ChatGPT is helping the Greenville Arts Council bring more arts and education programming to the Mississippi Delta. When a last‑minute grant opportunity came in with just minutes to spare, the nonprofit turned to AI to help make every second count.
Board President Mary Catherine Brooks learned at 4:48 PM that a $20,000 grant proposal was due by 5:00 PM. She opened ChatGPT, uploaded past successful proposals, and had the model use the material to produce a new draft.
The completed draft was submitted before the deadline — and won the $20,000 award. The funding will support arts and education programming that reaches children and families across the Delta.
Based in Greenville, Mississippi, the council promotes the region’s cultural heritage and provides arts education through exhibitions, school programs, and community events that make the arts accessible to all. It was one of approximately 1,000 nonprofits that took part in OpenAI’s first Nonprofit Jam, which was held at 10 sites across the country last month, where Brooks told us her story.
The event gave nonprofit leaders hands-on training with ChatGPT and other tools to explore how AI can help them save time, expand their reach, and better serve their communities. For the Greenville Arts Council, the impact is already clear.
“12 minutes of ChatGPT is making an impact on the lives of thousands of kids,” Brooks says.
