The Letter of Intent

In the grant announcement you may find a request to submit a letter of intent prior to filling out the complete grant application. However, this is not a binding obligation by the applicant. Some grant makers use this letter to determine whether the program is even something that they may be interested in funding.  

If this letter is required, the grant maker will state that you must submit a letter of intent by such and such a date to be able to submit a full proposal. Only those submitting this letter of intent by the specific deadline will be eligible to apply for this grant. This letter should be short and to the point and no longer that one page unless otherwise indicated. Some grant makers will supply a form that you just complete and send in by the deadline.

You will then be notified to proceed with a full proposal to be submitted by the deadline, if you have peaked their interest. I have discovered through the years that the vast majority of grant makers want your entire proposal right upfront by a given time, but I did want to make you aware of other options.  Only send a letter of intent when it’s requested. Remember that if this letter is required, then submit it by the deadline for the complete proposal submission.