Posted by Past District Governor Lars Henriksson, Chair, Rotary District 7070 Grants Committee

At the recent District Conference, District 7070 Governor Iosif Ciosa had the pleasure of presenting 13 District Grant cheques to ten lead Clubs for the projects with more than 25 other D7070 Clubs contributing to at least one of these projects, While it is possible to apply for a District Gant with only one Club, our matching formula encourages Clubs to cooperate.  Most projects this year have several supporting Clubs. Please Read more for all of the details.....

Did You Know:

District Grant projects can take place locally as well as internationally.  Project budgets vary in size; this year from $1,500 up to $50,000.  District Grant projects are supposed to be short and medium term.  Larger projects are usually better suited for Global Grant projects; however, sometimes it is impossible to design larger projects so they meet all requirements for a Global Grant.

 

Congratulations to This Year's Recipients: 

This year, we also had a District Grant application from the North Scarborough Club where some minor changes to the project made it was possible to turn it into a Global Grant project.  Thanks to the changes, $14,000 of Club funds and $10,000 of DDF (District Designated Funds) resulted in a project doing more good in the world than originally planned in the District Grant application.

The Markham Sunrise Club received a cheque for $9,000 for a project bringing water to the Masango Primary Fundamental School in Muramya, Burundi.  1,600 students and teachers will benefit, once the project is completed.  Five Clubs in our District and some Clubs in other Districts are supporting the project.

The North York Club received a cheque for $9,000 for developing facilities at the Phillips House and Maddie’s Garden at the North York Hospital.  Close to ten Clubs in the District are supporting the project, which will particularly benefit youth with mental health issues.

The Oshawa Parkwood Club and three other Clubs (Oshawa, Whitby and Whitby-Sunrise) in the Durham Region will work with Kids Against Hunger and pack 37,900 meals, on November 5, 2022.  Their project received a cheque for $6,000.

The Scarborough Club received a cheque for $9,000 for a project to teach aquaponics techniques to women in Mokhatam, Egypt.  The goal is that they will be able to grow plants and fish for both local consumption and sale to surrounding areas.  More than five Clubs in our District are supporting this project.

The Scarborough Passport Club received two cheques @ $1,000 for projects where they are the only Club.  One is for scholarships to high school students in Scarborough, the other for Brush-A-Mania.

The Toronto Club received a cheque for $5,250 for a project in Zambia, teaching famers to transition from growing corn to growing more resilient sorghum.  The transition is needed to meet climate change.  The cheque reflects the support by three other Clubs.  The application is based on five Clubs.  Once, at least one more Club has been signed up, a second cheque will be issued, bringing the total grant amount up to $9,000/ 

The Toronto Danforth Club received three cheques for $500, $250 and $250 respectively.  The first is for food packing activities in cooperation with the Toronto Danforth Rotaract Club.  This is the only project in D7070 with a Rotaract Club as an active partner.  The second cheque is for support services at an Eye Cataract Clinic in Bangladesh, the third for teaching a group of home-makers in Toronto sewing techniques with the intention that they will start micro-businesses.

The Toronto East Club received a cheque for $5,000.   Together with four other D7070 Clubs, they are supporting indigenous communities in Ontario to grow and prepare healthy food.

The Trenton Club received a cheque for $500 for their work in the revitalization of the Trenton Conservation Area.

Finally, the Whitby Sunrise Club received a cheque for $9,000 for a project to supply clean water to the Houy Hid village in Laos.  More than ten D7070 Clubs and Clubs in other Districts are supporting this project.  This project would normally be better off applying for a Global Grant.  However, it has been impossible to find a Host Partner Club or District in Laos, so the Whitby Sunrise Club has decided to go the District Grant route instead.  Thanks to the non-Rotarians contacts on the ground, the Whitby Sunrise Club feels comfortable with the project design.

The total amount of the 13 District Grant cheques presented at the District Conference is $55,750, which will do good in the world.

Clubs interested in applying for District Grant projects for the 2023-24 Rotary year, must apply no later than May 31, 2023.  They should also have at least two members attend the Foundation Seminar in Oshawa, Saturday, November 19, 2022, which will make them qualified for the 2023-24 Rotary year.  It would also qualify them for the current Rotary year in the event they have not yet done so.  Registration is made on www.rotary7070.org.

For more information on the grant process, please contact PDG Lars Henriksson at pdglars.henriksson@gmail.com