Letter of Inquiry / Letter of Intent Template
"Letter of Inquiry" and "Letter of Intent" both get shortened to "LOI" — but they aren't always the same document. If you're not sure which one your funder means, read Letter of Inquiry vs. Letter of Intent: Two Different Documents That Share the Same Abbreviation first. This template is built for the foundation LOI: the short, competitive letter a private or family foundation asks for before it will accept a full proposal. It's not built for the federal LOI (the courtesy notice some federal agencies used to request before a full application — some, like NIH, no longer accept them at all).
Copy the outline below into a Google Doc or Word file and fill in each bracketed instruction with your own content. Keep the finished letter to whatever length your funder states — most run one to two pages — and follow the funder's own instructions over this template wherever the two disagree.
How to read this page: section headings are plain text you keep. Italic text in brackets is an instruction for what to write in that spot — replace it with your own content and delete the brackets. Nothing below is pre-written letter text.
Letter of Inquiry / Letter of Intent — Template
[Organization letterhead or name]
[Address]
[Date]
[Program officer name, if known]
[Funder name]
[Funder address]
Dear [Program officer name, or "Program Officer" if unknown],
Opening Paragraph
[2-3 sentences that lead with the need or a concrete detail about who you serve — avoid opening with "On behalf of [Organization], I am writing to request funding for..."]
Organizational Background
[2-3 sentences on your organization's mission and why it's positioned to carry out this specific project.]
Problem and Proposed Project
[150-200 words: the need, what you're proposing to do about it, and the outcome you expect — stated realistically, not overpromised.]
Funding Request
[The amount you're requesting and what it would cover. If this is a partial request, note the total project cost.]
Closing Paragraph
[Thank the reader, note any attachments the funder's guidelines allow — many LOIs don't allow attachments, so check first — and offer to answer questions or provide more information.]
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Title]
[Organization]
[Phone] | [Email]
Once the shape is filled in, here's help writing the letter itself
This template gives you the shape of a foundation LOI — the harder part is turning your own program details into a tight, compelling letter within a strict length limit. The Freelance Grant Writer's AI Toolkit ($34) includes 6 AI prompts built specifically for each part of this letter (the opening hook, organizational background, the problem-and-solution paragraph, the funding request, cutting for length, and a tone check) plus this same template with prompt-by-prompt guidance built in. One of those prompts — the LOI opening paragraph hook — is included free in the 5-prompt sample if you want to see the format before buying.
Working on the full narrative too? See the Grant Proposal Template, the Budget Narrative Template, and the Grant Budget Template for the line-item numbers. And once your LOI is approved and the full package is ready to send, see the Cover Letter for Grant Proposal Template for the short note that goes on top of it.
If you also run the business side of freelance grant writing (rates, engagement letters, client intake), the Pro toolkit ($79) adds a Freelance Business Toolkit module on top of everything above.