How to Write a Cover Letter for a Grant Proposal
A cover letter is a short introduction to the grant proposal and to the grant applicant, not a overview. A cover letter is used to apply for corporation, foundation, and local grants. State and federal government agencies typically do not want cover letters.
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Instructions
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Limit the cover letter to three short paragraphs, no more then one page. You do not want to over whelm the grant reviewers at this point.
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Be brief and to the point when writing a grant proposal cover letter. Edit the proposal a couple times, to make sure every statement is as brief as possible.
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Do not try to just rewrite information that is already in the proposal.
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Date the cover letter the day you will send the application, not the day you are typing up the grant proposal.
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Write the letter as if you were talking to a business professional. Keep the letter in professional terms at all times.
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Introduce the grant seeking organization in the first paragraph. Tell the grant reviewers why you are seeking the grant and what you are asking for. Keep statistics and researched data down to one key statement that shows the need for the grant funds.
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In the second paragraph, show the grant reviewers that you understand the funder's stated goals and requirements for the grant. This can be done by briefly describing how the applying foundation matches their requirements and fits within their mission statement.
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Write the closing paragraph to show the funding sources and grant reviewers how important the project is to the targeted population or community. This is the point of the paper where a grant writer can really pull on the heart strings of the readers. Just remember not to go over board.
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Print the cover letter to the grant proposal on company letter head. If the letter head does not include contact information make sure to include it at the bottom of the cover letter.
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Have the letter signed by the head ranking person of the applying organization or group. Their name should be typed directly below the signature.
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At the bottom have the cover letter for the grant proposal type ENCLOSURE in all caps.
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Tips & Warnings
Not all funding sources want grant applicants to send a cover letter with their grant proposal.
