The letter must explain who is gifting the money, where the donor's funds are coming from and the relationship between the donor and the recipient. A gift letter for a mortgage shows your lender that you don't need to repay gift money toward your down payment.Use our mortgage gift letter If borrowers plan to use gift money, they must request a gift letter from their lenders. A short letter like this sample gift letter will cover all of the requirements your lender needs. A gift letter is a note from a donor to your lender regarding cash funds for your mortgage down payment.