Writing a Support Letter
Some support letters are overly generic. You don't want the judges to read, “This is a great project, so please fund it.” Letters must be specific so that it's clear to the reader exactly what the organization is supporting.
For instance, is the letter-writing organization providing some sort of collaborative service to the project? Is it supporting the need statement and stating that its own constituents would take advantage of the proposed project? Is the letter a letter of agreement to jointly provide services? Or is it a letter from a leader in the community who is vouching for the organization's track record?
Letters of support should not be generic. Encourage your writers to state their commitments specifically. Provide them information or a draft proposal so they can link their commitments to those made in the proposal. Or, if that fails, write the support letter and ask that the author of record review it, print it on his or her organizational letterhead, and sign it.
Support letters must state the fundamental components of the program that they are supporting so that the reader knows the agency is familiar with the project and knows exactly what they are committing to doing.