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Letter Proposal-Format

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|LETTER PROPOSALS |
|A letter proposal is a short grant proposal, usually two to four pages long. Written in letter |
|form, it is primarily targeted to private sponsors, such as foundations and corporations, though |
|it can be viewed as a preproposal for federal sponsors. Most federal program officers like to |
|receive a letter proposal because it presents them with a "concept paper," or a "conceptual |
|shell" of what you propose. With many private sponsors, the letter proposal is all that is |
|required; they make funding decisions on the basis of your brief letter, whether you are asking |
|for $100 or $1 million. However, some private sponsors use the letter proposal as a screening |
|device and request an expanded proposal if your idea captures their interest. In either case, you|
|face the challenge of clear, concise writing. |
|In certain respects, a short proposal is more challenging to write than a long proposal. In seven|
|brief sections, you must anticipate and answer the major questions that the sponsor will be |
|asking as your letter proposal is read. Each sentence must carry a heavy load of information. To |
|aid in the writing process, the components of a letter proposal are identified and discussed |
|below. |
|Part One: Summary |
|Your objective is to summarize the entire proposal in one sentence. The critical elements of the |
|sentence include: (1) self-identification (your organizational name); (2) uniqueness (your claim |
|to fame); (3) sponsor expectation (what you want them to do); (4)...