Application Letter

APPLICATION LETTER

May 2, 2000 Dr. Welcome Bender Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115 Dear Dr. Bender, I am currently a graduate student in Greg Mendel's lab at the U. of Brünn and I am writing to inquire about the possibility of a postdoctoral position in your laboratory. I plan on graduating in June, 2004 and I would be interested in beginning between June-September, 2004. My graduate work has focused on the inheritance patterns of certain traits in the pea Pisum sativum. Since peas have many traits that differ between different true-breeding plants, and since peas can both cross-fertilize and self-fertilize, this has been a good system for studying inheritance. My work has suggested that the inheritance of genetic traits follows two general rules. First, two members of a gene pair segregate from each other into the gametes. Second, during gamete formation, the segregation of alleles of one gene is independent of the segregation of alleles of another gene. This work will soon be published by the Natural History Society of Brünn. During the course of my graduate work, I have become very interested in Drosophila developmental biology. I have been especially intrigued by studies of the Polycomb complex and how it represses gene expression during development. Thus, I am quite interested in the work going on in your laboratory. I am planning a visit to the United States sometime early this summer. If possible, I would like to visit your lab at that time. I would be happy to present a seminar on my work. Enclosed is a copy of my CV. I have asked my three references to send you letters on my behalf. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely yours, Hugo de Vries

Inquiry letter

Sample Letter of Inquiry

The Virtual Community Group, Inc.
17 Park Road
Rural Town, NH 

July 1, 2012

Jane Smith, Executive Director
Xavier Foundation
555 S. Smith St.
Washington, D.C. 22222

Dear Ms. Smith,

I am writing to inquire whether the Xavier Foundation would invite a proposal from the Virtual Community Group, Inc., requesting an investment of $50,000 per year over two years to support our Enterprise 2000 initiative. This grant would provide part of the funds needed for us to train at least 1200 low-income entrepreneurs in rural New Hampshire in the computer skills they need to create sustainable businesses as we enter the twenty-first century. Your literature indicates that the Xavier Foundation is searching for innovative ideas to improve the lives of the rural poor; we believe Enterprise 2000 falls well within your area of interest.

Information technologies are a promising solution to one of the primary obstacles facing the small rural enterprise: the geographic distances which inhibit networking with other businesses, and which segregate them from a larger marketplace. The Internet and other networks are now making it possible for entrepreneurs even in the most remote locations to communicate and do business on a region-wide, national, or even international basis. Working in conjunction with other organizations, Enterprise 2000 gives program participants technical skills training adapted to individual need; and, in collaboration with organizations which recondition and redistribute used computers, we also assure that they obtain the necessary computer hardware, at low or no cost.

We believe that broadly-implemented technical skills programs such as Enterprise 2000 have the potential to transform the lives of many struggling entrepreneurs, and change the economic landscape of impoverished rural communities. Unlike many poverty alleviation initiatives, all of the Virtual Community Group programs are predicated on the assumption that these entrepreneurs already have 90% of what it takes to compete in the marketplace -- intelligence, ambition, initiative, and talent. After two years of experimentation and program development, the Virtual Community Group has fashioned a superb, easily replicable model in Enterprise 2000, and established a high degree of credibility among community groups, policy makers, and funders. With your support, we can make that 10% difference in the lives of these hard-working people and the future of our rural communities. 

Please feel free to call me with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely, 

Executive Director