The foundation has given $343,000 to 75 diverse projects since it was established in 1984. This year, $30,000 was donated to 12 recipients, including Treasure Valley Reading Foundation, Humphries Diabetes Center, Alzheimer's Association, Whittier Elementary, and Ready Set Go - a program for children with developmental disabilities.
Foundation secretary Karl Kurtz explained that recipients are divided into four categories: educational opportunities for young people and adults, outdoor recreation and environmental improvements, services for seniors and other citizens, and the arts. An allocation committee comprised of one member from each club reviews grant applications submitted by individuals and organizations, said Kurtz. Then the committee goes through a point-factoring process of selecting recipients.
Last year, 40 organizations submitted requests for funds, and from those, only the final 12 were chosen. Selection critera include a well-written application and worthwhile programs that are struggling for sufficient financing.
"The process is good in terms of getting (the funding) to the organizations that have really articulated a need for a specific program," Kurtz said. He explained any organization who submits a grant application but is turned down is encouraged to re-submit the following year.
Kurtz, who is now retired but served as director of Health and Welfare under then-Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, said Rotary members believe the work of the foundation is valuable as an opportunity to give back to the community. "By pooling resources, we can make a bigger impact," Kurtz said.
The Greater Boise Rotary Foundation board of directors has 25 members, including the presidents and presidents-elect of each Ada County Rotary; then, one to four additional members are appointed from each club.
The foundation was originally established as the Rotary Club Foundation of Boise but was changed in the early 1990s to include all Rotaries in Ada County, said Kurtz.
Each individual club raises its own monetary contribution to the foundation in various ways, including fundraisers or memorials for members who have passed away; and each club sets its own goal as to how much it contributes each year to the funding pool, said Kurtz.
Annually, the GBRF gives to the Robert S. and Marjorie Gibb Memorial Scholarship Fund at Boise State University in honor of Bob Gibb, a former Rotarian. The scholarship is awarded to a sophomore or junior based on financial need.
Kurtz said new members are welcome to join the service organization, and chapters meet weekly.
Other officers of the Greater Boise Rotary Foundation include Vice President Robin Dotson and Treasurer Shawn Bartlowe. The foundation's president, Tom Killingsworth, is currently serving in Iraq.
excerpted from Idaho Business Review, Nov 12, 2007