What You Should Know About Rotary Grants

Posted by Sean Paddy

on Oct 28, 2015

What do we as Rotarians really know and understand about grants in Rotary? Most members in our District are unaware of the what grants are available to their club and how to go about applying for grants.

At a time when projects are growing in scope and funds for projects may be limited, assistance from a Rotary grant can go a long way. Grant funds primarily originate from The Rotary Foundation — to which we all as Rotarians should have contributed. So Rotary reciprocates and makes these funds available to clubs for projects.

Since 2013, the grant structure and process in Rotary has changed somewhat and it is key to now know and be familiar with the new grants model/s.

The Rotary Foundation offers grants that support a wide variety of projects, scholarships, and training that Rotarians are doing around the world. Rotary Foundation Grants are either District Grants or Global Grants:

Rotary Foundation District Grants

District grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in your community and communities abroad. Each district chooses which activities it will fund with these grants. You can use district grants to fund a variety of district and club projects and activities. You have a lot of freedom to customize your service projects. There aren’t many restrictions, as long as your district grant supports the mission of The Rotary Foundation, which is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. Districts must be qualified before they can administer district grants. Districts may use up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund (DDF) to receive one district grant as a block annually. This percentage is calculated based on the amount of DDF generated from a district’s Annual Fund giving three years prior, including Endowment Fund earnings. You aren’t required to request the full amount available. Districts receive this funding as a lump sum and then distribute it to their clubs.

District grants therefore offer the flexibility to respond quickly to immediate needs or to plan projects with clubs locally or in other countries. These grants can be used for a wide variety of projects and activities, including, but not limited to:

Scholarships for any level, length of time, location, or area of study
Vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals who travel abroad either to teach local professionals about a particular field or to learn more about their own
Sponsoring volunteer service
Providing disaster relief
Humanitarian (community and international service) projects, including service travel and disaster recovery efforts

Clubs work directly with their district to get funding. Your district governor or Rotary Foundation chair should be able to tell you when to submit a request and whether you’ll need to meet additional district requirements, such as reporting or training.

Rotary Foundation Global Grants

Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable and high-impact outcomes in one of Rotary’s six areas of focus:

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

Clubs and districts can create their own global grant projects where a key feature of global grants is partnership, between the district or club where the activity is carried out and a district or club in another country. Both sponsors must be qualified before they can submit an application.

To be successful, an application must:

Be sustainable and include plans for long-term success after the global grant funds have been spent
Include measurable goals
Align with one of our areas of focus
Respond to real community needs
Actively involve Rotarians and community members
Meet the eligibility requirements in the grants terms and conditions

Applications are accepted throughout the year and reviewed as they are received.

The minimum budget for a global grant activity is $30,000. The Foundation’s World Fund provides a minimum of $15,000 and maximum of $200,000. Clubs and districts contribute District Designated Funds (DDF) and/or cash contributions that the World Fund matches. DDF is matched at 100% and cash is matched at 50%.

Grant Business Cycle

All Rotary Foundation Global Grant applications will be accepted throughout the year. Districts may receive one District Grant per Rotary year and will be encouraged to submit applications during the planning year for immediate payment at the start of the program year; however, applications may be submitted during either year, with a final due date of May 15 in the project year. Within 12 months of receiving the block grant, districts must submit a final report to the Foundation listing the

distribution of the funds.

For club- and district-developed Global Grants, clubs and districts will submit a formal application. The Foundation may require additional levels of assessment, depending on the award amount or complexity of the project. Only club- and district-developed Global Grants of US$100,000 or more will require approval by the Trustees.

Qualification

Districts must become qualified in order to receive grant funding from The Rotary Foundation. Clubs that want to apply for global grants must also be qualified.

The online qualification process helps ensure that your district or club understands your financial responsibilities, including stewardship, and is prepared to take them on. Qualification must be completed each year.

District Qualification

Becoming qualified is simple. Your district governor, governor-elect, and Rotary Foundation chair should:

Read through the district qualification memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the grants application tool, answer a series of questions, and agree to the MOU
Conduct grant management seminars for clubs

District personnel can return to review the document and the additional content provided as often as needed and also set additional qualification requirements for clubs.

Club Qualification

Clubs that want to apply for global grants must also be qualified. Districts are responsible for qualifying their clubs each year. If a club wishes to apply for global grants, its president and president-elect must:

Agree to the club qualification MOU
Send at least one club member to a grant management seminar held by your district
Complete any additional steps that your district requires

A club must qualify each year if it plans to apply for global grants.

Grant Application

Districts and clubs can apply for global grants using the online tool. Applications are accepted throughout the year and reviewed as they come in.

If a club is seeking district grant funding, it can apply directly to its respective district. Individual districts administer their own district grant programs. Check with the district governor, foundation chair or treasurer to find out about available funding, application forms and guidelines, deadlines, and any other requirements.

Additional resources on Rotary Grants are available on this page for download and included below are some helpful videos on grants.

DISTRICT GRANTS: STARTING, EDITING AND SUBMITTING A GRANT