Grantmaking body the Clothworkers’ Foundation has announced it is trialling artificial intelligence to help assess applications, as demand for its Open Grants Programme continues to rise.
In a post on LinkedIn, the almost 50-year-old foundation said it began testing Plinth AI in July 2026 to determine whether the technology could support initial eligibility checks and score applications against its impact framework.
The trial follows a redesign of the Open Grants Programme last year, which the foundation said “significantly improved” its ability to prioritise applications within its usual turnaround times.
However, it added that application numbers, particularly for small grants, continue to increase, with the foundation receiving 1,430 eligible applications so far this year and using two members of staff to assess each application.
After testing Plinth AI’s assessments against previous applications and comparing its judgements with those of staff, the foundation said it was “confident enough in the results” to expand the trial.
Plinth AI’s system will shortly replace one of the two assessors reviewing eligible applications, working alongside a human member of the foundation’s team.
The foundation added that staff will retain the final say in cases of disagreement, and AI will not have the authority to reject applications.
Software may reduce staff workload and free up capacity
The foundation said it hoped the trial would reduce staff workloads and free up capacity for further assessments, contact with applicants and final funding decisions.
It wants to understand the capabilities and limitations of AI ahead of a strategy review in 2027, which will shape its priorities and operations for the following five years.
In its post, The Clothworkers’ Foundation acknowledged concerns about potential bias, data security and the risk of undermining applicants’ trust, and said it would continue comparing AI assessments with staff judgements to monitor consistency.
The foundation said it will provide further updates on the trial and invited feedback and questions about its use of AI in grantmaking.
Many people commenting on the Clothworkers’ Foundation post commented favourably on the organisation’s transparency and said they would be interested to follow developments. Some, however, raised concerns about the impact of AI – which has been blamed for overwhelming increases in grant applications – being used on both sides of the process.
AI on both sides of the grantmaking process
Sarah Covington, a freelance grants assessor, said she worried Plinth could prioritise applications which had also been written using the technology, negatively affecting those who do not have the resource to invest in it.
“My concern is that charities are having to write more and more applications because the decline rate is increasing,” she told Civil Society.
“This has a huge impact on resource which small charities cannot afford,” Covington said. “Purchasing tools such as Microsoft Copilot is expensive for small charities, and I suspect many have very basic software packages which limit the use of AI to help them write their applications.
“I think funders should also look at restricting their eligibility criteria to manage volumes, so charities don’t waste time and resource unnecessarily,” she added.
Replying to the Clothworkers’ Foundation post, Emma Sorrell-Roberts, head of fundraising at the Barking and Dagenham Youth Zone charity, said: “I wonder if future applications should ask people to name which, if any, AI they used in applying, and having that as a measure to look at over time.”
