The launch of GrantWell, which offers free support to municipal governments, aims to expand their access to federal and state funding. A recent listening tour highlighted local needs.

Local governments in Massachusetts now have access to an AI-powered tool to help them find and apply for state and federal grant funding opportunities.

Officials in Pennsylvania launched a similar tool in 2024 to support local governments, schools and other organizations more easily search for available grants. Another recent offering tailored to tribal nations integrates AI into the process; and in other cases, AI supports the grant application writing process itself. For local governments with limited resources, these tools may help them add capacity, and thereby, access new funding.

“The tool pulls grants from the federal grants.gov database and uses AI to summarize the key grant requirements so that communities can more easily understand their eligibility for the grant and the materials they need to apply,” Massachusetts Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey said via email.