Check the inquiry process first
An inquiry is useful only when it fits the funder's process.
- Some funders use a portal
- If the instructions call for a specific form, use that form rather than sending a separate letter.
- Some accept a short email
- Follow the requested length, format, and contact route.
- Others do not accept unsolicited requests
- Check that the funder accepts inquiries before you write.
Record the source and date of the instructions you checked.
A complete foundation letter of inquiry sample
This teaching example is entirely fictional: the applicant, foundation, people, program rules, records, and amounts are invented. It is not an open funding opportunity or a successful application. Replace every claim with your own evidence and follow the real funder's instructions.
Fictional letter of inquiry
October 27, 2026 Example Arts Foundation Youth Arts Program Team
Subject: Eastside Saturday Arts — inquiry about an $8,000 request
Dear Youth Arts Program Team,
Eastside Community Arts requests consideration of an $8,000 grant toward Eastside Saturday Arts, a $10,000 project for 40 young people ages 11–14 in Riverton's Eastside neighborhood. We propose 20 free Saturday workshops from January through May 2027, with two teaching artists leading each workshop.
Our spring 2026 pilot registration records show that 26 young people attended and 12 more remained on the waiting list. In follow-up conversations, participating families asked for a longer program with materials included. The proposed workshops respond to that documented demand through drawing, printmaking, and collaborative art projects, with supplies provided at no charge.
Our program director will coordinate enrollment, family communication, and attendance. The two teaching artists who delivered the pilot will lead the workshops. We aim for at least 32 of the 40 participants to attend 15 or more workshops and complete a small portfolio. We will track attendance and use a beginning-and-end participant reflection to assess progress, then summarize participation and lessons learned for the foundation.
The $10,000 budget includes $6,000 for 40 teaching-artist sessions at $150 each, $2,000 for materials, $1,500 for 20 days of venue use, and $500 for outreach printing. The requested $8,000 would cover $5,000 of artist costs, all materials, $500 of venue costs, and all printing. We plan to cover the remaining $2,000 from organizational resources; that contribution is not yet committed. We will confirm it before proceeding.
Your Youth Arts program guidelines describe support for nonprofit arts activities for young people in Riverton and invite an initial inquiry before a full proposal. Our proposed audience, location, and activities appear to fit those priorities. We would welcome your guidance on whether our applicant status, project dates, and proposed costs meet the program's current requirements.
May we submit a full proposal through your inquiry process? If invited, we can provide a detailed budget, workshop schedule, and pilot participation summary in your required format. Thank you for considering this inquiry.
Sincerely, Maya Chen Program Director, Eastside Community Arts maya@example.org
Use facts you can stand behind
- Replace generic claims with current project or program evidence.
- Explain who benefits and what the team will actually deliver.
- Keep proposed outcomes distinct from achievements that have already occurred.
- Use the same request and total cost as the working project budget.
- Confirm permission to name partners or describe their commitments.
Plan a respectful follow-up
Record when and how the inquiry was sent, who owns the next step, and any published response timeline.
Follow-up record
- Sent
- When and how the inquiry was sent
- Owner
- Who owns the next step
- Response timeline
- Any timeline the funder publishes
Follow the funder's contact preferences. A short inquiry is an introduction, not an invitation to send repeated messages or a promise that a full proposal will be requested.