Voice to Text for Grant Writers
Grant deadlines wait for no one, and your fingers can only type so fast. Blurt lets you draft proposal narratives, needs statements, and budget justifications by speaking naturally. Hold a button, articulate your case for funding, release. Text appears wherever your cursor is — in Word, Google Docs, foundation portals, anywhere. No more staring at blank pages. No more repetitive strain from marathon typing sessions. Just speak your ideas and watch them become compelling prose.
The Typing Problem
Writing compelling proposal narratives under deadline
The RFP dropped Tuesday and the deadline is Friday. You know exactly what your program does and why it matters — you could explain it passionately to anyone who'd listen. But translating that passion into written prose takes hours. Your fingers can't keep up with your thoughts. By page three, your wrists ache and your writing has gone flat. The narrative that should sing reads like a form letter.
Budget justifications that require endless detail
Every line item needs a justification. Personnel costs. Fringe benefits. Travel. Supplies. Equipment. Each one requires a paragraph explaining why it's necessary and how you calculated the amount. You've written 'This position is essential to project implementation because...' a hundred times. The repetition is mind-numbing, but funders demand it. Your hands cramp just thinking about the budget narrative section.
Quarterly and annual reporting requirements
The grant was awarded, but now comes the reporting. Progress reports. Financial reports. Outcome narratives. Every funder wants updates in their own format, on their own timeline. You spend more time documenting the work than doing the work. Each report requires you to type out what happened, what you learned, and what comes next. The typing never ends.
Racing against multiple overlapping deadlines
Three proposals due this month. Two progress reports. A letter of inquiry for that new foundation. You're juggling seven documents across three funders, each with different requirements and deadlines. Your calendar is a minefield of due dates. You could dictate your thoughts three times faster than you can type them, but instead you're hunting and pecking through another 15-page proposal template.
Recycling boilerplate across dozens of proposals
Your organization description. The needs statement for your community. Your evaluation methodology. You've written these sections so many times you could recite them in your sleep. But each proposal needs them customized slightly for the funder's priorities. You copy, paste, tweak, copy, paste, tweak. The same paragraphs, over and over, with just enough variation to make automation impossible.
How It Works
Blurt works in every app grant writers use — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, foundation portals, email clients. Anywhere you can place a cursor, Blurt can insert text.
Hold your hotkey
Press your chosen keyboard shortcut. A small indicator confirms Blurt is listening.
Speak your narrative
Articulate your case for funding, describe your program outcomes, explain your budget. Blurt handles punctuation automatically.
Release and review
Text appears at your cursor instantly. Edit as needed and move to the next section.
Real Scenarios
Drafting proposal narratives that tell your story
The program narrative is the heart of your proposal. You need to convey urgency, demonstrate expertise, and inspire confidence — all in under 2,000 words. Hold the button and speak as if you're explaining your program to a passionate board member. Your enthusiasm translates into compelling prose. What would have taken two hours of typing becomes a 15-minute dictation session. The narrative flows because you're speaking from the heart, not typing from exhaustion.
Articulating needs statements with data and emotion
The needs statement must balance statistics with human impact. Hold the button and describe your community: 'Forty-two percent of families in our service area live below the federal poverty line. Last year, our food pantry served over 3,000 unique households, a 28 percent increase from the previous year. Maria, a single mother of three, told us...' The numbers and stories flow together naturally when you speak them.
Explaining evaluation plans and outcome measures
Funders want to know how you'll measure success. Hold and speak: 'We will track three primary outcomes: participant employment rates at 6 and 12 months post-program, average wage increases, and job retention rates. Data will be collected through participant surveys at intake, program completion, and follow-up intervals.' Evaluation methodology sounds clearer when spoken aloud.
Writing budget narratives line by line
Each budget line needs justification. Instead of typing the same sentence structures repeatedly, hold and speak: 'The Program Coordinator position at 1.0 FTE is essential for daily program operations, participant recruitment, and outcome tracking. The salary of $52,000 is based on our organization's pay scale and is comparable to similar positions in our region.' Move to the next line item. Repeat. Budget narratives finished in half the time.
Composing progress reports with specific outcomes
The quarterly report is due and you need to document everything accomplished. Hold the button and walk through your progress: 'During Q3, we enrolled 47 new participants, exceeding our target of 40. Program completion rates remained steady at 78 percent. Notably, three participants secured employment at wages above $18 per hour within two weeks of completing the program.' Speaking your outcomes feels natural; typing them feels tedious.
Crafting letters of inquiry to new funders
The LOI is your first impression. Two pages to convince a program officer that your work deserves a full proposal invitation. Hold and speak your pitch: 'We are seeking $75,000 over two years to expand our workforce development program to serve an additional 200 adults in the Riverside community. Our track record includes...' Your voice conveys confidence that typing can't capture.
Responding to funder correspondence quickly
The program officer has questions about your proposal. They need answers before the board meeting tomorrow. Hold your hotkey and respond: 'Thank you for your inquiry about our matching funds. We have secured $50,000 in committed matching support from the Johnson Family Foundation, with an additional $25,000 pending from our annual gala.' Quick, professional responses without the typing delay.
Why grant writers choose Blurt over built-in dictation
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single hotkey, instant start | Click microphone icon or double-tap Control |
| Speed | Text appears in under 500ms | 2-3 second delay before transcription |
| Accuracy | Handles nonprofit terminology well | Struggles with foundation names and grant jargon |
| Reliability | Consistent accuracy across long sessions | Often fails silently or stops listening |
| Foundation portals | Works in Fluxx, Submittable, and online forms | Inconsistent behavior in web applications |
Frequently Asked Questions
Start Typing Faster Today
Free to try — no credit card required
Download Blurt