Writing Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) with AI
Many foundations do not want a full proposal right away. Instead they ask for a letter of inquiry — a short, one-to-two-page letter that introduces your organization, the problem you address, your project, and your funding request. If they like it, they invite a full proposal. The LOI is your foot in the door, and it is the perfect first piece of grant writing to master with AI because it is short, structured, and high-stakes.
What You'll Learn
- What a letter of inquiry is and what funders look for in one
- The standard structure of a winning LOI
- A step-by-step AI workflow to draft and polish an LOI
- How to keep your authentic voice and avoid generic AI tone
What a Letter of Inquiry Is
An LOI (sometimes called a concept paper or pre-proposal) is a concise pitch. Its job is not to tell the funder everything — it is to earn an invitation to say more. Funders use LOIs to screen out poor-fit requests quickly, so brevity and clarity matter enormously. A rambling, vague LOI gets rejected; a tight, specific one gets the follow-up call.
A typical LOI runs 1–2 pages (often 400–800 words) and includes:
- Opening / hook — a sentence that connects your work to the funder's interests
- Organization introduction — who you are and your credibility, briefly
- Statement of need — the problem, with a concrete data point
- Project description — what you will do and who benefits
- The ask — the specific dollar amount and what it funds
- Closing — a thank-you and an invitation to continue the conversation
The AI Workflow for an LOI
Step 1: Gather Your Real Inputs
AI cannot invent the truth about your organization, so collect it first. Jot down: your mission, the specific problem, one real statistic, your project idea, the number of people served, the amount you are requesting, and why this funder fits. Five minutes of notes here produces a far better draft than any clever prompt.
Step 2: Generate a Structured First Draft
Hand Claude or ChatGPT your notes with a CRAFT-style prompt:
Act as an experienced grant writer. Draft a one-page letter of inquiry (about 500 words) to {funder name}, a foundation that funds {their focus}. Use these real details: {paste your notes}. Follow this structure: hook tied to the funder's interests, brief organization intro, statement of need with the data point, project description, a specific funding ask of {amount}, and a warm closing. Tone: confident, specific, and human — not generic.
You now have a complete draft built from true details, in the right structure, in under a minute.
Step 3: Tighten and Sharpen
LOIs are rejected for being vague far more often than for being too short. Push the draft to be more concrete:
Review this LOI. Flag every sentence that is vague, generic, or could apply to any nonprofit. For each, suggest a more specific, concrete rewrite using the real details I provided.
Then trim:
This LOI is 640 words. Cut it to under 500 without losing the data point or the specific ask. Remove filler and repetition.
Step 4: Match the Funder's Language
Funders respond to proposals that echo their own priorities. If the foundation talks about "building resilient communities," your LOI should connect to that idea. Try:
Here is the funder's mission statement: {paste}. Revise my LOI so it naturally connects our project to their stated priorities — without copying their words verbatim or sounding like flattery.
Step 5: Final Human Pass
Read it aloud. Does it sound like your organization, or like a robot? Add the small human touches AI cannot know: the name of the neighborhood you serve, a board member's connection to the funder, a beneficiary's first name (with permission). These specifics are what make a funder remember you.
Keeping Your Authentic Voice
AI has a recognizable "house style" — smooth, slightly corporate, a little generic. Funders read hundreds of letters and can sense it. Three ways to stay human:
- Feed it a sample. Paste a past letter or your website's about page and add: Match this voice and tone.
- Demand specificity. Replace any sentence that could describe "any nonprofit" with one only your organization could write.
- Edit by hand. Always make the final edits yourself, in your own words, especially the opening and closing lines.
A Quick Practice Exercise
Invent or use a real nonprofit. Write your notes (mission, problem, one statistic, project, people served, ask amount). Run the Step 2 prompt to generate an LOI. Then run the Step 3 "flag vague sentences" prompt and rewrite the three weakest lines yourself. Compare your edited version to the AI's original — you will instantly see how human specificity beats smooth generality. That comparison is the whole skill in miniature.
Key Takeaways
- An LOI is a short pitch (1–2 pages) whose only job is to earn an invitation to submit a full proposal
- The standard structure is hook, organization intro, need, project, specific ask, and closing
- Gather your real details first; AI drafts well only when given true inputs
- Use AI to draft, then to flag vague sentences, tighten word count, and mirror the funder's language
- Always finish with a human pass that adds specifics and restores your authentic voice