Practice with a made-up grant guide. This is not a real grant, and the answers are already written. No live AI.
Take the complete example
Practice with a made-up grant guide. This is not a real grant, and the answers are already written. No live AI.
The two-page source guide
Read the source or follow the paragraph links in each answer. The two numbered pages are the whole fictional guide, not excerpts from a real program.
Page 1 of 2 · Maple Ward community microgrant
[G1] Purpose and amount
This fictional program supports a free, one-off activity where Maple Ward neighbours learn or make something together. An application may request between CAD 300 and CAD 1,000 for eligible costs. There is one award at most per organizing group in this round. The fund has a limited budget; meeting the rules does not ensure an award.
[G2] Who may apply
A group must name at least three organizers who are 18 or older and live in Maple Ward. One is the contact person. The group does not need to be incorporated. An organization may help, but it cannot replace the three resident organizers. The application asks the organizers to confirm these conditions; it does not ask for identity documents.
[G3] The activity
The activity must take place in Maple Ward between 1 November 2026 and 31 January 2027. It must be free and open to all ward residents, rather than members or invited guests only. The group must explain how people can enter and take part, including step-free access or an alternative accessible venue. A fundraising event or an event mainly serving a meal is outside this program.
[G4] Costs the fund covers
Eligible costs are room rental for the activity, consumable activity materials, and access support such as interpretation. Only costs for the approved activity are covered. Food, prizes, wages, reusable equipment and expenses paid before the award notice are excluded. Show each cost separately with an estimate; do not place excluded costs inside a general materials line.
[G5] Other support
A group may use its own money or other support for costs this grant does not cover, but it must list those sources. The same cost cannot be paid by two funders. Any requested grant amount must still fall between CAD 300 and CAD 1,000. Extra funding does not remove the activity rules on free public access, timing or purpose.
Page 2 of 2 · Applying and following through
[G6] Dates
Applications close on 15 October 2026. The program sends award decisions on 28 October 2026. Activities take place in the period on page 1. Do not commit grant money before the award notice. A change to the activity date after an award needs written agreement from the program before the change takes effect.
[G7] What to include
Submit a description of the activity, the three organizers and contact person, a proposed date and venue, the access plan, an itemized budget and other funding sources. A room estimate is enough to apply; a confirmed booking is not required at application time. Missing information may be requested, but an incomplete application is not promised extra time after the deadline.
[G8] How choices are made
Reviewers first check the group, activity and cost rules. Among proposals that meet them, they consider the clear benefit to neighbours, a realistic plan and a reasonable budget. This guide gives no numerical scoring weights, application count or past award rate. It does not say that the cheapest proposal will win.
[G9] If an award is made
The contact person accepts the agreed activity and budget before payment. Keep receipts for funded costs and send a short activity note with receipts within 14 days after the activity. Ask the program before changing an approved cost or activity. The award notice explains payment arrangements; this guide does not specify an advance-payment date.
[G10] Questions and limits
Before applying, ask the program about an unclear cost or access arrangement. The guide contains no contact address; use the contact details supplied with the actual application pack in this fictional scenario. No statement in this guide confirms that any particular proposal has been approved. Do not invent a contact address, a funding probability or an exception to the rules.
The fictional guide
1. What is this document asking us to do?
Summarize the purpose, amount, deadline and responsibilities. Cite paragraph IDs for facts. Tell me what the guide does not say.
Document facts: the fictional microgrant supports a free learning or making activity for Maple Ward neighbours. A group can request CAD 300–1,000, with at most one award this round. It needs at least three adult ward-resident organizers. [G1, G2]
Applications close on 15 October 2026, with decisions on 28 October. The activity must run in Maple Ward between 1 November 2026 and 31 January 2027, be open to all ward residents and have an access plan. [G3, G6, G7]
If funded, keep receipts and submit an activity note with receipts within 14 days after the event. Ask before changing approved costs or the activity. [G9]
Not supplied: scoring weights, a chance of winning, a contact address or the date of an advance payment. I cannot fill those gaps from this guide. [G8, G9, G10]
An overview should help you decide what to read next. Notice the explicit unknowns, not just the summary.
2. Does the book-repair idea fit?
Our fictional idea is a free book-repair workshop in Maple Ward on 14 November 2026, open to all ward residents. Two adult ward residents have agreed to organize it. The room and access plan are not yet checked. Estimated costs: room CAD 200, consumable repair materials CAD 180, interpretation CAD 100. Check the idea against the guide. Separate facts, conditions still missing and suggestions.
Fits on the supplied facts: the workshop is a learning/making activity, free and open to ward residents, at a date within the stated period. The proposed costs total CAD 480 (200 + 180 + 100), within the request range; room rental, consumable materials and interpretation are listed cost categories. [G1, G3, G4]
Still missing: a third adult ward-resident organizer and a named contact; a proposed room with an estimate; the access plan and any other funding sources. Two organizers are not enough. A confirmed room booking is not needed to apply, but a proposed venue is. [G2, G7]
Suggested next step: ask a third resident to join, obtain the room estimate and check step-free entry or an accessible alternative. Confirm that the materials are consumable. These are preparation actions, not an award decision. [G2, G3, G4, G7, G10]
The answer says which conditions are known and which are missing. A promising fit is not an approval.
3. Which idea is worth developing?
Compare the book-repair proposal from question 2 with a second fictional idea: a members-only dinner on 12 December 2026, with CAD 600 for food and CAD 300 for room rental. Its three organizers are adult ward residents. Use the same rules for both ideas; do not predict the winner.
Book-repair workshop: CAD 480 is within the request range and the proposed cost types are listed. Its open, free learning activity and November date fit the stated activity rules. It still needs a third eligible organizer, contact, room estimate and access plan. [G1, G2, G3, G4, G7]
Members-only dinner: its December date and three organizers fit those two conditions. But members-only access and a mainly meal-serving event do not fit the activity rules. The CAD 600 food cost is excluded. Room rental alone being a listed cost does not make the dinner eligible. [G2, G3, G4]
Suggestion: develop the workshop’s missing details first. The dinner would need a different purpose and public-access plan, as well as a revised budget. Paying for food separately would not fix a members-only, mainly meal-serving event. The guide gives no basis for odds of receiving funding. [G3, G5, G8]
Comparison is useful when both ideas face the same test. Avoid the shortcut of treating one acceptable cost as approval of a whole proposal.
4. The working note to take away
Turn the comparison into a concise preparation note for the workshop. Include known facts, open questions, next actions and source references. Leave owners unassigned unless supplied.
WORKING IDEA
Free, open book-repair workshop in Maple Ward, 14 November 2026. Proposed grant request: CAD 480 (room 200; consumable materials 180; interpretation 100). These are proposal details supplied in question 2, not facts about an awarded project. [G1, G3, G4]
BEFORE 15 OCTOBER
□ Choose a third adult ward-resident organizer and the contact person. Owner: to assign.
□ Get a room estimate and check access or an alternative venue. Owner: to assign.
□ Confirm itemized costs and list other funding, if any. Owner: to assign.
□ Complete and review the application. Owner: to assign.
The group chooses its internal task dates; the guide only supplies the application deadline. [G2, G3, G6, G7]
QUESTIONS TO RESOLVE
Is the proposed room accessible for the people we want to welcome? Are all repair materials consumable? Where are the program’s real contact details in the fictional application pack? Do not assume an early payment date or spend grant money before the award notice. [G3, G4, G6, G9, G10]
IF FUNDED
Accept the agreed activity and budget, keep receipts, ask before changes, and send the activity note with receipts within 14 days after the event. This is a preparation note, not confirmation of eligibility or an award. [G9, G10]
The final product is a small working note with decisions and gaps. It is easier to act on than another broad summary.
A method to reuse
1. Give the tool only a document you are allowed to share. Ask for paragraph or page references and verify that they lead to the quoted rule.
2. Ask for the overview first, then test your specific situation. Supply the situation separately so it cannot be confused with the document.
3. Compare alternatives using the same conditions. Ask the tool to mark facts, unknowns and suggestions.
4. Finish with a working note: known details, unanswered questions, next actions and owners. Go back to the source before taking a consequential step.
Before you use it
• An answer can sound plausible while citing the wrong paragraph. Follow the links and check the actual condition.
• Document facts and your proposal are different inputs. Keep that distinction in the note you share.
• For a real grant, use its current official guide and ask its program contact about uncertain eligibility. This invented guide gives no advice about a real application.