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. You can use gifted funds to make a down payment, but your mortgage lender will want to know some details before they allow you to use it.A short letter like this sample gift letter will cover all of the requirements your lender needs. A mortgage gift letter is a document that helps satisfy the requirement that a borrower's down payment funds come from legitimate sources. Discover how to effectively use gift money for a down payment on a home. Learn valuable tips and considerations for leveraging gift funds. Mortgage Gift letter is what the donor of the gift writes to the lender stating that he has offered a gift of money to the home buyer. A gift letter for a mortgage shows your lender that you don't need to repay gift money toward your down payment. Gift funds may not be contributed from any source that has an interest in the sale of the property (seller, builder, real estate agent, etc.). The lender will need a "gift letter" from the donor to make sure your down payment help has no strings attached.