Letter of Intent Grant Example: 5-Step Template (2026)

By Aoba Works · Published October 30, 2026 · 18 min read

How this guide was made: drafted with AI assistance from the official sources linked below, then passed an automated editorial check before publishing. Our process

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A good letter of intent grant example follows the funder's own rules line by line. It's a short pre-application that gives the opportunity number, who you are, what you plan to do and who is involved, written in the exact fields and length the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) asks for. For federal grants, those rules come from the NOFO's "Submission Requirements and Deadlines" section, which 2 CFR 200 Appendix I says must cover "any preliminary submissions, such as letters of intent, white papers, or pre-applications." The template below follows those rules, with versions for NSF, DOE SBIR and private foundations.

Which option is right for you?

The right LOI depends on who is funding the work. Find your situation below and open the page in the last column before you write anything.

Quick reasons: a beginner needs the NOFO's own fields more than a generic template. Researchers need the agency portal, because NSF won't take LOIs through Grants.gov. Anyone short on budget gets the most from a free reviewer who can read the NOFO alongside the draft.

What Is a Letter of Intent for a Grant?

A letter of intent for a grant is a short pre-proposal that tells a funder you plan to apply. It summarizes the project and the people involved before you send the full application.

Federal agencies use LOIs mostly to plan peer review. NSF explains that "the predominant reason for its use is to help NSF program staff gauge the size and range of the competition, enabling earlier selection and better management of reviewers and panelists," and that an LOI "is not externally evaluated or used to decide on funding" (NSF PAPPG 24-1, Chapter I). That is why federal LOIs are usually dry and factual. Their job is to let the agency pick the right reviewers. Persuasion comes later, in the full application.

Being "non-binding" doesn't make it optional. NSF states that "failure to submit a required LOI identified in a program solicitation will result in a full proposal not being accepted or returned without review" (NSF PAPPG). In earlier DOE SBIR/STTR cycles the LOI was mandatory too. DOE would not accept an application from anyone who missed the LOI deadline (DOE PAMS help).

Federal LOIs come in three types:

• Required LOI (NSF solicitations that say "required," older DOE SBIR cycles). If you miss it, you can't apply.
• Optional or "encouraged" LOI. Some HRSA programs encourage an LOI by email, but you can still apply without one (HRSA Poison Control Centers FAQ).
• No LOI at all. NIH now falls here (see the NIH section below).

Common mistake: treating "not binding" as "not needed." The fix is to search the NOFO for "letter of intent," "LOI," "preliminary" and "pre-application," then put every hit's due date on your calendar.

How to Write a Letter of Intent for a Grant

Use five steps: get the NOFO's LOI rules, prove eligibility, summarize the project, add people, dates and money only if asked, then close with contacts and a signature.

1. Pull the requirements from the NOFO. Under the 2024 version of 2 CFR 200 Appendix I, every NOFO has a "Basic Information" section whose key dates include "any letters of intent or preapplications." It also has a "Submission Requirements and Deadlines" section with the LOI instructions. Copy the opportunity number, Assistance Listing number, LOI due date and time zone, page or word limit, required fields and submission method into one checklist.
2. State eligibility in the NOFO's terms. The "Eligibility" section lists eligible entity types, any added restrictions, PI or project director requirements and any limit on how many applications one applicant may submit (Appendix I). Write one sentence that uses the same entity type the NOFO uses, such as "a 501(c)(3) nonprofit" or "a for-profit small business concern."
3. Summarize the project in enough detail to choose reviewers. NSF wants a synopsis "that describes the work in sufficient detail to permit an appropriate selection of reviewers" (PAPPG). Name the field, the method, the population or technology, and the problem. Keep it specific. "Machine-learning analysis of student handwriting data for grades 3-5 fractions" tells the agency which reviewers to find. "Innovative approach to education" doesn't.
4. Add people, partners and, only if requested, dollars and dates. NSF LOIs list the PI, possible participating organizations and a title. DOE SBIR LOIs also listed senior or key personnel and subcontractors or consultants (DOE PAMS). Leave the budget out unless the NOFO asks for it. Neither the NSF nor the DOE LOI field list includes one.
5. Close with contact details and the right signer. Give the PI's name, title, email and phone, plus the organization's authorized official if the agency requires one. On Research.gov, a PI, SPO or AOR can submit, but if the solicitation requires AOR submission, the PI or SPO must share the LOI with the AOR (Research.gov).

Before step 5, check your registrations. Portals such as Research.gov and DOE PAMS need registered users. DOE notes that "the PI and Business Official must each be registered in PAMS" (DOE PAMS). The full application will also need SAM.gov and Grants.gov, so start those now using Grants.gov vs SAM.gov: Registration Order in 4 Steps.

Common mistakes and how to fix them:

Letter of Intent Grant Format (Federal NOFO Structure)

A federal LOI's format comes from the NOFO's own sections, not from a standard nonprofit letter. In practice that means the identifiers, the eligible applicant, the project synopsis, the people involved and a signature or portal submission.

Since the 2024 revision of the Uniform Guidance, NOFOs follow nine sections in this order: Basic Information, Eligibility, Program Description, Application Contents and Format, Submission Requirements and Deadlines, Application Review Information, Award Notices, Post-Award Requirements and Administration, and an optional Other Information (2 CFR 200 Appendix I). Older NOFOs and some agency templates still use different numbering or headings, so match the headings in your NOFO. Each part of your LOI should answer one of those sections:

The NOFO that most clearly shows how fixed these formats can be is NSF 26-501, the Collaboratory to Advance Mathematics Education and Learning for K-12 (CAMEL). It required LOIs by January 9, 2026 at 5 p.m. local time to be eligible for a Phase I proposal. Titles had to begin with "CAMEL-CN:". The synopsis was capped at one page in a single PDF no larger than 10 MB. It had to cover the project's goals, network composition, dataset, impact, training needs, up to five comma-separated keywords and a Phase 1a/1b designation (NSF 26-501). That deadline has passed, but the solicitation is a good model of how much detail a federal LOI format can set.

The money conversation belongs in the full application, not the LOI. When you get there, Grant Proposal Budget Example: SF-424A Math in 5 Steps walks through the budget forms.

Letter of Intent Grant Example (Full Template)

A full federal LOI example ties every paragraph to a NOFO requirement. That way a reviewer, or a compliance screener, can check each item off quickly.

The example below is fictional. The organization, people and project are invented. It uses the NSF-style fields (title, synopsis, PI, organizations) because those are the most widely published federal LOI rules. The bracketed notes show which NOFO section each line answers. Delete the notes before you submit.

LETTER OF INTENT
[Basic Information] Opportunity: NSF 26-501 (example) | LOI due: [date, time, time zone]
[Submission Requirements] Submitted via Research.gov

Title: CAMEL-CN: Fraction Reasoning Data Network for Grades 3-5
[Submission Requirements — required title prefix]

Lead organization: Riverbend Learning Lab (example), Columbus, OH
Eligibility: Riverbend Learning Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research
organization, an eligible organization type under the solicitation's
Eligibility section. [Eligibility — use the NOFO's exact entity wording]

Principal Investigator: Dr. Jane Example, Director of Research
jane.example@riverbend.example | (555) 010-0000
Co-PIs / senior personnel: Dr. Sam Placeholder (State University, example)
Participating organizations: State University (example); two partner
school districts (example)
[LOI instructions — people and organizations]

Synopsis (one page):
Goals and math domain. We will build a research network studying how
students in grades 3-5 reason about fraction magnitude, combining
classroom assessment data with data-science methods. [Program Description]

Network and expertise. The team combines learning scientists,
mathematics educators and data scientists; the partner districts
provide classroom access. [solicitation item: network composition]

Dataset. We will re-purpose de-identified, district-held assessment
data and justify its value for answering fraction-reasoning questions.
[solicitation item: dataset — new or re-purposed]

Expected impact and training needs. [one or two sentences each]

Keywords: grades 3-5, fractions, assessment data, learning analytics,
mathematics education
Phase designation: Phase 1b (existing dataset)
[solicitation items: keywords, phase designation]

To submit an NSF LOI in Research.gov:

1. Sign in to Research.gov with the PI, SPO or AOR role. Those are the roles that can start and submit an LOI (Research.gov).
2. Start a new letter of intent for the solicitation and fill in the three fields Research.gov always requires: LOI Title, Project Synopsis and the associated PI. Then add whatever the solicitation also asks for, such as senior personnel, participating organizations or the Other Comments field.
3. Go through the submission wizard. Research.gov uses the same three-step wizard for LOIs and proposals: "Review Proposal Information," click Next, "Review Certifications," check the box and click Next, then sign and submit (Research.gov guidance via NSF resources).
4. Keep the LOI ID. When you prepare the full proposal, enter it in the Cover Sheet field labeled "Letter of Intent ID Number" and save. A green confirmation message and a blue information banner show that the link worked (Research.gov).

For an agency that takes LOIs by email, keep the same body. Put the opportunity number and your organization name in the subject line, attach a PDF if the NOFO asks for one, and send it to the exact address in the NOFO. If you can't find a stated email format, ask the program contact listed in the NOFO before the due date.

NIH Grant Letter of Intent Example

The current NIH grant letter of intent example is no letter at all. NIH stopped requesting and accepting LOIs on December 3, 2025.

The notice is NOT-OD-26-019, "Updated Application Policies: NIH Administrative Burden Reduction Effort — Removal of Requirements for Letters of Intent and Unsolicited Applications Requesting $500,000 or More in Direct Costs." It says NIH had occasionally requested LOIs to estimate review workload and recruit reviewers, but an LOI "was never required, binding, nor considered during the peer review process." With peer review now centralized at the Center for Scientific Review, NIH dropped LOIs, and LOIs that are sent "will not be acknowledged nor reviewed" (NOT-OD-26-019 summary, UCSF OSR). The same notice also removed the requirement to get Institute or Center approval before submitting an application that asks for $500,000 or more in direct costs in any one budget period.

Many templates online still show the old NIH format. Before the change, NIH institutes typically asked for an LOI about 30 days before the due date, containing a descriptive title, the PI's name, address and phone, other key personnel, participating institutions, and the number and title of the NOFO (NIAID, Letters of Intent). If you find a NOFO that still lists an LOI date, check whether it was published before December 3, 2025. If it was, the notice above overrides that date.

What NIH applicants can do instead:

• Email the scientific or research contact listed in the NOFO with a one-paragraph summary and your specific aims. This is an informal conversation, not an LOI.
• Spend the time on the specific aims page, which reviewers will actually read.
• Make sure your eRA Commons, SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations are current.

Common mistake: sending a formal LOI to NIH because an old institutional checklist says to. Nobody will read it. Update the checklist to point to NOT-OD-26-019.

Letter of Intent Grant Proposal Example (Research Grant)

A research grant LOI condenses the planned work into a short, technical abstract that agency staff use to screen for fit and to assign reviewers. Some programs go further and use a full preliminary proposal to decide who may apply.

There are two federal formats for researchers. NSF LOIs, described above, are a one-page synopsis plus metadata. NSF also uses preliminary proposals, which are longer and submitted through Research.gov. They come back marked either "Invite/Not Invite," which decides whether you can submit a full proposal, or "Encourage/Discourage," which is advice only (PAPPG). If your solicitation says "preliminary proposal," don't send a one-page LOI.

DOE SBIR/STTR LOIs show what a small-business research LOI looks like. In cycles that used an LOI in PAMS, DOE required the project title (matching the later Grants.gov submission), the PI's name, title and contact details, the small business name, the NOFO number, the topic number and subtopic letter, senior or key personnel, and subcontractors or consultants. The technical abstract was limited to 500 words and two pages, with 1-inch margins and body text no smaller than 11 point. Any figures and references had to fit inside those two pages, and proprietary information wasn't allowed (DOE PAMS, Drafting your LOI).

Here is an example technical abstract opening (fictional, about 120 words of the 500 allowed):

Topic 12, Subtopic b (example). Acme Sensors LLC (example) proposes a
low-cost fiber-optic temperature sensor for monitoring grid-scale battery
cells. Thermal runaway detection today relies on sparse thermocouples
that can miss localized hot spots. Our approach embeds a distributed
optical sensing line along each module, giving continuous temperature
profiles. Phase I will test whether the sensor detects a simulated
hot spot within the response time stated in the subtopic, using a
bench-scale module at our partner lab (example). Success would
establish feasibility for a Phase II pilot with a utility partner.
Market: stationary storage integrators (one sentence, optional).

Check the current cycle before you copy this format. DOE's FY2026 Genesis Mission SBIR/STTR Phase I opportunity asked first for a pitch with "4 open-text questions" under strict word counts, due September 10, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET. About 40 awards totaling $10M were planned, with each proposal capped at $250,000 ($256,500 with TABA) (DOE SBIR/STTR program site, as of October 2026). Industry commentary describes this pitch as replacing the Phase I LOI for that opportunity (MNSBIR). The writing skill is the same, though: a specific problem, a testable approach, and topic fit. For the rest of the SBIR process, see SBIR Grants: How to Apply in 6 Steps.

Pitfalls specific to research LOIs:

• Writing the topic number wrong. A wrong subtopic letter can send your LOI to the wrong program manager. Copy it straight from the topics document.
• Listing senior personnel at the LOI stage, then quietly adding new ones later. Agencies use the LOI names to screen reviewers for conflicts of interest. If the team changes, ask the program contact how to update it.
• Treating "Encourage/Discourage" feedback as final. It's advice only. "Not Invite" is the decision that ends your eligibility.

Letter of Inquiry vs. Letter of Intent for a Grant

A letter of inquiry is a foundation's first-round pitch. A federal letter of intent is a fixed-format step listed in a NOFO. Both get called "LOI," but they do different jobs.

Candid's recommended sections for a letter of inquiry are an introduction that "serves as the executive summary" (organization name, amount requested, project description), an organization description, a statement of need, methodology, other funding sources, and a final summary that thanks the funder (Candid). That is the letter of inquiry template most foundations expect.

For example, if a community health nonprofit writes to a family foundation, its first paragraph might read: "Eastside Health Partners (example) requests $40,000 (example) to train 12 (example) community health workers serving two ZIP codes with the county's lowest primary-care access." A federal LOI for a health program would instead open with the opportunity number and the eligibility sentence, and may not mention a dollar amount at all.

Letter of Intent for Funding Example (Private/Corporate Grants)

A letter of intent for private or corporate funding is usually one to two pages. It focuses on how the work fits the funder's mission and what it will achieve, not on federal compliance language.

Foundation guidelines differ, but they are usually specific. The Anschutz Family Foundation asks for a "brief one- to two-page Letter of Inquiry" covering your programs, the populations you serve, your geographic focus, your current funding and how the grant would be used, plus your IRS determination letter. You submit it through its grantee portal by choosing "Submit a Letter of Inquiry" and clicking "Apply." Inquiries sent within three weeks of its January 15 or July 1 deadlines may roll to the next cycle, and staff typically reply within three to four weeks (Anschutz Family Foundation, as of October 2026). The Butler Foundation caps its letter at two pages and wants a preliminary budget and other potential funders included (Butler Foundation). So the budget rule depends on the funder, and you should follow each funder's page.

A one-page example structure (fictional):

Dear [Program Officer name from the funder's site],

Riverbend Learning Lab (example) requests $25,000 (example) for an
after-school fractions tutoring program for 60 (example) fourth-graders
in [county], which matches your Education priority. [ask + fit]

The need: [one local, sourced statistic]. [need]

What we will do: [two or three sentences: who, how often, how measured]. [method]

Why us: [one sentence of track record]. [capacity]

Other support: [other funders approached or committed]. [other funding]

Thank you for considering this inquiry. I can provide a full proposal
and budget on request. [summary]

[Name, title, email, phone]

Pitfalls with private funders:

• Sending one generic letter to many foundations. Name the funder's own priority area in the first paragraph.
• Ignoring the portal. Several foundations now accept LOIs only through their portal, so a mailed letter may never reach the reviewer.
• Sending to a nonprofit-only funder without a 501(c)(3). If you don't have that status, read Grants for Nonprofits Without 501c3: 4 Paths Compared first.

Next steps

The fastest progress today comes from checking your NOFO's LOI rules and drafting against them.

Things you can do yourself today:

1. Open your NOFO and search for "letter of intent," "preliminary" and "pre-application." Copy the due date, time zone, submission method, length limit and required fields into one checklist.
2. Make sure everyone who needs portal access has it (Research.gov roles, PAMS registration for the PI and business official, or the funder's grantee portal).
3. Draft the LOI using the template above and delete the bracketed NOFO notes. Then have one colleague tick each NOFO requirement against your draft.

If you'd rather not do it alone:

• University researchers can usually go to their sponsored programs office, which typically handles portal roles and compliance review at no charge to faculty. It won't write your science for you.
• Small businesses can get free, confidential one-on-one advising through a Small Business Development Center. There are about 63 lead centers and nearly 1,000 service locations (SBA counseling; CRS). This suits first-time federal applicants. It's less suited to deep technical review of a research abstract, and availability varies by location.
• Nonprofits looking for foundation prospects can use Candid's paid database. Third-party reports put Candid Premium at about $1,199 per year or $219 per month at nonprofit rates (as of 2026; check the official Candid page) (GrantSights). It helps you find funders and their LOI rules, but it doesn't write or review your letter, and it adds little if you're only pursuing federal NOFOs.

Related guides on this site:

• How to Write Grants for Nonprofits: Federal Proposal Guide
• SF-424 Instructions: Field-by-Field Table and Steps (2026)
• Grants.gov vs SAM.gov: Registration Order in 4 Steps (2026)

FAQ

What is letter of intent example?

It's a sample of a short pre-application letter showing what a funder expects before the full application. For federal grants, a useful example follows a specific NOFO's fields, such as NSF's title, one-page synopsis and PI. Generic samples often include budgets or persuasive language that federal LOIs don't need.

What does a letter of intent grant application example include?

A federal example includes the opportunity number, the applicant and its eligibility, a descriptive title, a project synopsis, the PI and key personnel, and any partner organizations. DOE SBIR LOIs also listed the topic and subtopic plus subcontractors. Add a requested amount only if the NOFO asks for one.

What is the letter of intent grant format?

There's no single federal form. Under 2 CFR 200 Appendix I, each NOFO's "Submission Requirements and Deadlines" section sets the LOI instructions. Typical limits include NSF's one-page synopsis and DOE SBIR's 500-word, two-page technical abstract with 11-point minimum body text.

Is there a letter of inquiry grant template for foundations?

Yes. Candid's structure is the common starting point: introduction (organization, amount, project), organization description, statement of need, methodology, other funding sources and a closing summary, in no more than three pages. Always check the foundation's own page first, because many set a one- to two-page limit or require their portal.

Sources

• 2 CFR 200 Appendix I — Full Text of Notice of Funding Opportunity (Cornell LII)
• NSF PAPPG 24-1, Chapter I: Pre-Submission Information
• Research.gov — Proposal Preparation and Submission
• Research.gov — How to Submit LOIs and Proposals (PDF)
• NSF 26-501: Collaboratory to Advance Mathematics Education and Learning for K-12
• NIH NOT-OD-26-019
• UCSF OSR — NIH Eliminates LOIs and $500K Prior-Approval Requirement
• NIAID — Letters of Intent
• DOE PAMS — Drafting your LOI
• DOE PAMS — Submitting Your Letter of Intent
• DOE SBIR/STTR — FY26 Genesis Mission Phase I
• MNSBIR — DOE Genesis Mission Pitch-First Process
• HRSA Poison Control Centers Program FAQ
• Candid — What should be included in a letter of inquiry?
• Anschutz Family Foundation — Letter of Inquiry
• Butler Foundation — How to Apply
• SBA — Free small business counseling
• Congressional Research Service — The SBA's Small Business Development Centers Program
• GrantSights — Candid pricing 2026

Spotted something out of date or wrong? Tell us at shigoto.ai.note@gmail.com. Guides are re-checked against official sources on a rolling schedule.