LOIs for the fall 2025 grant cycle will be accepted August 11-15.

Please read and follow the directions below. 

LOI Details

The Ellbogen Foundation requires a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) as the first step in the grant process. Please review the Ellbogen Foundation’s grant guidelines before submitting an LOI. Before each Board meeting, a 5-day window is designated for receiving LOIs through a form that will be available on the website only during that period. LOIs submitted outside of the designated timeframe or not submitted through the required form will not be shared with or reviewed by the Board.

Fewer than half of those who submit an LOI are asked to complete a full grant request for consideration by the Ellbogen Foundation Board of Directors.

The LOI includes three sections and is a short submission that succinctly summarizes the work being proposed; LOI content may be downloaded or viewed below. The narrative portion of the LOI is the most important of all the sections. Narrative content may be submitted in writing (subject to character limits) or in a 5-minute video. Written content is best developed in another document and then copied and pasted into the LOI form. Videos must be sharable via a link in the LOI form. Submissions may not include both written and video narrative; only one will be reviewed by the committee. 

LOIs will be reviewed by a committee of Ellbogen Foundation Board members who will decide whether or not to invite a grant proposal for funding consideration by the Ellbogen Foundation Board. Reviewing the LOI should give the committee enough detail to elicit curiosity, energy and excitement for the work that would be further described in a formal grant proposal; think of the LOI as an “elevator pitch” for funding.

Please contact Becca Steinhoff for additional support:  307-575-2443  ellbogenfoundation.wy@gmail.com 

LOI Content

The three content sections of the LOI may be downloaded here or reviewed below. The General Information and Geographies and Priorities sections must be completed and submitted in the online form. The Narrative section may be submitted in writing in the form OR in a 5 minute video shared in a link via the form. Please read these tips for developing a successful LOI.

1. General Information

• Date
• Legal Name of Organization
• Contact information
• EIN
• Website
• Applicant Contact, Title and contact information
• Mission Statement
• Grant Funds Requested from the Ellbogen Foundation
• Annual Operating Budget
• Are you leveraging other funding sources to carry out this work? [Yes/No]

2. Geographies and Priorities Identification

• The Ellbogen Foundation prioritizes funding for initiatives and activities that serve the state of Wyoming or a region of the state. Occasionally, funding will be granted to particularly innovative or enterprising initiatives or activities that serve only a single community. Please indicate the geographic area served by your proposed grant work (i.e. list counties or indicate statewide).
• The Ellbogen Foundation prioritizes work in the following areas. Please check the boxes of those priorities that your grant work aligns with and strengthens.
  Basic needs (food, housing, transportation, healthcare, wellbeing)
  Education (early childhood through post-secondary)
  Quality teaching
  Financial responsibility and personal self-sufficiency
  Civic education and engagement

3. Narrative

Please note that narrative content limits are for characters – including spaces – and not words. You may check total characters including spaces for a section of content in Microsoft Word or a similar program.

• What is your elevator pitch? (What do you do, where do you do it, who do you do it for?)
  1,000 characters
• What problem are you trying to solve?
  1,000 characters
• Please summarize your funding request. What are you applying for and how much?
  500 characters
• What are you most excited about in your work?
  750 characters
• How do you partner with other organizations? How do you avoid duplication of efforts while carrying out impactful work in your service area?
  750 characters