Non-ProfitFree tool
Letter of Inquiry Writer for Grants
A finished letter of inquiry for the foundation you name, following its instructions and length limit, built from your facts with any gaps flagged.
Free to start · Opens in your River workspace, ready to edit and share
How to write a letter of inquiry for a grant
A letter of inquiry (LOI) is a short letter, often two or three pages, that introduces your program to a foundation. It's how many funders decide whether to invite a full grant proposal. A good one opens with the ask: what you want funded, how much, and which of the funder's priorities it serves. Then it covers the need, the program, the results you expect, your organization and the budget, in the order the funder asks for.
Write each letter for one funder. Its only job is to earn that invitation, so every sentence should help a busy program officer see the fit.
Research the funder first
Start by making sure the funder takes inquiries at all. US private foundations have a box to check on their annual IRS return, Form 990-PF, if they give only to preselected charities and don't accept unsolicited requests. Of the 112,733 that filed for fiscal years ending in 2023, the nonprofit research group Candid found that 71% checked it1.
A checked box isn't always a closed door. Candid notes that such foundations may still offer other ways in: an introduction form on their website, a letter of inquiry, or certain program areas or times of year. The funder's own guidelines have the final word.
Find their inquiry rules
Their guidelines say whether they want a letter, an email or an online form, and set the length and the questions. Copy down the words they use for their priorities.
Read their 990-PF
If a private foundation accepts applications, Part XIV of its Form 990-PF2 should name the person to address, how to apply, any deadlines and any limits by place or field. The IRS lets you search returns filed since January 20183 for free.
Look at past grants
Line 3 of that part, or a schedule attached to the return, lists each grant the foundation paid that year, what it was for and how much. Check that groups like yours get funded, and set your ask within the usual range.
Ask if it's unclear
If the guidelines don't say whether they take inquiries, a short call or email to the program staff is the quickest way to find out.
What goes in a letter of inquiry
When the funder lists what to cover, use its list, in its order. The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation in Indianapolis, for example, asks for no more than two to three pages4. It wants the issue and your role, your organization, the activities and expected outcomes, the funding needed and other support, the total cost, and contact details. With no list to follow, use this order.
The parts of a letter of inquiry, in a common order
| Part | What it covers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | Who you are, what you want funded, the amount and the funder priority it serves | "Hillside Food Bank requests $25,000 toward a second refrigerated van." |
| Need | The local problem, with a figure and where it came from | "Families in the northern townships drive 40 minutes to a pantry (county survey, 2025)." |
| Program | What you'll do, for whom, where and when | "Weekly stops at 14 new sites, starting in March." |
| Outcomes | What will change for people, and how you'll count it | "300 more households a month get fresh food, logged at each stop." |
| Your organization | Two to four sentences on your track record | "Since 2009, 140 volunteers have run 22 stops in three counties." |
| Budget | The ask, the total cost and other funding, committed or pending | "We request $25,000 of the $68,000 cost. The county has committed $30,000." |
| Close | One named contact and an offer to talk or send more | "Our director, Ana Ortiz, would welcome a call." |
The examples come from an illustrative food bank. Use your own figures, in the funder's order when it gives one.
Open with the ask and the fit
Put the request in the first paragraph, not the last. Northwestern University's foundation relations office says the opening should cover how the project relates to the foundation's mission and the budget you'll request5. It should also name the problem and your approach.
Then show why you chose this funder, using its own words. The Grantsmanship Center, which has trained grant writers since 1972, calls this the part where many letters of inquiry fall short6. A letter that could go to any foundation is less convincing than one built on this funder's stated priorities.
Before: "Since 2009, Hillside Food Bank has proudly served our community, and we are grateful for the chance to introduce our work to the Alder Valley Foundation."
After: "Hillside Food Bank requests $25,000 from the Alder Valley Foundation toward a second refrigerated van for our mobile pantry. The van serves your priority of fresh food access in rural Alder County. It adds 14 weekly stops in the northern townships, where families now drive 40 minutes to a pantry."
- The ask comes first. The amount and what it buys are in the opening sentence.
- In the funder's words. "Fresh food access in rural Alder County" echoes its stated priority.
- A result you can picture. It names 14 new stops in a specific place, for a problem the reader can see.
Keep the rest short and specific
Give each remaining part a few sentences. Make the need local, with one figure for your county or neighborhood and its source. Describe the program plainly: who it serves, where, how often and from when. Write outcomes as changes for people, in numbers you will actually track. If you keep a case for support, reuse its need and results so your documents agree.
Two parts need the most restraint. According to the Grantsmanship Center, the section on your organization is usually two to four sentences, and most letters of inquiry don't include a full budget6. For the money, give the amount you're asking for, the total cost and your other funding, committed or pending.
Hold to the limit, whatever unit it's in. Northwestern describes the typical inquiry as one to three pages5, and some funders count words or characters instead. With no limit stated, stop at two pages.
Send only what they ask for
Leave out attachments the instructions don't mention, such as an audit or a budget spreadsheet. If you're invited to apply, the full proposal is the place for them.
Send it, then follow up
Send it the way the instructions say, to the person they name, and note the date. A promising letter may bring questions before an invitation. Fairbanks, for one, may hold a site visit or follow-up meetings4 before it invites a proposal, and its staff explain any decline.
If you're invited, build the proposal from the same facts and promises. The foundation grant proposal writer can turn them into answers to the funder's questions. If the answer is no, ask whether they'll share why, and note when they next accept inquiries.
Before you send a letter of inquiry
- The funder accepts inquiries for this work, in your area
- The first paragraph gives the program, the amount and their priority
- Every part they ask for is there, in their order
- It fits their page, word or character limit
- Each figure has a source, and the ask fits their usual grants
- It's addressed to a named person, with one contact to call
The tool at the top of this page writes the letter from your notes, to one funder's instructions and limit, and marks any fact you still need. For several funders at once, the letter of inquiry template converts each funder's limit into one measure and shows which parts each version is missing.
How it works
Start with the program you want funded and the amount, in a few lines or a pasted summary, and name the foundation. River reads the inquiry instructions you paste, or finds the funder's published guidelines and priorities if you give only its name. Then it writes the letter in your workspace, in the funder's order and within its limit, without inventing a single figure. No funder yet? It writes a two-page letter that's easy to tailor.
Under the letter, River adds a short fit check: how well the program matches the funder's priorities and area, anything that looks off, and the gaps still to fill. Each gap is marked in the letter with the question to answer, and the final word count is set against the limit.
Describe your program
Say what you want funded, who it serves and the amount. Add the foundation's name or its instructions.
River reads the rules
It follows the instructions you paste, or looks up the funder's published guidelines, priorities and limits.
Get your letter
A finished letter in the funder's order and limit, with a word count and every missing fact marked.
Edit and adapt it
Fill the gaps, ask River to shorten it, or adapt it for another funder's instructions.
What you get
- A finished letter of inquiry in business format, addressed to your program officer when you name one
- An opening that gives your organization, program, amount and the funder priority it serves in two sentences
- Every part the funder asks for, in its order, or a standard order when it lists none
- A final word count set against the funder's page, word or character limit
- Missing facts marked as gaps in the letter, each with the question you need to answer
- A short fit check against the funder's priorities and area, with any mismatch it noticed
Common questions
How long should a letter of inquiry be?
Often two or three pages, but the funder's own limit always comes first. Some funders count words or characters in an online form instead of pages. With no limit stated, two pages is a sensible ceiling. River writes to the stated limit and reports the final word count, so you can see that it fits.
What is the difference between a letter of inquiry and a grant proposal?
A letter of inquiry asks whether a funder wants your proposal; the proposal makes the full case for the money. The letter sketches the need, the program, your organization and the amount in a few pages. A full proposal adds the detail a funder needs to decide, such as an evaluation plan, a line-item budget and attachments like your audit.
Is a letter of inquiry the same as a letter of intent?
At many foundations, yes: both names mean the short letter that comes before a full proposal. Federal agencies often mean something else. At the National Science Foundation, a letter of intent is a nonbinding notice with a one-page synopsis7 that helps staff plan reviews and isn't used to decide funding. The funder's instructions tell you which kind it wants.
Should a letter of inquiry include a budget?
Yes, in a few sentences rather than a table: the amount you're requesting, the total cost of the project, and other funding that's committed or pending. Save the line-item budget for the full proposal unless the instructions ask for one. Once you're invited, the grant budget narrative writer explains how each line was calculated and why the project needs it.
Who should a letter of inquiry be addressed to?
Address it to the person the funder names, usually a program officer listed in its guidelines or on its website. Private foundations that take applications also name a contact on their Form 990-PF. If you can't find anyone, call and ask. River addresses it to the grants committee when no name is given and flags the greeting for you to replace.
How do I write a letter of inquiry with River?
Describe the program and the amount in the box at the top of this page, then name the foundation or paste its inquiry instructions. River follows those instructions, or looks up the funder's published guidelines, and writes the letter into your free River workspace within the limit. Any fact it still needs is marked as a gap.
Is the letter of inquiry writer free?
Yes, it is free to start. Your letter of inquiry opens in a River workspace, where you can edit it, share it or ask River to change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
Sources
Candid. “How often do foundations accept unsolicited requests for funds?” candid.org (opens in a new tab)
IRS. “2025 Form 990-PF.” irs.gov (opens in a new tab)
IRS. “Copies of EO returns available.” irs.gov (opens in a new tab)
Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. “The Grants Process.” rmff.org (opens in a new tab)
Northwestern University. “Letter of Inquiry: Foundation Relations.” northwestern.edu (opens in a new tab)
The Grantsmanship Center. “What's the Difference Between a Letter of Inquiry and a Grant Proposal?” tgci.com (opens in a new tab)
NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation. “Chapter I: Pre-Submission Information - Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 24-1).” nsf.gov (opens in a new tab)
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.