District Grants

Grants Structure

Under the new grants structure, the Foundation will provide two types of grants: Rotary Foundation District Grants and Rotary Foundation Global Grants. There are two options for global grants: club and district-developed grants and packaged grants.

District Grants

District grants offer clubs and districts flexibility in carrying out activities that support the Foundation's mission. Districts are encouraged to distribute these grant funds for relatively short-term activities, either local or international.

District grants allow clubs and districts to support their specific service interests that are in line with the Rotary Foundation mission and that address immediate needs in their communities and abroad.  Districts are responsible for administering the activities undertaken with these funds. 

The district administers district grants. Clubs may submit funding requests to the district for the following projects and activities that relate to the mission of the Foundation including:

Types of activities

Districts may support a broad range of activities with their district grant funds. Examples of potential district-grant activities include:  

Service projects. District grant funds can support local or international projects, volunteer service travel, or disaster recovery. See the terms and conditions for specific eligibility.
 

Scholarships. District grant funds offer great flexibility for scholarships, because each district develops its own criteria for the types of scholarships it will fund. There are no restrictions on the level (secondary, university, or graduate), length, or area of study. Scholarships can be awarded in any amount and can support students attending a local university or a school in another country. Rotary Foundation staff will assist districts with the district grant application process, but do not work directly with students. Because district grants do not require international partnership, it is not expected that the hosting area will participate in the scholarship. If the scholar is studying abroad, the district will need to initiate communication with the district in which the study institution is located to discuss what role, if any, it will have in assisting with the student’s trip. Determine if the host district will help with local housing arrangements, assist with preparing the budget, or greet the student at the airport.

Vocational training. District grant funds may be used to support local vocational training needs or to fund vocational training teams to travel abroad to teach or to receive training. The district, with the support of the grants subcommittee, determines participant eligibility requirements. There are no partnership or international requirements for vocational training opportunities and no restrictions on the vocational training team size, length of training, or participant age. District grant funds can also be used to support activities similar to Group Study Exchange.

A three-person grant committee, determines the district’s priorities, and develops its administrative procedures, including establishing an application process. Members of the grant committee include the district governor of the implementation year, the district Rotary Foundation committee chair, and the district grants subcommittee chair.  The district then solicits proposals from clubs and determines which will receive district grant funds.

Youth Services- District Grant funds can be used to support  RYLA, Youth Exchange, INTERACT, ROTARACT, or other youth programs of Rotary.

They may disperse these grant funds at their discretion for district- or club-sponsored activities. In addition:  

• All activities funded with district grant funds must adhere to the eligibility requirements set forth in the terms and conditions for Rotary Foundation grants (pilot version)  .(Attached)
• Clubs need to be qualified by the district to receive district grant funds.
  • A MOU must be submitted annually signed by the President and President Elect of the Club when applying
  • The most recent IRS 990 form must be submitted with the application
  • All local, district, and International dues must be current when applying for a grant
• Activities are not required to support the areas of focus . 

1.      Peace and conflict prevention/resolution

2.      Disease prevention and treatment

3.      Water and sanitation

4.      Maternal and child health

5.      Basic education and literacy

6.      Economic and community development .

The same application will be used for each type of grant
 

District 5790 will be providing District Grants for the following categories:
 

*Clubs can apply for only one  District Grant  per year.

Please find this in the files section of this website.

Business cycle

Application
Applications for District Grants will be submitted to the District Grants Chairman using the attached application form. All applications are due to be submitted by August 1, 2017.

A second round of grants will be considered on October 1, 2017 if there are any remaining grant funds available at that time. 

Clubs  may apply for one district grant per Rotary year. Prior to submitting their application, clubs should decide what activities they plan to support with district grant funds. A spending plan is required with the application. Clubs in District 5790 will submit applications for District Grants online at http://www.matchinggrants.org/district/about.html

The district grants subcommittee chair will submit the application online to Rotary International. Applications may be submitted to the District at any time, but districts are encouraged to submit their applications before the start of the Rotary year, so that payment can be made at the beginning of the year.

Payment
Clubs can receive payment for the approved amount of their district grant after the Annual Grant Committee Meeting in August  up until  April 15  during the Rotary year for which the payment is intended. Clubs must request funding when they are ready to do their project.

Final report

Clubs must submit a final report to the District Grant chairman within 30 days of the completion of the grant activity, and no later than April 30 of the year in which the grant was awarded. This report must include a final list of funded activities and be submitted in the same format as the district’s spending plan.  

Some changes in project funding may occur between when a district submits its original spending plan and when it submits the final report. Clubs must notify the District Grants Chairman of these changes, in writing, at the time they occur.

Additonal Facts: