LOIs & Concept Papers

Drafts a one to two page letter of inquiry to a private foundation, structured around the foundation's stated funding interests. Use it when a foundation's guidelines call for an LOI before a full proposal.

## Context
You are helping a nonprofit development professional draft a letter of inquiry to [FOUNDATION NAME], a private foundation whose stated priorities are [FOUNDATION PRIORITIES]. The organization seeking funding is [ORG NAME], a [ORG TYPE , e.g., 501(c)(3) community health organization] based in [LOCATION]. The project seeking support is [PROJECT NAME], and the amount requested in the LOI is [REQUEST AMOUNT]. The contact at the foundation, if known, is [FOUNDATION CONTACT , or "not specified"]. The LOI is due [DUE DATE].

## Task
Draft a letter of inquiry of no more than two pages. Structure it as follows:
1. Opening paragraph: name the project, the amount requested, and the single clearest connection between this project and the foundation's priorities.
2. Organizational credibility paragraph: one to two sentences on [ORG NAME]'s track record, reach, and the communities it serves.
3. Project description: the problem, the approach, the population served, and the expected scope. Use the facts I provide in [PROJECT FACTS].
4. Alignment paragraph: draw explicit connections between this project and the foundation's stated priorities. Reference specific priority language from [FOUNDATION PRIORITIES].
5. Closing: a clear ask, named contact, and next-step invitation.

## Standards
- One to two pages when printed. No attachments described unless the foundation's guidelines request them.
- Plain, direct prose. No sector jargon like "leverage," "holistic," or "synergy."
- Do not invent statistics, program outcomes, geographic reach, budget figures, or funder names. Every number and claim must come from the facts I supply in [PROJECT FACTS].
- Do not present this letter as a guarantee of funding or predict whether it will succeed.
- If [FOUNDATION PRIORITIES] is vague or [PROJECT FACTS] is incomplete, ask me what is missing before drafting.

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

[Riverside Youth Coalition letterhead]
June 13, 2026

Ms. Patricia Olson
Program Officer, Education and Youth Development
Hartfield Foundation

Dear Ms. Olson,

Riverside Youth Coalition requests $50,000 from the Hartfield Foundation to expand our after-school literacy program to two additional elementary schools in the Riverside Unified School District, serving 180 additional students in grades 2 through 5 during the 2026-2027 school year.

Riverside Youth Coalition is a 501(c)(3) organization that has served low-income youth and families in Riverside County since 2011. Our current after-school programs reach 420 students across four sites, with 78 percent of participants reading at or above grade level by the end of the program year, compared to 51 percent at enrollment.

Riverside Unified's most recent assessment data show that 62 percent of students at Garfield and Lincoln Elementary are reading below grade level. Both schools serve populations that are more than 80 percent eligible for free or reduced lunch, and neither currently has a structured after-school literacy program. Our model pairs certified reading coaches with small groups of six to eight students for 90-minute sessions three days per week. The $50,000 request covers coach salaries, materials, and site coordination for one full school year.

The Hartfield Foundation's stated commitment to closing the opportunity gap for low-income students aligns directly with what this expansion addresses: students who arrive at middle school without foundational reading skills face compounding disadvantages that follow them through high school and into the workforce. Riverside Youth Coalition's model has a documented record of closing that gap, and this grant would extend that record to two schools where no comparable program currently exists.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this project further. Our Executive Director, Maria Gutierrez, is available at [email protected] or 951-555-0182. We are happy to provide additional materials at your request.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Maria Gutierrez
Executive Director, Riverside Youth Coalition

Drafts a concise, data-anchored problem statement for an LOI or concept paper. Use it when you need to open a funding pitch with a clear, credible case for why the problem you address is real and urgent.

## Context
You are helping a grant writer at [ORGANIZATION NAME], a [ORGANIZATION TYPE : e.g., community health nonprofit, youth workforce program] serving [TARGET POPULATION] in [SERVICE AREA]. The organization is preparing a letter of intent or concept paper for [FUNDER NAME OR TYPE : e.g., a community foundation, the state arts council]. The program area is [PROGRAM AREA : e.g., food access, job training, early literacy]. The writer has supplied these verified data points to support the problem statement: [DATA POINTS : source, statistic, and year for each].

## Task
Draft a problem statement of 150 to 200 words. Structure it in three moves:
1. Open with a specific local or population-level fact that makes the problem concrete and immediate.
2. Connect the local condition to a pattern or gap. Use only the data points supplied above.
3. Close with a one-sentence bridge that positions [ORGANIZATION NAME] as the logical respondent, without overpromising outcomes.

## Standards
- Use only the data points the writer supplied. Do not add statistics, prevalence figures, dollar amounts, or citations from your own knowledge. If a supplied data point lacks a source or year, flag it and ask before using it.
- Write in plain language. Avoid jargon the funder would have to decode.
- Do not use the words "holistic," "seamless," "robust," "transform," or "game-changer."
- No bullet lists. Paragraph form only.
- The bridge sentence states what [ORGANIZATION NAME] does, not what it will achieve. Outcome claims belong in the program description, not here.
- If [DATA POINTS] is empty or contains unsourced numbers, stop and ask the writer to supply verified figures before drafting.

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

In Garfield County, one in four households cannot reliably afford food, a rate 40 percent higher than the state average (USDA Economic Research Service, 2023). That gap is sharpest among families with children under six: county school data show that 62 percent of kindergarteners enrolled in 2023 qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the nearest food pantry is more than twelve miles from the two zip codes with the highest concentration of those families (Garfield County School District, 2023; Cedar Valley Food Bank service map, 2023). The problem is not a shortage of food assistance in the region. It is a distribution gap that leaves the youngest children in the hardest-to-reach households without a consistent source of groceries. Cedar Valley Food Bank operates the only mobile pantry in the county and has served the 74201 and 74203 zip codes weekly since 2019.