to the tool is free to all Massachusetts communities and available on the Commonwealth’s website here.  

 

“We’ve heard from communities loud and clear that onerous paperwork is a barrier to getting good projects done,” said Governor Maura Healey. “It’s why we’ve launched programs to streamline the process for applying to state grants and established new technical assistance programs through our Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office. Now with GrantWell, we’re making it even easier for communities to take advantage of those opportunities and apply for the funds they need to deliver for their constituents.”

 

“As a former Mayor, I know that navigating the complexities of federal and state grants pose a significant hurdle to municipal officials getting good projects over the line,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “GrantWell will allow more municipalities to take advantage of funding opportunities, saving them time and capacity—crucial resources in local government.” 

 

“The Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office built GrantWell to respond directly to what we heard from communities all across the state: that they lack the resources and capacity to fully take advantage of funding opportunities available to them. GrantWell will free up time and capacity for local officials to obtain the resources they need,” said Quentin Palfrey, Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure. “Thank you to Northeastern University’s Burnes Center for Social Change for working with us to develop this tool, which showcases Massachusetts’ continued leadership in innovation.”  

 

GrantWell allows communities to more easily find federal and state funding opportunities and develop proposals. The tool will scan a grant opportunity and automatically summarize the grant requirements, eligibility criteria, and key deadlines in layman’s terms. Users can ask GrantWell to begin a draft of a project narrative, saving communities time and capacity in the grant application process. The tool also features a chatbot that communities can use to ask questions about grant requirements and eligibility. Importantly, GrantWell cannot replace the grant-writing process; rather, the tool is designed to support grant-writers and municipal staff to more quickly find grant opportunities and lay the groundwork for an application.  

 

“GrantWell shows how AI can be used to make government work better, by helping public servants quickly find relevant funding, understand complex requirements, and take action. Developed through our AI for Impact initiative, it reflects a practical approach to building tools that strengthen public sector capacity and expand access to resources for communities.” — Beth Simone Noveck, Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change 

 

GrantWell complements existing efforts at the state level to streamline the process for applying to state grants, including MassDOT’s Grant Central portal, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs ECO One Stop, and the Community One Stop program.  

 

The Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office in partnership with the Burnes Center will continue to update the tool based on user feedback. GrantWell users can and are encouraged to provide feedback on how to improve the user experience by submitting comments on the GrantWell homepage.  

 

Communities can learn more about GrantWell here.