GrantBridge

Dashboard Page

Inspiration

Searching for scholarships and grants is a stressful, fragmented process—especially for students juggling studies, work, and life. We wanted to make it easier. The idea for GrantBridge came from my frustration with scattered listings, vague eligibility rules, and missed deadlines. I thought: What if discovering funding could feel more like having a personal assistant?

What it does

GrantBridge is an AI-powered platform that helps users discover, understand, and apply for scholarships and grants. It breaks down complex eligibility requirements, tracks application progress, and even suggests personalized draft responses, making the entire process less overwhelming and more achievable.

How we built it

We built GrantBridge with a React & TypeScript frontend, styled using Tailwindcss and animated with Framer Motion for a smooth user experience. The backend uses Node.js and Express, with AI features powered by the Perplexity Sonar API. We integrated smart components like dropdowns, sliders, and checklist tracking using shadcn/ui, aiming for both functionality and simplicity.

Challenges we ran into

Navigating the Perplexity API documentation and learning how to prompt it effectively.
Ensuring accurate requirement breakdowns and avoiding generic AI responses.
Making the UI intuitive for users unfamiliar with scholarships or technical tools.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

A live, functional demo with real-time grant explanations.
A clean, accessible UI that makes users feel confident instead of confused.
Integration of the checklist and saved grants, making the platform genuinely useful.