Questions
Where do the listings come from?
Public APIs and feeds. Helys does not scrape websites.
- CaFÉ and Creative West, including GO Smart state-council calls
- Grants.gov: NEA, NEH, IMLS, NPS and the Arts category
- SAM.gov, for public-art and percent-for-art solicitations
- On the Move
- NYFA
If a call is not carried by any of them, add it by hand with the call's own text, or an admin pastes its URL and Helys reads the page and files it like any other.
How does the scoring work?
Helys AI reads every live listing against the profile you write — your medium, career stage, where you are, what you are working on — and scores it from 0 to 100 with its reasons and its concerns written out. Calls you could never win, such as ones open only to organizations or that charge an entry fee, are thrown out first.
Does it write my application for me?
It drafts, from a closed list of facts you supply. Anything the draft asserts that is not on that list is flagged as a claim and has to be verified by you before the draft can be marked final. The work is still yours; the blank page is not.
Do I need my own Anthropic key?
No. Helys AI scoring and drafting are included, up to a monthly ceiling. If you would rather pay Anthropic directly, add your own key under Admin → Integrations and Helys will use it.
Can other people work in my workspace?
Yes. One person is included; each additional person is $8 a month. Everyone signs in as themselves, with admin rights only if you give them, and tasks can be assigned and commented on. Nobody shares an account.
Can I use Helys outside the United States?
Not yet. Helys is offered to people and studios based in the United States, including its territories, and the signup form asks where you are. Funders anywhere still appear in the listings, and your profile can exclude the places you cannot apply from. Write to support@helys.com if you are elsewhere and want to hear when that changes.
Can I use it from Claude?
Yes. Connect Claude Desktop, claude.ai or Claude Code to your workspace under Settings → Connect, and from a chat it can do what you would do from a page: triage, build a checklist, draft, record a result, keep the CV. It signs in as you and sees only what you can; the in-app Docs page lists every tool.
Does it track what I won?
Yes. Results shows every submission, your win rate, the money awarded by year and by funder, and how long decisions took.
Can I get my data out?
Yes, without asking anybody. Admin → Settings builds one archive of the whole workspace — every record as a spreadsheet and as JSON, plus every file you uploaded — and tells you when it is ready. Deadlines are also a calendar feed any calendar app can subscribe to, and your workspace is backed up nightly.
Can Helys make my CV?
Yes. Keep it as lines under the usual sections — education, exhibitions, awards, residencies, press, talks, experience, and sections of your own — and download it typeset as a PDF whenever you need one, with the contact details you choose and never your postal address. Grants you win through Helys are offered onto it, and drafts cite it instead of inventing a show.
What do I sign in with?
A passkey — the fingerprint reader, face unlock or security key you already use — or a code we email you. There is no password. If you lose every device, ask for a code: it lasts ten minutes and lets you set up a new passkey without waiting for anyone.
How do I sign in?
Every workspace has its own address: app.helys.com/your-key, where your-key is the short name chosen when the workspace was created. It is in your invitation. If you have lost it, Signing in to your workspace? on the sign-in page mails you the address of every workspace your email can sign in to. Or ask an administrator of your workspace, or write to support@helys.com.
What happens when the trial ends?
The workspace locks — it stops running sources and scoring, and opens only to Billing, Support, your own settings and the export of everything in it, plus the user list and the audit log for admins, so a team can be trimmed before subscribing again — but nothing is deleted. Subscribe and everything is exactly where you left it.
What if I cancel?
You keep access until the end of the period you have paid for, then the workspace locks the same way. Nothing is ever deleted without you asking for it.
How do I get help?
Signed in, Support in the sidebar reaches a person and keeps the thread where you can find it again. It works even while a workspace is locked for non-payment. If you cannot sign in, write to support@helys.com and a person will answer.
Who runs Helys?
A small independent operation, not a venture-funded platform.