Address your inquiry letter to the person that is most likely to be able to help. People appreciate receiving letters addressed directly to them as they acknowledge them as individuals. Job inquiry letters should be addressed to the hiring manager for the department or position you want, and grant inquiry letters to the grant liaison.
Outline your request with bullet points if you are requesting more than one item. Keep your letter short and specific. Include sections on your organization's background, the problem it wants to address and how it plans to do so. Include other funding sources and a summary if you are writing a grant letter of inquiry. Your grant letter of inquiry should be no longer than three pages.
Provide the recipient with the scope of your request. Give logistical information about responding to your inquiry, about your incentive to respond if you have one or about how you will use the information the recipient provides. When writing a job inquiry letter, tell the employer about your professional accomplishments briefly in your letter. Quantify them and provide specific examples of how you demonstrated a skill needed for the job.
Reiterate in your final paragraph your request, ask for a meeting if you need one and remind the recipient of any incentive to act you have provided. Also, include a timeline if you need the information by a certain deadline. If you are writing a letter of inquiry for an unadvertised job, request a time to talk instead of an interview.
Close your letter professionally with "Sincerely" or "Thank you." Include your title below your type-written name if you are writing in an official capacity. Note any enclosures such as attached documents below your name and title.