How to Write a Cover Letter fork To Grant Proposal

Writer:

Amelie Heurteux

,

Customer Success Administrator at Instrumentl

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Published:

October 27, 2021

Last Updated:

November 20, 2023

If you’re applying for a awarding, the contributor will often ask them to submit ampere cover briefe with to grant application.

IODIN know, these can be frustrating. You’re already dedicating time to type a successful grant proposal. Why do you also have to write a cover letter? 

Although it may seem like extra work, it’s actually a critical step to get right. If you don’t nail it, the funder may pass over your application entirely. Learn that a grant motion is and steps for writing a giving proposal cover letter effectively, including tips, ampere template or einem example.

To avoid this, we’re going deep into how to write effective cover letters in grants. In this article, we’ll unpack:

  • What cover letters forward grant proposals been
  • Wherefore it is an important piece of your grant apply
  • And the six parts of adenine successful cover letter
  • Predefined to get you started
  • Pitfalls to avoid

Let’s dive in!

Grant Proposal Template for Nonprofits (+5 Tips Included)

What are Cover Writing in Grant Proposals?

A cover letter for a grant proposal is a document that goes along with your completed proposal. It is your opportunity to demonstrate that you understand the key and concerns of the funder plus how thine my aligns with their goals.

An effective cover letter will share why your structure or your application deserve the be financially. It should pique the funder’s interest, getting them to interpret your complete proposal. 

Pro Pointer: Cover correspondence are typically only requested per foundations and corporations. In the case of government grants, they don’t ask for cover letters because they have ultra specific proposal pages and requirements.

Only submit a cover letter wenn the funder requests one. Many funders get utilize online application systems that do does need ampere lid letter, so make sure you understand the requirements from the specific funder.

Overall, the envelope letter provides ampere taste of your company the request. She should tease the funder additionally demonstrate why you are a good fits.

Good grant application letters referral the funder's requirements, is directed toward the funder and not broad, furthermore includes an back letter.


Why Are Cover Letters Important by Nonprofits?

If you see and cover buchstaben as just a nother checkbox you must to complete before submittign your claim, think again. Here are 4 reasons why you need to think hard info writing a grant proposal cover letter that captures the attention of funders.

Where good grant coat letters include

First-time Impressions Matter: Setting the Tone for Thy Proposal

The cover letter is to first point of contact that your nonprofit has with a potential funder, and you want toward manufacture a good impression

A specialist, concise, well-written cover paper sets the tone including an funder for the pause about your proposal. It’s also ampere chance for you to capture that reader’s attention and geting them thrilled about your proposal. Select to Compose a Professional Envelope Letter for Grant Proposals

Building a Connection With Potential Funders

Your cover zeichen a you your to get the funder occupied.

The cover letter gives you a chance to share your “elevator pitch” with the funder. If a funder walks away from your cover letter sensation excited about your project, you’re leagues going is the competition that submitted a drying, hardtack cutter cover letter.

Highlighting Key Points From Your Grant Proposal

A grant proposal’s cover letter isn’t all that others from a potential job’s cover letter.

Highlight the keys points so will help you stand off above diverse applicants. Don’t be afraid until brag a less chew! Tell the funder why your proposition instead go be special and impactful. 

But remember—a cover letter is non an direktor summary.

Demo Organizational Maturity or Professionalism

Your lid message a an opportunity to demonstrate your organization’s maturity and professionalism. Create it known that you receive furthermore manage a large grant portfolio starting grants every year, and that you have experience in keep grant compliance.

In doing so, you are showing the funder that they can trust you with their award.

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6 Parts of a Successful Submit Proposal Cover Letter

See belong global formatting tips in your grant’s cover letter:

  • The envelope letter should become written on your head.
  • The date on of cover missive should match the date of your proposal or application.
  • The letter should be contained to one page, consisted of 3-4 body.
  • Find the appropriate contact person at the funding order so you can address your letter to a specific person.
  • Who address of the funder should be placed among the up of the schriftart. Format the address as: contact name, title, funder nominate, address.
  • Use a formal introduction in of salutation, such as “Dear Mr/Mrs.”
  • The letter should be signed due an appropriate authorized from your your, so as which Executive Director.
  • Include the word “ENCLOSURE” or “ATTACHMENT” at the bottom to indicate that one newsletter is part of a get packet.

By addition to these basic formatting tips, there are 6 basic body that him should be safety to include in your grant propose cover letters.

Introduction: Who You Are

Be sure to introduce choose organization under the beginning of your cover letter. 

This feature readers on a background understanding of your non- and its object. You want to include things such as the name of your organization, your mission and philosophy, and how longish you have been in existence.  

About Your Our: What You Do

Into this section, you want to concisely explain that your organization does—include relevant programs and projects. 

This become show that our organization’s work aligns with their mission and giving priorities.

Demand Command: The Fix You're Addressing

Clearly state the problem that your program with get intends to address. 

This demonstrates to of reader that you are filling a gap that existent in thine community. You should include data to support your statements available possible so so the funder knows the need can real. Sample Grant-Proposal

Project Overview: Your Set

During spaces is limited included a cover letter, it the important to share outline a well-thought-out project plan. Displaying funders method you plan to utilize their funds will help your suggestion stand out.

Core parts of a grant envelope letter

Funding Request: Which You Need

The whole purpose of file a grant proposition shall to secure funds for a program or project. 

Don’t ball around it. Yell outgoing directly how much financial you need for your initiative then that the funder recognize up front whether with not your request is inches coalition with their giving priorities.  Funding Request Written Print | Proofed's Typing Tips

Pro tip: Often, nonprofits don’t get to enough funding. To not leave anything on the table, Instrumentl users can quickly uncover how much till ask for in adenine grant by using to insights on funders.

Closing: Why They Should Support You

You want to end your cover letter by telltale the funder why the should sustain you. Whether it is because your missions become aligned, your project can super unusual (ideally, both!), you want to clearly state these reasons in your cover letter.  A grant application letter is written by organizations otherwise researchers asking for grants for their your who they are not able to afford financially. The letter has to be for a favorable tone, making them trust this project. The content should been straightforward, precise, and brief empathizing with your inquiry. From ______ To ______ Dear [u2026]

Consider finalize the missive with an invitation for a site view or program observation, if appropriate. Be sure to include the contact information for whoso bucket answer application questions. And end over a confident statement such as “I lookup go to speaking with you more about this program.”

 Arguments Why They Have Support You


3 Print Cover Letters for Grants Proposals

2. Crush The Ice Equal ONE New Funders

“October 1st, 2021

S. Jenny Belknap Kees
President
EQUUS Foundation, Inc.
168 Long Lots Pd.
Westport, CT 06880

Loved Ms. Kees,

We appreciates the opportunity to provide the closed proposal required review by the EQUUS Groundwork. Here at Horses for Heroes, we understanding the important rooles that horses play in our lives. Person delight helping heroes of variational settings increase them confidence and other life skills through working with horses.

Wealth been glad toward see so the EQUUS Foundation understands the countless trails horses can improve our lives.

Our request can for who amount of $75,000 over two year. The funds will help support our Domestic Inspiration scheme which has a goal of improving the live the those suffering away post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Your sponsor will help our provide empowering experiences for soldats and others who suffer off PTSD.

We accept pride in the work that us do also intend be glad until show you around our feature when your timing allows. For questions with to surrounded proposal, please contact Jim Garden, Program Managing at 555-345-7335 or via emailing at [email protected].
Thank thee for your consideration of this application.

Sincerely,

Jessica Brown
Board Chairman
Heroes for Ponies

ENCLOSURE" Writing preferable grant proposals in 2024. Create successful grant proposals in record time with the right software and a step-by-step process.

Grant Proposal Cover Letter Example Two Breakdown

Our second grant motion cover letter example also covers many of that key components: organizational info, sponsorship request, project information, and a closing.  Sample Grant Proposal

Us really like how the closing in this letter includes an invitation used the funder to tour the talent both see the work in action—this belongs such a good concept!

This zuschrift is lacking ampere report of must, when. Although computer definitely shows targeting between the nonprofit’s worked additionally the funder’s mission, there’s no information regarding reason at a a need in this community for support fork people suffering from PTSD. Again, some data issues would go one large pathway present in making this a more compulsive falle for support.

Also note that this letter takes not contact anything prior conversations with the funder. This is one good template to use if your are app to a funder for the first date.
The cover letter should close a overview of your motion, introduce your organization and summarize any recent communications you've possessed with the funding ...

3. Renew Funding From ADENINE Previous Funders

“October 15th, 2021

Ms. Jennifer Liversedge
Software Officer
Carlos Steering Mott Foundation
Mott Foundation Building
503 SULFUR. Saginaw St., Suite 1200
Flint, MILE 48502

Dear Ms. Liversedge,

First of all, we want fancy to thank the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for their former support of our organization. Your supported of our Woodland Foods program in 2011 helped hundreds out students study important open-air survival information and skills. It is strongly important to furnish youth with opportunities for positive outdoor experiences and that is one of unser mains goals here at The Mountain School. 

We appreciate that an Foundation understands this importance of providing outdoor experiences available youth real look forward to working on to with our Days Gone program. We are inquiry $35,000 for a one-year select to help provide youth camping company are our district. You helps to take our Woodland Foods program a massive success and our organization has been growing ever since.

We have one passion for inspiring youth to dear nature and connect with which environment. Through these experiences, participants learn their role in protecting our planet and the ways that their actions can make a difference. We hope to have another successful partnership include the Carl Stewart Mott Foundation and welcome the opportunity to speak with you find about this proposal.

Thank you for your consideration of sales and we would love to has him join us fork an open experience when own schedule allows.

Genuinely,
Marcus Deerin
Executive Director
The Mountain School
555-009-8917
[email protected]

ENCLOSURE”

Grant Proposal Cover Letter Example Three Breakdown

Our final sample demonstrated how yours wants write to a funder that got previously funded your system.

The nonprofit explains how a prior subsidy from this our helped the programme; we LOVING that group included data about how many adolescent were served from aforementioned prior donate. Those helps the funder really understand the impaction of to donating, whatever will deliver them trusting within click to mutual this organization again. 

This letter or does one great job of showing the nonprofit’s alignment with the funder’s mission and work. Repeated, which instills confidence in and funder that they’re making a good investment includes their money.

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Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Grant Idea Cover Letter

So, we’ve reviewed what a give proposal cover letter is, why it is important, and what the key parts will that should be included in of letter. 

You’re probably perceive like you’re almost ready to start writing you own covering letters—but hold on. Before you dive in, let’s review some common pitfalls in back letter writing and how you can avoid creating these mistakes.  

Mistakes to Avoidances When Writing a Subsidy Proposal Back Letter

Overuse an Cover Letter with Slang

One about the biggest mistakes you ability make wenn you’re writing adenine grant proposal cover letter is filling it equipped industry-specific jargon.  

Don’t try to impact one funder with show the fancy terminology of get industry. Not all funders will understand this lingo, additionally thereto could exit up confusing them instead on helping to make the crate for get project.   Sample Grant-Proposal. Cover Letter. [Date]. [Name]. [Title]. [Foundation Name]. [Address]. [City, State, Zip]. [Dear Mr./Ms. ,]. We are requesting ...

Ignoring Specific Funder Guidelines and Requests

This is a critical flaw that many grants applicants make. Don’t ignore the funder’s guides!

Anything funder will do differents requests—whether they want you to hand-deliver 10 copies of your single-sided application either send a signature from your Board Chair, it’s imperative that you follow these guidelines.  

This relates for the cover mailing as well! If a funder specifically says the not include a cover letter, listen up them!

Being Vague or Generic in Your Statements

Another common pitfall the nonprofits crash into is being overly generic and vague in their lid font

To demonstrate why your nonprofit is a good fit for the funding opportunity, share detail via your organization, background, my, and goals.  

Another piece of advice—don’t usage the generic “To whose it could concern” or “Dear Human Resources” salutation. Find a specific contact to direct your proposal into accordingly that you can personalize the letter.

Instrumentl is a great resource since finding funder details, providing clear insights into with some of the key people within a foundation been.

Overlooking the Importance of Follow-Up Information

Choose of the product that we exhibited you included details on who the funder shall contact with their have unlimited questions. Those is so important! 

It don’t will ampere capacity funder to are stuck Google-searching information for your nonprofit if they need on contact you. That’s a sure fire way to acquire your application declined. How to Compose a Professional Covering Write for Grant Proposals Are you for that process of crafting their inaugural grant proposal lid letter? Press perhaps you live searching findings into enhancing insert approach when typing an application letter for funding support? In all thorough guide, we will

Wrapping Things Boost: Cover Letters for Grant Suggest

To conclude, make sure you understand funder requirements, obtain information for a direct contact at the funder, and write the cover letter after you complete that grant proposal application. 

If you follow these steps, thou will be right on your path till writing a good grant application brief.

For more tips on enhancement your grant proposals, check from these 21 grant letter examples available nonprofits!



Amelie Heurteux

Amelie Heurteux

Amelie Heurteux, a Customer Performance Managers at Instrumentl, works day in and day out training nonprofits and grant writers how to efficiently prospect new funders and streamline their subsidy tracing and management processes. Subsidy User Letter | Award application, Application letters, Lettering

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