Find and keep funding
Draft the letter the way this funder asks for it
Every funder wants something slightly different. Grantkeeper reads the guidelines first, then builds the letter in their order and limit, with every gap marked for you.
Fictional example.
Text it like this
Fictional example.
What Grantkeeper reads first
Send the link to the funder's guidelines or the PDF. Grantkeeper reads it for the order they want, word or page limits, required attachments, the deadline and its time zone, and anything they say they will not fund. If the guidelines and the online form disagree, it tells you instead of quietly picking one.
Candid describes a letter of inquiry as a short version of a proposal, usually no more than three pages, opening with your organization, the amount and the project, then the need, the approach, the organization, other funding and a brief close. Grantkeeper uses that shape when the funder gives none.
Where the facts come from
Numbers, dates, outcomes and names come from you, your Business Brief, past reports and the files you add. Nothing is invented to make the case sound stronger. A missing fact stays as a marked blank, such as [students served last year], and the list at the end tells you what to fill in. If you ran the fit check, the letter can mention the funder's related giving in plain words.
After the draft
You edit, sign and submit through the funder's own route. Grantkeeper can trim the draft to a tighter limit, write a Spanish summary for a board member, or turn the same facts into text for each box of an online form, ready to paste. If you keep a grant deadline register, it adds the date there.
When there are no guidelines
Some small family foundations post nothing at all. Then Grantkeeper drafts a short, general letter in Candid's shape, keeps it to about two pages, and suggests a first phone call or email to ask whether the foundation takes letters at all.
Funders read many letters. A clear, specific page about real people served usually does more than polished general language.
Sources: Candid Learning: what to include in a letter of inquiry
What you send
The guidelines link or PDF, the program, the amount you plan to request, and your latest numbers or last report.
What Grantkeeper prepares
A letter of inquiry draft in the funder's order and length, a checklist of the attachments it asks for, and a list of facts you still need to fill in.
What to keep in mind
Every number comes from you or your records. Missing facts stay as marked blanks, and you or your grant writer submit the letter.