The cover letter and the cover page are different documents doing different jobs, and applications routinely send one when the funder wanted the other. The cover page is administrative: the identifying block a reviewer uses to file the application. The cover letter is a short piece of persuasion addressed to a person, and it is the only part of the package where you can say plainly why this application is landing on this desk. Many funders want neither; a few will not read a proposal without one.
What goes on a cover page
The project title, the applicant organisation and its identifiers, the amount requested, the period of performance, the programme or notice you are applying under, and a named contact with a direct phone and email. Some funders supply the form and it is not optional. If they do not, keep it to one page and to facts, because a cover page with a paragraph of argument on it is a cover letter wearing the wrong hat.
What goes in a cover letter, in four sentences
That you are applying, to which programme, for how much, over what period. Why your work fits what this funder says it funds, naming the priority. What you will do with the money, in one line a non-specialist could repeat. And who to contact. Signed by the executive director or the board chair, because the signature is part of the message: it says the organisation, not just the grant writer, is behind this.
When to send one and when not to
If the guidelines ask for a cover letter, send exactly what they ask for. If they are silent and you have a relationship with the programme officer, a short letter is a courtesy and a chance to reference a conversation. If they explicitly limit the package to listed attachments, do not add one; a reviewer working through a scoring rubric will not credit it and an over-length package can be screened out before anyone reads it.
The mistake that costs applications
Using the cover letter to summarise the proposal at length. It is not an executive summary, and if the funder wanted one they asked for one inside the narrative where it can be scored. Keep the letter to the four sentences and let the proposal do the work.
Questions people ask about grant proposal cover letter
Is a cover letter required for a grant proposal?
Only if the guidelines say so. Read them; adding unrequested attachments to a strictly specified package can hurt you.
Who should sign the cover letter?
The executive director or the board chair. A letter signed by the grant writer alone reads as a submission rather than an organisational commitment.
What is the difference between a cover page and a title page?
Nothing, usually. Where a funder distinguishes them, the title page is narrower: title, applicant, amount and date.