What Is a Letter of Inquiry? Records Requests and Grant Letters

A letter of inquiry is a short written request sent to an organization to ask for something specific before any longer process begins. In practice, the phrase covers two very different documents: a formal request to a government agency for records or information, and a brief preview sent to a foundation or funder before a full grant application. What goes in the letter, and what rules govern the response, depend on which of those you are writing.

The Two Kinds of Letters of Inquiry

A government records request is a written letter asking a federal, state, or local agency to release documents or answer questions about its operations or your own records. At the federal level, the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 control what the agency must provide, how fast it must respond, and what it can hold back. State and local open-records laws run on their own deadlines and procedures.

A grant letter of inquiry, often shortened to LOI, is a one- or two-page proposal summary sent to a private foundation or government funder before a full grant application. Many funders require an LOI so they can screen projects for fit before anyone invests time in a full review. These letters follow the funder’s own instructions, not a statute.

The two documents look nothing alike. A records request is a formal legal notice with identification details, statutory citations, and a precise description of what you want. A grant LOI is a persuasive pitch that explains a problem and your plan to address it. Figure out which you need before you start drafting.

Writing a Government Records Request

A valid FOIA request only has to meet two legal requirements: it must be in writing, and it must reasonably describe the records you want.¹ Everything else is practical craft that keeps the agency from stalling or kicking the request back for clarification.

Open with your full name, mailing address, email, and phone number. If the records relate to a specific case, account, or file, include any reference numbers that will help staff locate them. State the law you are invoking at the top of the letter and on the envelope. A line like “This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552” tells the mailroom exactly where to route it.²

In the body, describe the records with enough specificity that the agency can find them without guessing. Give dates, names, the department or program likely to hold the file, and the type of document you want: emails, inspection reports, contracts, memos. Broad asks like “all records related to” a sprawling topic invite the agency to come back with clarification questions, which pauses the response clock.³

Close by stating whether you agree to pay fees (a line like “I agree to pay fees up to $25” lets processing start immediately) or by requesting a fee waiver with your reasons, and ask for a written response.

FOIA vs. Privacy Act for Your Own Records

If you are after your own personal records rather than general agency documents, you may need to file under the Privacy Act, either instead of FOIA or alongside it. A Privacy Act request must include a statement that you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, the name of the records system you believe holds your file, and verification of your identity.² Say whether you want to inspect the records in person or receive copies by mail.

Identity can be verified with a copy of a government-issued photo ID bearing your signature, or with a signed statement under penalty of perjury that you are the person named in the request.² Some agencies also accept notarized identity statements.

Requesting Records About Someone Else

FOIA lets anyone request records about government operations regardless of personal connection. Personal records about another individual are different. Under the Privacy Act, an agency generally cannot release someone else’s personal records without that person’s prior written consent.⁴ The consent has to be specific enough to identify the types of records or the purposes for which disclosure is authorized; a blanket “release everything to anyone” is not enough.⁵ If you are an attorney, guardian, or authorized representative, attach a signed authorization from the person whose records you are seeking.

Sensitive Information and Attachments

Limit what you expose in the letter itself. Where a full Social Security number or date of birth is not strictly necessary, redact to the last four digits or just the year. If the agency says it needs more, call first and ask whether a partial identifier or alternative will do.

Never mail originals. Send photocopies of identification, account statements, or earlier correspondence, and keep the originals. For letters that carry financial or medical details, certified mail or a secure agency portal is safer than ordinary email.

If your inquiry builds on a prior dispute or request, include labeled copies of the relevant correspondence. Mark each one clearly (“Attachment A — Agency Response dated March 10, 2025”) and reference the label in the body so the reviewer can connect your points to the proof without hunting.

Writing a Grant Letter of Inquiry

A grant LOI runs one to two pages and functions as a preview of the full proposal. Read the funder’s website first; many foundations publish exact formatting rules, and ignoring them is the fastest way to get screened out.

A standard grant LOI covers:

Introduction. Your name, your role, your organization, the program you want funded, and the amount you are requesting.
Statement of need. A brief explanation of the problem your project addresses and who it affects.
Proposed approach. What the program will do, with specific activities and measurable goals.
Organizational background. A few sentences on your qualifications and track record.
Closing. A thank-you, your contact information, and an offer to provide additional details.

Keep the tone professional but readable. The funder is deciding whether the project warrants a closer look, so lead with the strongest alignment between your mission and theirs. Skip jargon, and do not pad with the same point reworded.

Submitting the Letter

For records requests, how you submit matters because the delivery date starts the statutory response clock. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you a verifiable delivery date, which becomes important if the agency misses its deadline and you have to appeal or file suit. Many federal agencies also accept requests through online portals linked from foia.gov; those portals generate confirmation numbers at submission.¹

If you drop the request off in person, bring an extra copy and ask the clerk to date-stamp it. The stamped copy is your receipt. Electronic signatures carry the same legal weight as a handwritten one, so a digitally signed portal submission is a valid filing.⁶

For grant LOIs, follow the funder’s stated instructions exactly. Most foundations use online grant management platforms; some still prefer email or postal mail. Sending through the wrong channel can disqualify the letter before anyone reads it.

Fees and Fee Waivers

Federal agencies charge for processing FOIA requests, but the law splits requesters into four categories with different fee rules: commercial requesters, educational or scientific institutions, news media, and everyone else. Most individuals fall into “everyone else,” which gets two free hours of search time and the first 100 pages of duplication at no cost. For a well-targeted request that produces fewer than 100 pages and takes less than two hours to locate, the total bill may be zero.³

You can request a fee waiver in the letter itself. The agency must waive or reduce fees if releasing the records is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of government operations and the request is not primarily for your commercial benefit.³ If you are asking for one, explain how you plan to use and share the information, whether through journalism, academic research, or public advocacy.

State and local fee schedules vary widely. Some charge nothing for simple requests; others bill per page and by the hour. Check the agency’s website or call before submitting.

What Happens After You Send a Records Request

Federal agencies have 20 working days (excluding weekends and federal holidays) from the date they receive a FOIA request to decide whether to grant or deny it and to notify you of that decision.³ If the agency cannot finish that quickly, it will usually send an acknowledgment with a tracking number and an estimated completion date.⁷

The 20-day clock can pause in two situations. The agency may toll it once while waiting for you to clarify what records you want, and it may toll as many times as needed to resolve fee questions.³ In both cases, the clock restarts when the agency receives your reply. A precise initial request and a clear fee agreement in the letter cut both delays off before they start.

Privacy Act amendment requests, which ask the agency to correct inaccurate information in your file, must be acknowledged within 10 working days.⁴ State deadlines run anywhere from five business days to a month or more.

If a federal agency misses the 20-working-day deadline without invoking a tolling provision, you are treated as having exhausted administrative remedies. You can treat the silence as a constructive denial and file suit in federal court without appealing first.⁸

When an agency denies a request in whole or in part, it must tell you in writing which of the law’s nine exemptions it relied on, and the denial letter must explain your right to appeal.⁷ The exemptions cover categories like classified national security information, trade secrets submitted by businesses, internal deliberative memos, personnel and medical files, and certain law enforcement records. Partial releases are common: the agency hands over the documents with the exempt portions redacted rather than withholding everything. You have at least 90 days from the date of the denial to file an administrative appeal, and some agencies allow more; the denial letter will state the specific deadline. The agency generally has 20 working days to decide the appeal.³

1
FOIA.gov. How to Make a FOIA Request
2
U.S. Department of the Treasury. How to Write a Privacy Act Request
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552 – Public Information; Agency Rules, Opinions, Orders, Records, and Proceedings
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552a – Records Maintained on Individuals
5
U.S. Department of Justice. Overview of the Privacy Act – Conditions of Disclosure to Third Parties
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC Chapter 96 – Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce
7
eCFR. 1 CFR Part 304 – Disclosure of Records or Information
8
U.S. Department of Justice. FOIA Guide – Litigation Considerations