Use of AI in Grant Applications

We recognise artificial intelligence (AI) can be useful for drafting grant applications, including for applicants with accessibility needs. This short policy explains what applicants to the JFM Fund must do if they use artificial intelligence (AI) when preparing a grant application; and what grant holders must do if they use AI for grant reporting.

Core requirements

Accuracy: Applicants and grant holders are responsible for the accuracy of all content, including AI-assisted text, figures, data and images.

Capability and accountability:

• Applicants must understand any AI-generated content and must be able to deliver the project as described in the application.
• Grant holders must understand any AI-generated content and must be able to progress the project as described in project reporting.
• Applicants and grant holders are accountable for all content submitted to JFM Fund that was generated using AI.

Full disclosure: Applicants must disclose the use of AI in preparing the application. Grant holders must disclose the use of AI in preparing any grant-related reports, including progress reports and grant-funded reports.

Acceptable practices

You can use AI for analysis, including data analysis, research, project design, monitoring and evaluation.

You can use AI to help draft, summarise, or format narrative text, budgets, and funding acquittals, but you must review and validate AI outputs.

Unacceptable practices

Please do not:

• Present AI-generated content as wholly original without disclosure.
• Rely on AI outputs to provide information about your organisation or your project, without ensuring the information is accurate and you can deliver the project as described.
• Use AI to generate or alter images of real people.

Data security, confidentiality, and intellectual property

We advise you to:

• Protect sensitive data:
  • Do not submit confidential or identifiable data to public AI services.
  • You are responsible for ensuring your compliance with Australian data protection principles.
• Protect intellectual property:
  • Do not submit your own intellectual property – or the intellectual property of others – to public AI services.
  • Ensure the content generated by your AI tool is based on verifiable sources.

Review, verification, and consequences

We may consider declared or self-evident AI use when assessing the originality of your application and your capability to deliver the project.

We may reject your application if:

• You do not disclose you have used AI to prepare your application.
• Your application includes inaccurate AI generated content.
• You are not able to demonstrate your capability to deliver your project, as described in your application.

We may consider declared or self-evident AI use when reviewing project progress, prior to release of further grant instalments. We may suspend grant payments in line with the terms of your grant agreement.

What to declare and where

You must declare any AI use that materially affected the application, your progress report or acquittal, or the production of project related deliverables, including:

• drafting text
• generating or processing data
• developing and testing budgets
• designing project methods
• reporting project progress
• funding acquittals
• monitoring, evaluation and learning
• production of grant-funded deliverables.

How to make your declaration

If you are completing an online application, you will be asked to complete your AI declaration as part of the online form.

If you are submitting your application or grant report in another format, please complete the separate AI Declaration Form provided and attach it with your application or reporting materials.

Our AI declaration

We used Microsoft Copilot to draft this policy, under our MS license. The AI-generated draft was reviewed and edited by JFM Fund senior management.