For many startups and non-profit organisations across Africa, securing grant funding is often less about the quality of their ideas and more about navigating a complex and time-consuming application process. Preparing a competitive proposal can take dozens of hours and, in many cases, requires the services of professional grant writers, resources that smaller organisations rarely have.
A Nigerian grant intelligence firm, Grant Master, believes technology can change that equation. The company has introduced Grant Wizard, an artificial intelligence-driven platform designed to help startups, social enterprises and non-profit organisations across the continent discover funding opportunities and prepare grant applications faster.
At its core, the platform tackles one of the biggest barriers African organisations face: the difficulty of identifying the right grants and producing strong proposals within limited time and capacity.
Through the system, organisations first create a profile detailing their mission, programmes and areas of impact. Once the information is entered, the platform scans thousands of grant opportunities and filters them according to sector focus, geographic relevance and eligibility requirements. The aim is to ensure that users are matched with funding opportunities that align with their work.
When a suitable grant is identified, the platform goes a step further as Grant Wizard analyses the specific requirements of the funding body and automatically generates a structured proposal draft. Users can then review, refine and export the document before submission.
According to Olugbenga Ogunbowale, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Grant Master, the idea behind the tool emerged from years of observing how promising African organisations struggle to access funding due to procedural hurdles rather than lack of impact.
“Across Africa, we see incredible ideas and impactful organisations that struggle to access funding simply because the grant application process is complex and resource-intensive,” Ogunbowale explained. “Grant Wizard was built to simplify that process by combining artificial intelligence with the methodology we have developed through years of supporting grant applicants.”
Grant Master’s approach is informed by experience. Through its training and advisory programmes, the company has worked with more than 1,100 alumni and client organisations, which together have secured over $30 million in grant funding.
One of the beneficiaries of the company’s methodology is Crop2Cash, an agritech firm that successfully obtained about $400,000 in grant funding.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Ogundare, believes better access to grant intelligence could significantly strengthen the ability of African organisations to compete for international funding.
“Access to the right grant intelligence can make a significant difference for growing organisations,” Ogundare said. “Tools like Grant Wizard can help more African founders and non-profits compete effectively for global funding.”
Grant Wizard is launching with three subscription tiers, including a free plan with limited proposal credits. Additional paid plans are designed for organisations that regularly apply for grants and require more extensive access to the platform’s tools.
Looking ahead, Grant Master says its ambition is to develop one of Africa’s most comprehensive grant opportunity engines, enabling organisations not only to discover relevant funding but also to prepare stronger and more competitive applications.
The company’s work has attracted institutional support, with backing from the Mastercard Foundation and the United States African Development Foundation, two organisations committed to strengthening entrepreneurship and development initiatives across the continent.
By combining artificial intelligence with grant intelligence, Grant Wizard is positioned to help African startups, non-profits and social enterprises identify funding opportunities faster and prepare stronger applications, opening the door for more homegrown ideas to attract global support
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