How to Write a Letter for a School Grant

School districts are often struggling with budget cuts and inadequate funding for newer and better materials. However, many corporations and agencies offer assistance to school districts through the awarding of educational grants. Obtaining a grant can be complicated, but if the guidelines are followed precisely and the rationale for needing additional funds is convincing, schools may be successful in securing grant funding. The first document reviewed by the entity offering the grant is the cover letter. Below are some guidelines for writing a quality grant letter.

Things You'll Need

• Grant application
• Budget information
• List of materials requested

Instructions

1. Meet with colleagues and administrators to discuss grants available. Pick a grant suitable to the school's present needs. Ask the principal for permission to pursue the grant.

2. Review the grant proposal guidelines. Usually the guidelines will tell exactly what should be discussed in the cover letter. Ordinarily, the cover letter should summarize what the grant will be used for, how it will benefit the school and how much money will be needed.

3. Address the letter to the proper person who will be evaluating the grant proposal. This information should be available on the grant proposal documents provided by the entity offering grant assistance.

4. Clearly explain what the requested money will be used for. Don't just say something like "We will buy new reading materials." Instead be very specific and say something like "We will buy Dr. Seuss readers and accompanying tapes for our first grade classrooms to use during listening centers." Make sure to specify how much the materials will cost.

5. Explain how the requested monies and the items that will be bought with those monies will directly benefit the school or its students. Tell how student achievement and motivation will be increased. If possible, set a specific goal of raising student achievement by a certain percentage with the use of grant-funded materials.

6. Ask for a colleague to review the grant letter to check for grammatical errors and clarity. Make edits accordingly.

7. Send the grant letter along with other required documents to the specified address well before the grant deadline. Usually, grant requests received after the deadline will not be considered.