THE ROTARY FOUNDATION
**POLIO PLUS.**
Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge is the Rotary Foundation's response to the two grants totaling $355 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help eradicate polio. Every dollar given to PolioPlus will be counted toward the $200 million match, which must be completed by 30 June 2012. This fund is a restrictive fund since funds donated can only be used for PolioPlus.
**PERMANENT FUND**
This fund enables individuals to combine their gifts into a significant force to address the world’s greatest needs for generations to come. The initial target of US$200 million for the Permanent Fund was met in 2005, six years ahead of schedule. The next target is $1 billion by 2025. Endowment funds are not used; the interest from the fund is used. The ultimate goal is to someday be big enough to generate interest to support all programs.
** ANNUAL GIVING**
All scholarships, etc. are funded from here, and every penny gets spent. If you donate $1.00; 100% is spent on programs. The funds donated are invested for 3 years, and the earnings pay the operating expenses. The primary source of funding is Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) initiative.
He also focused on Matching Grants, District Simplified Grants, and the SHARE system. Foundation program awards are distributed worldwide through the SHARE system. Contributions to The Rotary Foundation are transformed into Ambassadorial Scholarships, Group Study Exchanges, Matching Grants, and more. At the end of every Rotary year, 50 percent of each district's donations to the Annual Programs Fund are credited to their District Designated Fund (DDF); the other 50 percent is credited to the World Fund. The Foundation uses the World Fund to pay for the worldwide programs available to all Rotary districts, regardless of their specific contributions. Districts use their DDF to fund the Foundation programs they participate in. Because districts share in the decision-making process about program funding with the Trustees, every Rotarian has a voice in planning for the future. Every year, members of each district’s Rotary Foundation committee, in consultation with Rotarians in their district, decide how the SHARE DDF will be used. SHARE offers a wide variety of program options for districts to choose from.
The Rotary Foundation has a unique funding cycle that uses donations for programs three years after they’re received. The three-year cycle gives districts time for program planning and participant selection and allows the Foundation to invest the contributions.
The system is called SHARE because
- Rotarians share their resources with fellow Rotarians around the world
- The Trustees share some of their decision-making responsibility with the districts
- Rotarians share Rotary with the world through their Foundation