District 5450 Rotary Grants Overview
 
 
 
Rotary International’s Grant Program has been incredibly successful over the years. Changes implemented with Future Vision in 2013-2014 strengthened the program even further, introducing the seven Areas of Focus as well as adding sustainability, monitoring and evaluation requirements. The effect of these changes has been more impactful projects that demonstrate the power of the program and the dedication of the Rotarians involved in these grants.
 
Each year Rotary International and the District reviews its current policies and makes changes as needed.  The information below reflects the policies effective July 1, 2023. 
 
Club Qualification for Sponsoring Rotary Grants
A District 5450 Club that sponsors a Global Grant or District Grant must be “qualified” before the grant application can be approved.  Club qualification is renewed annually and requires that:
  1. The Club President must have attended a PETS training or an approved alternative.
  2. The Club President or Representative must attend a District 5450 grant training seminar for the grant year.
  3. An Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by signed by the president and president-elect for the grant year be submitted to District.
  4. Proof of current IRS Form 990 filing be submitted to District.
  5. All reporting on prior Rotary grants is up to date.
Go to the Club Qualification page for more information and instructions.
 
District Designated Funds
Effective July 1, 2021, 5% of the Rotary Annual Fund (SHARE) contributions will be allocated to help fund operating expenses.  50% of the remaining contributions to the Annual Fund will be returned 3 years later to the District as DDF (District Designated Funds).  DDF is divided into two separate pools:
  • District Grant DDF which is sent to the District and used as the match for District Grant awards, which are administered by the District.
  • Global Grant DDF, which is held by TRF and is used as a match for Global Grants, which are reviewed and approved by TRF.
District Grants
 
There are currently no changes in the operation of District Grants from 2020-2021 to the year starting July 1, 2023.  Complete Guidance for District Grants can be found in the District 5450 District Grants Terms and Conditions, which can be accessed using the link on the left side of this page.
 
District Grants are humanitarian projects, either local or international, that meet TRF and District guidelines. A District Grant:
  • Meets a need identified by an underserved community.
  • Is a Rotary project, with signage and publicity; not the project of another organization.
  • Has all Grant funds under the control of Rotarians.
  • Does not incur expenses or begin until the Grant application has been approved.
  • Has active participation by the sponsoring Rotarians in District 5450.
  • Is designed to be completed by the end of the Rotary year.
  • Meets the additional requirements included in the District 5450 District Grant Terms and Conditions referenced above.
District Grant Funding 
  • Club funds will be matched $1 to $1 with DDF up to the limits below.  District Grants do not receive additional matching funds from TRF.
  • The DDF pool for District Grants is separate from that for Global Grants.  The amount of DDF available for 2023-2024 for District Grants is $110,000.
  • Approved District Grant applications will be awarded DDF until the DDF pool is exhausted. The District may prorate awards in the month in which the DDF runs out.
  • The maximum DDF available to a Club is $6,000 for all projects. The local or international designated limits no longer apply. The maximum DDF per single project for the sponsoring club is $3,000.
  • Project Limit:  The maximum DDF that may be requested for each District Grant is determined by the number of Clubs contributing to the Grant:
    • $3,000 if there is only one Club
    • $4,000 if there are two Clubs
    • $5,000 if there are three Clubs
    • $6,000 if there are four or more Clubs
Conflicts of Interest
All Rotary Grants must meet the RI conditions related to Conflicts of Interest, whether real or apparent.  For District Grants, a Rotarian with a conflict of interest may not be a member of the grant’s committee or involved in the oversight of the grant.  For Global Grants, RI will determine if and in what way a Rotarian with the conflict of interest may be involved in the grant.
 
Any potential (real or apparent) conflict of interest must be disclosed in the Grant application.  
 
Global Grants
 
Guidance for Global Grants through the Rotary year ending June 30, 2024 can be found in the District 5450 Global Grants Terms and Conditions, which can be accessed using the link on the left side of this page.
 
Global Grants are international projects jointly sponsored by a Rotary Club in the project country—the Host Club—and an International Rotary Club.  RI expects that the Host Club be the primary driver and implementer of the Grant.  A Global Grant:
  • Must be in one of the seven Areas of Focus. 
  • Meets a well-defined need identified jointly by an underserved community, the Host Rotary Club and perhaps other organizations.
  • Is a Rotary project, with signage and publicity; not the project of another organization
  • Has all Grant funds under the control of Rotarians, in the project country if possible
  • Has active involvement by both Host and International Rotarians
  • Is a large, generally multi-year project.  There is no minimum amount from The Rotary Foundation World Fund, but the minimum project size is $30,000
  • Is funded by any combination of cash from Rotary Clubs and other sources, DDF (District Designated Funds) from the District, and World Fund match from The Rotary Foundation.
Global Grant Funding
  
DDF for Global Grants is available as a match to cash contributions from Clubs in District 5450.  If the Grant is sponsored by a Club in District 5450, the DDF match on cash is 125% up to the limits shown below.  If the Grant is sponsored by a Club in a different District, the match is 50% on cash, subject to the limits below.    
 
  • The amount of DDF available for 2023-2024 for Global Grants set by the District is $110,000.
  • Global Grant DDF will be awarded on a First Come First Serve basis until the DDF pool is exhausted. Details of that process can be found in the District 5450 Terms and Conditions document for Global Grants.
  • Club Limits: The maximum DDF that a Club may request as a match in the Rotary year is $15,000 for one or more Global Grants.
  • Grant Limit: The maximum DDF that may be requested for a Global Grant is determined by the number of District 5450 Clubs contributing to the Grant:
    • $10,000 if there is one Club
    • $15,000 if there are two Clubs
    • $20,000 if there are three Clubs
    • $25,000 if there are four or more Clubs.
 
Cash will only be matched with DDF if it originates from a Club in District 5450. Because DDF is comprised of contributions from District 5450 Rotarians (and their families), any transfer of funds from another District or any organization to a District 5450 Club for the purpose of increasing matching District 5450 DDF is strictly prohibited.
 
Global Grant Applications will be allocated DDF on a first come/first served basis until all DDF reserved for Global Grants is exhausted. Details are included the the Terms and Conditions document referenced above.
 
The World Fund match on DDF is 80%. 
 
For more guidance and resources, go to www.rotary.org/grants