Letter of Inquiry — Foundation Intro

📝 The structure — fill in YOUR words

Keep it to 2 pages max. Foundations use LOIs to decide who gets
invited to apply — respect their time.

  Para 1: Who you are + what you're asking for (amount + purpose
          in the first 3 sentences).
  Para 2: The need in 3-4 sharp sentences.
  Para 3: Your approach in 3-4 sentences.
  Para 4: Budget total + amount requested + other funders.
  Para 5: The ask — 'We would welcome the chance to submit a
          full proposal.' + contact info.

✅ A good example

"Dear Ms. Chen: Northside Community Center respectfully requests $50,000 toward our $75,000 after-school expansion serving 150 teens. Over 300 neighborhood youth lack supervised after-school options... [need, approach, budget]... We would welcome the opportunity to submit a full proposal. Sincerely, ..."

🚫 Common mistakes

• Sending a full proposal when they asked for an LOI — follow instructions exactly.
• Generic 'dear foundation' — find the program officer's name. It takes 5 minutes.
• Burying the ask — amount and purpose belong in paragraph one, not page two.

💡 Tips

• Research the foundation's recent grants first — mention one you admire and why you fit alongside it.
• If they say 'no LOIs, full proposals only' — believe them and skip this entirely.