Grant Cover Letter Template
A cover letter is often the first page a program officer reads and the last page an applicant writes, which is why so many of them simply restate the summary. It has four jobs to do in one page, and none of them is summarizing the proposal that is attached to it.
See the coursesEverything on this page is yours to copy and adapt. The courses cover the decisions behind it: what to charge, what to promise, and what to put in writing.
What yours needs to cover
- ✓ The request stated plainly: the amount, the project and the period
- ✓ One sentence on why this funder specifically, which is the sentence most letters skip
- ✓ A short reference to any prior contact, invitation or relationship
- ✓ Confirmation that the application meets the funder's eligibility requirements
- ✓ A signature from the person with the authority to make the request
How to use it
- Write it after the proposal is finished, so the amounts and dates are final.
- Name the funder's own priority in your own words rather than quoting their website back to them.
- Keep it to one page, since anything longer competes with the document it introduces.
- Have it signed by the chief executive or board chair, not by the person who wrote the proposal.
The four jobs of the letter
A cover letter makes the request, shows fit, reminds the reader of any relationship, and confirms eligibility. Each job takes a sentence or two. The request names the amount, the project and the period. The fit sentence connects the project to a priority the funder has published, in your own words. The relationship sentence mentions a prior conversation, a site visit or an invitation to apply, if there was one. The eligibility sentence confirms, for example, that the organization is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity operating in the funder's service area.
Notice what is missing from that list. The letter does not describe the need in detail, walk through the activities, or list the organization's history, because the proposal behind it does all of that at length. A reviewer who meets the same paragraph twice in five minutes starts skimming, and skimming is the last thing you want before the need statement. If a sentence in your draft could be pasted into the summary unchanged, it probably belongs there instead of in the letter.
Layout and tone
Use the organization's letterhead, date the letter, and address it to a named person wherever the funder lists one. A program officer's name is often on the foundation's website or in the invitation email. The tone is that of one professional writing to another, confident and plain, without the adjectives that fill most first drafts.
Keep the body to three or four short paragraphs so the whole letter fits on one page with room for the signature block. Close with the name, title, email and phone number of the contact person, who may be the grant writer even though the letter is signed by the executive director or board chair.
When a portal replaces the letter
Many online applications have no upload slot for a cover letter, and some explicitly ask applicants not to include one. In that case the four jobs move into the application itself, usually into a summary field or the first answer. The letter is still worth drafting, because writing those four sentences forces you to state the request and the fit clearly before anything else. The Advanced course covers submission portals in its unit on review and submission.
A filled-in example
| Addressed to | The program officer named in the funding guidelines |
|---|---|
| Request | $30,000 over 12 months to launch home delivery for homebound older adults |
| Fit | The foundation funds programs that help older adults stay safely in their homes |
| Relationship | Refers to a phone call with the program officer in March about eligibility |
| Eligibility | Confirms 501(c)(3) status and that all three zip codes served are in the foundation region |
| Signed by | The executive director, with the grant writer listed as the contact for questions |
Mistakes to avoid
- Repeating the executive summary. The reviewer is about to read the summary anyway. Use the letter for the request, the fit and eligibility, and keep any overview to one sentence.
- Writing to Dear Sir or Madam. Most funders publish a contact name. Using it shows you did the research and makes the letter read as written for them.
- Signing it yourself as the consultant. A letter signed by an outside writer suggests the leadership has not approved the request. Have the chief executive or board chair sign it.
Grant Cover Letter Template FAQs
Is a cover letter always required?
No, and some portals have nowhere to upload one. Where the guidelines are silent and there is an obvious place for it, including one is normal practice.
Who should sign the cover letter?
Whoever can commit the organization, which is usually the chief executive or the board chair. A letter signed by the grant writer suggests the request has not been approved internally.
Should the cover letter summarize the proposal?
Only in a sentence. Its job is to make the request, establish the fit and confirm eligibility. The summary section of the proposal already exists and does that better.
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