Grant

I am writing to share information on an exciting new grant type that is being offered by The Rotary Foundation. 

Programs of scale grants are a competitive new type of grant designed to respond to a community identified need that benefits a large number of people in a significant geographic area with a sustainable evidenced-based intervention, and measurable outcomes and impact. These grants support activities over three to five years and align with one or more of Rotary’s areas of focus. 

Through programs of scale, Rotary can implement significant evidence-based projects in partnership with other organizations, making an even greater impact in the lives of people around the world. These grants can establish member expertise and capacity to implement large-scale solutions to a community need at a population or regional level while attracting leveraged resources from outside the Foundation.

The Rotary Foundation will award a single programs of scale grant annually in the amount of $2 million through a competitive two-step proposal-to-application process. While no additional Rotarian funding is required, it is highly desirable to include additional resources from Rotarian and non-Rotarian sources to increase the amount of program funding and enhance the potential scale and impact of the project. 

Applicants should be prepared to include a fully developed and highly sophisticated project design, as well as include baseline data and plans for monitoring and evaluation. The project should involve activities that have proved to be successful elsewhere. Partner organizations can complete the proposal and application along with the Rotary club or district. Incomplete proposals and applications will not be considered. 

To get started planning your project, read the terms and conditions, and download the proposal and application guidelines. You can access and submit the online proposal here. Please note proposals must be submitted online through Embark, an application tool outside of MyRotary.  Register for a new account to start your proposal.

The deadline for proposals is 1 March, 2020. The Rotary clubs or districts with the strongest proposals will be invited to submit applications, which will include comprehensive details about the project.

Key grant elements

• Address a clearly defined need that reflects community priorities and engages its leaders
• Be sponsored by a Rotary club or district and implemented with an experienced partner, such as a nongovernmental organization, private institution, or government entity, to assist with program design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation requirements
• Use Rotarian leadership to guide the project to succeed, because these grants should not simply transfer resources to partner organizations
• Include activities that can be adapted for use by other communities with similar needs

If you have any questions, please write to ProgramsofScale@rotary.org.

Best, 
John Hewko
General Secretary