Rotary: Global grants

R otary Foundation Global Grants support large international activities with sustainable high-impact outcomes in one or more of the six areas of focus  and have a long-term impact. Clubs and districts can either create their own activities or sponsor packaged global grants  that are developed by The Rotary Foundation in cooperation with its strategic partners.   

Club- and district-developed global grants 

Clubs and districts can use District Designated Fund (DDF)  or cash contributions to fund global grant activities and get matching funds from the Foundation. When developing activities, clubs and districts should consider the following: 

• Activities must be sustainable  and measurable. For example:
  • ‎‎How will a project benefit the selected community in the future, after the grant has been spent?
  • How will a scholar's studies support one or more of the areas of focus?
  • How will a vocational training team project support capacity building, either for the team or the benefiting community?
• Activities should stem from real community needs. Community needs assessment tools  are available to help identify community needs.  

• Global grants must be sponsored by two Rotary clubs or districts: a host partner in the country where the activity takes place and an international partner outside the country. Both partners must be Future Vision pilot members.
• Both partners must be actively involved in the planning and implementing of all global grants. This includes maintaining communication and developing plans for the shared responsibilities in all of the grant's stages.  

Funding

The minimum award amount from the World Fund for a global grant, regardless of activity type, is US$15,000, which results in a minimum total financing of $30,000. The World Fund award is based on a 100 percent match of DDF ($1.00:$1.00) or a 50 percent match of cash contributions ($0.50:$1.00).  

Business cycle

All Rotary Foundation Global Grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. A two-step online application process is accessible via Member Access . Additional documentation for scholarships  and vocational training teams  must be completed by non-Rotarian participants; the grant sponsors will upload these items electronically to the application. 
Proposal For club- and district-developed global grants, Rotarians will submit a brief online proposal before submitting a formal application. The proposal should provide an overview of the grant activity's objectives and demonstrate how the activities fit within an area of focus. This process is designed to increase the acceptance rate of grant applications. 
Application Once a proposal has been accepted, Rotarians will submit an online application that provides the Foundation with more detailed grant activity and budget information. (Depending on the award amount or complexity of the project, the Foundation may request additional details.) Applications requesting a World Fund award (match) of more than US$100,000 will be reviewed by the Trustees quarterly. The following dates will be used to determine at which Trustee meeting applications will be reviewed:
Complete applications received by

• 1 June will be reviewed by the Trustees in September
• 1 October will be reviewed in January
• 1 December will be reviewed in March
• 1 February will be reviewed in May

Payment Once an application has been approved by the Foundation, both sponsors have authorized the agreement, and all associated cash contributions have been received, the Foundation will issue a payment.  
Reporting Reports showing measurable success of the grant activity will be due to the Foundation every 12 months from the first issued payment. A final report is due when the grant funds have been completely spent and the objectives of the activity have been met. 

Types of activities

Global grants support a variety of activities based on the needs of the benefiting communities or participants. All grant-funded activity must follow the eligibility requirements in the Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation District Grants and Global Grants . The grant structure is designed to allow clubs and districts more flexibility in creating grants that will further the mission of The Rotary Foundation  within the areas of focus. 
Humanitarian projects: Global grants may be used to fund humanitarian projects, provided that they

• Support the goals of one or more of the areas of focus
• Produce measurable outcomes in the benefiting community
• Achieve results that can be sustained after the grant funds have been expended
• Have been developed in conjunction with the benefiting community to address their most pressing needs
• Seek to address community needs in an integrated manner  

Scholarships: Global grants may be used to provide funding for academic studies provided that they

• Fund graduate-level study that relates to one or more of the areas of focus
• Fund studies for a term of one to four academic years 
• Sponsor the academic studies of an individual traveling from the international sponsor district to the host sponsor district

Vocational training opportunities: Global grants also may support vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals traveling abroad to either learn more about their profession or teach local professionals about a particular field. They

• May build the capacity of either the team itself or a specific benefiting community
• May be carried out in conjunction with a humanitarian project or scholarship   
• May be multivocational but must share a common purpose in support of the selected area of focus 
• Must consist of a minimum of one Rotarian team leader and three non-Rotarian team members with no maximum limit of participants
• Have no restrictions on participant age or length of time for training
• Permit one or more teams to travel under each grant

More information:  http://www.rotary.org/en/Members/RunningADistrict/FutureVisionPilotProgram/Pages/fv_global_grants.aspx