How to write a letter of inquiry funders say yes to

For many foundations, the letter of inquiry is the front door. Before they ask you to invest days in a full proposal, they want a short read on your organization and idea. If the LOI does not fit, there is no full proposal. If it does, you have a program officer who is already interested.

That makes the LOI one of the highest-leverage documents you write. Two pages, done well, decide whether you get a real shot. You can start from our letter of inquiry template once you know what goes in it.

What an LOI is (and is not)

A letter of inquiry, also called a letter of interest or a concept paper, is a brief pre-proposal. The funder uses it to screen for fit before inviting full applications. It saves time on both sides: you do not write full proposals that were never going to be funded, and the funder does not read them.

Some funders use LOIs for every applicant. Others use them only for new applicants or for requests over a certain size. A few require an LOI submitted through an online portal with set questions and character limits; others accept a letter by email.

An LOI is not a letter asking whether the funder has money available, a generic introduction to your organization, or a request for a meeting. It is a compact case for a specific project or a specific general-operating request, with a dollar amount.

Invited vs. unsolicited LOIs

Invited LOIs

An invited LOI responds to a published process: the funder's website says "submit an LOI through our portal by March 1," or a program officer asked you to send one. In this situation:

• Follow the format, length, and questions exactly.
• Mirror the funder's language about priorities and outcomes where it honestly fits your work.
• If a program officer invited you, reference the conversation in your opening.

Unsolicited LOIs

An unsolicited LOI goes to a funder that accepts unrequested inquiries but has not specifically asked you for one. These are harder. You must establish fit quickly and show you have done your homework.

Before sending an unsolicited LOI, check whether the funder accepts them at all. Private foundations report this on their Form 990-PF: the supplementary information section has a box the foundation checks if it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds," and otherwise lists to whom applications should go, the required form, deadlines, and restrictions. You can find 990-PFs through ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer; our guide to researching funders with 990s shows how to read them.

Before you write: research and fit

An LOI succeeds or fails on fit. Spend more time on research than on writing. Before drafting, you should be able to answer:

• What does this funder fund, in its own words? What does it explicitly not fund?
• What geography does it serve?
• What size grants does it typically make to organizations like yours? (Their 990-PF grant list will tell you.)
• Has it funded organizations like yours, or projects like this one?
• Does it prefer project support, general operating support, or capital?
• Who is the right contact?

If you cannot make a clear case for fit in one sentence, the LOI is probably premature. Our funder fit scorecard can help you decide whether a prospect is worth pursuing.

Structure of a strong LOI

Most good LOIs follow the same sequence, whether written as a letter or entered in a portal. Adjust order and headings to match the funder's instructions.

1. Opening and request (one paragraph)
2. The need (one to two paragraphs)
3. The project or approach (two to three paragraphs)
4. Expected outcomes (one paragraph)
5. Organizational capacity (one paragraph)
6. Budget and other support (one paragraph)
7. Close (two to three sentences)

1. Opening and request

State who you are, what you are asking for, how much, for what, and why this funder. All in the first paragraph. Program officers should never have to hunt for the ask.

That paragraph names the amount, the term, the project, the population, the fit, and a result. A reader could stop there and know whether to keep going.

2. The need

Explain the problem in specific, local terms. Use one or two well-chosen data points, sourced, and a sentence about what it means for real people. Do not try to prove the entire need here; the full proposal will do that. See our statement of need guide for how to choose data.

(Use your own verified local data. The figures above are fictional.)

3. The project

Describe what you will do, for whom, how often, and who will do it. Be concrete. A reviewer should be able to picture a typical week.

4. Expected outcomes

Name two or three measurable results and how you will measure them. Keep it to outcomes the funder cares about. Our guide to goals and objectives explains outputs versus outcomes.

5. Organizational capacity

One paragraph on why you can deliver: your track record with similar work, key staff, and major partners. Our organizational capacity guide shows how to choose the strongest evidence.

6. Budget and other support

Give the total project budget, your request, and other sources (committed and pending). Funders want to know they are part of a plan, not the whole plan, unless they fund that way.

7. Close

Thank them, offer to provide a full proposal or more information, and give a named contact with phone and email. Do not oversell.

Length and format

• Length: Follow the funder's limit. Without one, aim for two to three pages for a letter-format LOI. Online portals often limit each answer by characters; draft offline, count, and paste.
• Letterhead: For letter-format LOIs, use letterhead and sign it. The executive director usually signs; some funders welcome a board chair co-signature.
• Addressing: Use the named contact from the funder's website or 990-PF. Check the spelling and title.
• Attachments: Include only what the funder asks for. Many do not want attachments with an LOI.
• Tone: Confident, warm, specific. Avoid jargon and superlatives ("the only," "revolutionary," "unique") you cannot back up.

General operating support LOIs

If you are asking for general operating support, the structure shifts. Instead of a project, describe the organization's overall strategy, the results it produces, and how unrestricted funding will strengthen that work. Your "budget" paragraph covers your organizational budget and revenue mix. Be specific about what flexible money makes possible, such as stabilizing a key program, building reserves, or investing in data systems, while making clear the request is for general support.

Common LOI mistakes

1. Burying the ask. If the amount and purpose are not in the first paragraph, move them there.
2. Poor fit. Sending an LOI for work the funder does not support, or outside its geography.
3. Ignoring instructions. Exceeding page limits, skipping required questions, sending attachments they did not request.
4. Generic letters. The same LOI sent to 30 funders with only the name changed. Program officers can tell.
5. Too much history. Two paragraphs on your founding story and none on the project.
6. Vague outcomes. "We will improve literacy" instead of a measurable target.
7. Asking for the wrong amount. Far above the funder's typical grant size for organizations like yours.
8. Typos in the funder's name. It happens more than you would think, and it is fatal.

After you submit

Note the funder's decision timeline in your grant calendar. If there is no stated timeline, a short, polite check-in after six to eight weeks is reasonable. If the funder declines, thank them and ask, briefly, whether they would be open to sharing feedback or whether a future request might be a better fit. Many program officers will tell you exactly why. Our guide to why proposals get rejected covers how to use that feedback.

If you are invited to submit a full proposal, congratulations. Keep the promises you made in the LOI consistent in the full application: same amount (unless the funder asks you to adjust), same project, same outcomes. Program officers notice when a full proposal drifts from the LOI they approved. The anatomy of a grant proposal walks through every section you will need.