[MUSIC] Many foundations state in their published guidelines that they prefer the initial contact to be a letter of inquiry or a letter of intent. That is 1-2 pages long and you ask about their interest in receiving a full grant proposal from your organization. This letter allows the funder to make sure that what you are requesting is within its area of interest and funding award range. Nowadays, practically all funders require a brief letter of inquiry because they are overwhelmed with requests for funding, and the letter is a way to weed out applicants. Checking a funder's website provides you with the most current guidelines on writing a letter of intent. You may also find that some foundations have an online inquiry form. Well, here are some tips for crafting a successful letter of intent. First, respect titles and use them to reach the right person the first time. Take time to take contact information if the first name of the contact person is gender ambiguous, such as, well, Terry, Pat, or Kim. There can be some information on the organization's website or a photo from a social net. Second, in the first two sentences introduce your organization, tell the founding agency who's sending the letter and why. For example, you write that your organization has been fighting economic disparity for more than seven years, and as its director, you are writing to invite the potential grant maker to be a financial stakeholder in the foundation's mission to provide affordable tools and resources for school children. And you are working on a new project that will bring laptops to schools in more than 30 countries worldwide. In the next couple of sentences, explain the topic and the need for this research. State the global goal and what you want to achieve in the future. In one more sentence, note how you want to, the recipient to be involved. Ask for the funding agent's financial investment or probably some other kinds of assistance such as equipment or laboratory or some expert advice or a publication assistance. For example, our board realizes that the foundation cannot financially afford to accept all invitations for training partnerships. However, with your assistance we can at least develop a productive training schedule to meet the demand for our programs. Give basic information about the research team, the principal investigator, co-investigators if there are any. In case you already know that there is going to be a co-founder, state it in the letter, because it will increase credibility of your project. A very brief budget can be sent in the attachment, while the estimate sum required should be stated in the letter. You could also ask for other contacts if your project doesn't match the organization's priorities with the help of the following sentence. If you cannot consider awarding grant funds at this time, we are kindly asking for technical assistance in connecting with state agencies, councils, and foundations that may be potential site grant makers. Sign off the letter with looking forward to hearing from you soon. And then, state your position, the name of the organization, it's location, and contact information. If it is possible, put CEO of your organization in the copy when you send the email. This step shows that the top administrator of your organization is aware of your request for grant funding and increases your credibility
