Grants Model
THE GRANTS MODEL OF THE ROTARY FOUNDATION:

DISTRICT GRANTS:
District grants offer clubs and districts flexibility in carrying out activities that support the Foundation's mission . Districts are encouraged to distribute these grant funds for relatively short-term activities, either local or international.

Districts can request up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund (DDF) in one annual block grant. Districts are responsible for administering the activities undertaken with these funds. They may disperse these grant funds at their discretion for district- or club-sponsored activities. In addition:

  • All activities funded with district grant funds must adhere to the eligibility requirements set forth in the terms and conditions for Rotary Foundation grants .
  • Districts must be qualified by the Foundation to receive district grant funds.
  • Clubs do not need to be qualified by the district to receive district grant funds.
  • Activities are not required to support the areas of focus .

District grants are funded solely by DDF generated from a district’s Annual Programs Fund giving from three years prior, including Permanent Fund SHARE earnings. Districts can request up to 50 percent of their DDF each year. Any unused district grant funds are returned to the Foundation and credited back to the district's DDF balance. DDF will continue to rollover to a district's balance for the following year. Rollover DDF will not be used in the calculation of the district grant amount

Districts may support a broad range of activities with their district grant funds. Examples of potential district-grant activities include:

  • Local or international service projects as well as service travel or disaster recovery efforts
  • Vocational training teams:
    • No partnership or international requirements
    • No restrictions on team size or length of training
    • Teams travel to either conduct or receive training
  • Scholarships:
    • No restrictions on the level (secondary, university, or graduate), length, location (local or international), or area of study
    • No restrictions on the dollar amount for the scholarships

GLOBAL GRANTS:
Rotary Foundation Global Grants support large international activities with sustainable high-impact outcomes in one or more of the six areas of focus and have a long-term impact. Clubs and districts can either create their own activities or sponsor packaged global grants that are developed by The Rotary Foundation in cooperation with its strategic partners.
 

Club- and district-developed global grants

Clubs and districts can use District Designated Fund (DDF) or cash contributions to fund global grant activities and get matching funds from the Foundation. When developing activities, clubs and districts should consider the following:

  • Activities must be sustainable and measurable. For example:
    • ‎‎How will a project benefit the selected community in the future, after the grant has been spent?
    • How will a scholar's studies support one or more of the areas of focus?
    • How will a vocational training team project support capacity building, either for the team or the benefiting community?
  • Activities should stem from real community needs. Community needs assessment tools are available to help identify community needs.
  • Global grants must be sponsored by two Rotary clubs or districts: a host partner in the country where the activity takes place and an international partner outside the country. Both partners must be Future Vision pilot members.
  • Both partners must be actively involved in the planning and implementing of all global grants. This includes maintaining communication and developing plans for the shared responsibilities in all of the grant's stages

    Global grants support a variety of activities based on the needs of the benefiting communities or participants. All grant-funded activity must follow the eligibility requirements in the Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation District Grants and Global Grants . The grant structure is designed to allow clubs and districts more flexibility in creating grants that will further the mission of The Rotary Foundation within the areas of focus.

    Humanitarian projects: Global grants may be used to fund humanitarian projects, provided that they

    • Support the goals of one or more of the areas of focus
    • Produce measurable outcomes in the benefiting community
    • Achieve results that can be sustained after the grant funds have been expended
    • Have been developed in conjunction with the benefiting community to address their most pressing needs
    • Seek to address community needs in an integrated manner

    Scholarships: Global grants may be used to provide funding for academic studies provided that they

    • Fund graduate-level study that relates to one or more of the areas of focus
    • Fund studies for a term of one to four academic years
    • Sponsor the academic studies of an individual traveling from the international sponsor district to the host sponsor district

    Vocational training opportunities: Global grants also may support vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals traveling abroad to either learn more about their profession or teach local professionals about a particular field. They

    • May build the capacity of either the team itself or a specific benefiting community
    • May be carried out in conjunction with a humanitarian project or scholarship
    • May be multivocational but must share a common purpose in support of the selected area of focus
    • Must consist of a minimum of one Rotarian team leader and three non-Rotarian team members with no maximum limit of participants
    • Have no restrictions on participant age or length of time for training
    • Permit one or more teams to travel under each grant

ROTARY'S SEVEN AREAS OF FOCUS:
Rotary clubs serve communities around the world, each with unique concerns and needs. Rotarians have continually adapted and improved the way they respond to those needs, taking on a broad range of service projects. The most successful and sustainable Rotary service tends to fall within one of the following seven areas:

  • Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
  • Disease prevention and treatment
  • Water and sanitation
  • Maternal and child health
  • Basic education and literacy
  • Economic and community development
  • Environment

Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation recognize these seven areas of focus as organizational priorities, and there are countless ways that Rotarians can address these needs locally and internationally. For ideas, consult the publication Rotary’s Areas of Focus.

Clubs and districts participating in the Future Vision pilot can apply for Rotary Foundation Global Grant funding by targeting specific goals for one or more of the areas of focus. Learn more about these goals.

Areas of focus resources

Grant applications will be considered on a first come - first served basis.
 

GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS:
The District 7070 Grants Subcommittee is available to assist clubs in completing applications. On completion, all grant applications must be forwarded to the District’s Foundation Grants Committee for review, and where requested, consideration of a Grant contribution. Applications sent directly to the Rotary Foundation will be returned. Please note consideration of grant applications must be in advance of the project or the aspect of a multi-year project for which funds are being requested. Retro-active applications will not be considered.
In District 7070, completed Grant applications must be forwarded to PDG Lars Henrikkson, D7070 Foundation Grants Sub-committee chair. This can be done electronically via email at
lars@norditrade.com or by mail to 132 Banff Rd. Toronto ON M4P 2P5. For more information please contact Lars by email or by phone at (o) 416-489-8438.

STEWARDSHIP:
The Rotary Foundation takes pride in its stewardship of Foundation Funds. To ensure proper stewardship – interim and final reports on projects progress and completion are a condition for receiving a Foundation Grant. Specifically a report must be filed 12 months after receipt of the Foundation Grant and final report within 2 months of the projects completion.