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by Dr. A. A. Baker
  We will assume that you have done your homework and that you have some point of contact with the foundation to whom you are writing. This contact might have come from an introduction provided by a board member (their board or yours) or by a friend, or it might have come from an introduction gained by your personal visit to the foundation office. (Whom you know is important!) In addition, we will assume that your research shows that your organization fits the guidelines of the foundation and that you've determined the average size of the grant they award.
You can now begin writing the one-page cover letter. The letter may well determine whether or not anyone reads the actual proposal.
Below are two possible short, straightforward introductory paragraphs. Once the opening is made, proceed directly to the purpose of the proposal.
Dear Mr. Director:
It was good to meet you. Thank you for your advice. Thank you for considering our proposal.
Dear Mr. Director:
Our mutual friend, George Stillingham, spoke with you concerning the Grass Lake Crisis Pregnancy Center. Thank you for considering our proposal.
The Grass Lake Crisis Pregnancy Center began serving our community in 1989. Each year we have provided help, hope, and encouragement to over two thousand women (most under the age of eighteen).
Our two full-time staff members and ten trained volunteers daily provide _________________, ____________, _______________, and __________________ in an atmosphere of warmth and compassion. We are the only "family" to whom most of these girls can turn.
We estimate that ninety percent of those whom we counsel choose life. We are thrilled by these results, but we must do more.
Right now we must turn away (reschedule) an average of ten young ladies a day because we just don't have enough room. Some of them never return.
We must not lose these opportunities to minister. We need more room. It is a matter of life or death.
I have enclosed a proposal to the Nelson Foundation requesting a grant of $10,000 to help us build a new annex to our existing building. This would greatly expand our capacity, and then no one would be turned away.
Thank you for considering our request. Please call me if I can provide additional information.
Yours for life,
Mary Martin,
Director
Now it is time to prepare the Executive Summary. This is a one-page version of your longer proposal.
Executive Summary
Organization: Grass Lakes Crisis Pregnancy Center, 211 Oak St., Grass Lake, NE 60541.
Purposes: To provide crisis pregnancy counseling for more than two thousand women each year. Most are under the age of eighteen. To provide an abstinence education program to area children, ages 10 to 17.
Grant Request: $10,000.
Grant Use: To expand existing facility by adding a 1,000-square-foot annex that will provide increased capacity. The center currently must reschedule as many as ten individuals a day due to lack of space.
Project Deadline: Construction will begin as soon as all funding is received. To date, $20,000 of the $30,000 needed is in hand.
For More Information: Contact Mary Martin, Center Director at (405) 769-1800.
Your letter should be attached to the proposal and accompanied by a foundation application, if necessary, and supporting documents and brochures.
A. A. Baker is president of A. A. Baker Communications. He is a development consultant for Christian ministries. He may be contacted at his office: 2718-B Wade Hampton Blvd., Greenville, SC 29615. Phone: (864) 244-5711.
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