Sample Letter of Inquiry (LOI) for a Nonprofit Grant — With Template

A letter of inquiry (LOI) is a 2–3 page pitch a foundation reads before deciding whether to invite a full proposal. Get it right and you're in the door. Get it wrong and you never hear back.

Here is a working sample LOI for a small food-security nonprofit, followed by the template you can adapt for any funder.

Sample LOI (complete, ~700 words)

[Date]
[Program Officer Name]
[Foundation Name]
[Address]

Dear [Program Officer Name],

On behalf of Southside Community Table, I am writing to request consideration for a $50,000 grant from the [Foundation Name] to expand our Evening Family Pantry program in the 46227 ZIP code of Marion County, Indiana.

The problem. In the 46227 ZIP code, 38% of households with children under 18 are food-insecure — nearly double the Marion County average of 19% (Feeding America, 2024). The two existing pantries in this ZIP operate only weekday mornings, when most working caregivers cannot reach them, and neither offers culturally relevant food for the area's growing Burmese and Latino populations. An estimated 1,400 children continue to miss meals each week.

Our organization. Southside Community Table has operated a Saturday-morning pantry in 46227 since 2019, serving 380 families monthly. We are a $420,000 organization with three staff, a nine-member working board, and a volunteer corps of 60. We hold current 501(c)(3) status (EIN 12-3456789) and completed a clean independent review of FY2024 financials.

Proposed program. With this grant, we will launch an Evening Family Pantry operating Tuesday and Thursday from 5–8 PM, staffed by a bilingual (Spanish/Burmese) coordinator. Program design was shaped by 22 focus-group interviews with pantry-eligible families in 46227. In the first 12 months we will serve 250 additional families monthly — approximately 900 children — and provide 108,000 pounds of culturally relevant food.

Outcomes and evaluation. By June 2027, 80% of enrolled households will report reduced food insecurity on the USDA six-item Food Security Survey administered at intake and 6 months. Attendance and pound-distribution data are tracked in our existing Salesforce database. Results will be reported quarterly to funders and annually in our public impact report.

Budget. Total program budget is $92,000: $48,000 personnel (0.75 FTE coordinator + partial ED time), $30,000 food procurement, $8,000 facility and utilities, $6,000 outreach and evaluation. We request $50,000 from [Foundation Name]; the remaining $42,000 is committed from Gleaners Food Bank ($22,000 in-kind food), Central Indiana Community Foundation ($15,000 confirmed), and individual donors ($5,000 raised to date).

Fit with [Foundation Name]. [Foundation Name]'s 2026 priority of "expanding food access for working families in Central Indiana" aligns directly with this program's design. We would welcome the opportunity to submit a full proposal.

Thank you for your consideration. Please contact me at [email] or [phone] with any questions.

Sincerely,
[Executive Director Name]
Executive Director, Southside Community Table

The reusable template

1. Opening sentence. Who you are, what you're asking for, how much, for what geography.
2. The problem. Local statistic, source in parens, the gap that makes it unmet.
3. Your organization. Founding, budget size, staff, board, 501(c)(3) status, EIN, one credibility marker.
4. Proposed program. What you'll do, how many people, over what period, and a line showing it was designed with the community.
5. Outcomes and evaluation. SMART outcome, measurement tool, reporting cadence.
6. Budget. Total, four to five major line items with dollar amounts, request amount, other funders (confirmed vs pending).
7. Fit with the funder. Name their stated priority. Explain the alignment plainly.
8. Close. Thank you, next-step offer, direct contact info.

Length and format rules

• 2–3 pages, single-spaced. Never more than 3 unless the funder asks.
• On organizational letterhead, signed by the Executive Director or Board Chair.
• Address the specific program officer by name whenever possible.
• Don't attach anything unless the funder asks. Attachments to a cold LOI usually go unread.

Skip the blank page

GrantDraft generates a first-pass LOI in this exact structure from your organizational profile and the funder's stated priorities, then flags every claim that needs a real citation. Try your first LOI free →