64. Letters of Support (LOS)
By the end you'll be able to
- Name the elements of a high-impact letter of support.
- Write a model letter that a busy executive can sign in five minutes.
- Track ten or more letters across partners and deadlines.
- Distinguish letters that strengthen a proposal from letters that take up space.
Letters of support are the most underused asset in most proposals. The typical letter is a one-page template that says the writer is excited about the project and wishes the applicant well, and reviewers have learned to skim past them in seconds. A strong letter, by contrast, names specific commitments, quantifies them, and reads as if the writer actually understands the project. In this lesson you will learn how to solicit and structure letters that earn the reviewer's attention rather than wasting it.
You will learn the elements of a high-impact letter: a single-sentence statement of the writer's standing and relevance, a clear description of what the writer's organization will contribute (number of referrals, hours of staff time, dollars of in-kind value, named events or platforms), and a closing that ties those contributions to the proposal's outcomes. You will also learn how to draft a letter template that partners can edit on their own letterhead, how to manage the timing so letters arrive before your submission deadline, and how to handle situations where a key supporter sends back a generic letter that will not help your case.
By the end of this lesson you should be able to write a model letter that a busy executive can sign in five minutes, build a tracking sheet for ten or more letters across multiple partners, and tell the difference between a letter that strengthens a proposal and one that simply takes up space.
Common mistakes
These are the traps learners hit most often on this topic. Knowing them in advance is half the fix.
Treating all letters as equivalent.
A letter from a key implementation partner is worth ten letters from peripheral supporters. Prioritize the letters that demonstrate real partnership.
Soliciting letters two days before the deadline.
Partners need lead time to draft and route signatures. Start the letter campaign three to four weeks out.
Practice problems
Try each on paper first. Click Show solution only after you've made a real attempt.
- Problem 1Draft a 180-word model letter of support that a community clinic CEO can edit and sign within five minutes for a workforce development proposal.
Show solution
Dear Review Committee, I write to express the strong support of South Valley Community Clinic for [Applicant Organization]'s Health Workforce Pipeline proposal. As CEO of a federally qualified health center serving 18,000 patients across three sites, I have partnered with [Applicant] since 2022 on shared community-health-worker training, and I know their team and methods. If this proposal is funded, our clinic will host 12 paid clinical rotations per year for trainees in the program, with named preceptors in family medicine, behavioral health, and care coordination. We will also commit a 0.10 FTE clinical supervisor as a member of the program's advisory board for the full three-year project period. These commitments will allow trainees to complete the clinical hours required for certification and will give our clinic a pipeline of locally trained workforce. We are confident this program will measurably reduce vacancy rates in our region's primary care and behavioral health positions, and we look forward to the partnership. Sincerely, [Name and Title].
Practice quiz
- Question 1Which sentence is most useful to a reviewer reading a letter of support?
- Question 2Why do funders discount letters of support that all sound similar?
- Reflection 3Why is providing a draft template to partners both helpful and risky?
Lesson 64 recap
Letters of support work when they name specific commitments and sound like the writer. Templates accelerate the process, but distinctiveness wins the reviewer.
Coming next: Lesson 65 — Sustainability Models
Next, we tackle the question every reviewer eventually asks: what happens when the grant ends?
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