Rotary Foundation is the charitable trust fund of Rotary International; its mission is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
The projects supported by the Rotary Foundation cover one or more of six Areas of Focus:
• Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
• Disease prevention and treatment.
• Maternal and child health
• Basic education and literacy
• Water and Sanitation
• Economic and community development
The Rotary Foundation provides grants to support projects in these areas. The projects can be in a Rotary club’s local community or overseas. Smaller projects are supported through District Grants, allocated to clubs by District 1070’s grants committee. Global Grants help fund projects linking Rotary clubs in different parts of the world for the development of communities less well off than ourselves. In both cases the projects must involve direct involvement by Rotarians. The Rotary Foundation does not donate monies directly to other charitable organisations.
More information can be found on the grants page of this web site.
Rotary Foundation has a wide range of educational programmes. See the Links on the left of this page.
Rotary Foundation is Rotary's own charity and all Rotarians are encouraged to donate to it. This can be by giving through your club or helping your club to fund raise for Foundation. Covenanting a quarterly or annual donation is a tax efficient method in the UK; a contribution of £15 per quarter, made by way of a standing order with a gift aid declaration, is a painless way of donating and helping your club to achieve a target of $100 per member. Download: Rotary Foundation – “How to Donate” leaflet.
A bequest or a legacy in your will is also possible. As can be imagined the sums raised are considerable, amounting to many millions of pounds/dollars each year. All sums collected are used entirely in funding the various projects carried out by Rotarians supported by the trust fund.
Within Rotary in Britain & Ireland (RIBI), Paul Harris awards are often made to recipients (who may be a Rotarian or a non-Rotarian in sympathy with the aims of Rotary) in recognition of their service to their club or to the local community. The award originated as recognition for individuals who have donated $1000 or more to The Rotary Foundation’s annual programmes fund; indeed clubs have to have donated $1000 to the fund for each Paul Harris Fellowship they wish to grant. Across much of the Rotary world Paul Harris Fellowships are granted purely on this financial basis, and RIBI clubs and individual Rotarians are free to do the same.
Details of the Paul Harris Fellowship programme are available on the RIBI website.
Link to the Paul Harris Page
If you want to award someone (whether a Rotarian or not) a Paul Harris Fellowship by all means contact the District Rotary Foundation Chairman John Dehnel (as in the District directory) for application forms and assistance in having the awards sent to clubs for presentation. However the procedure is straightforward:
Firstly it's best if someone checks the record of donations to Foundation, to see if this gives your club enough "recognition points" to make a Paul Harris award. You need 1000 per award. That can be done on the RI web site in the member access section. It is accessible by some district officers, including the District Foundation Committee Chairman, and by club members (maybe just club officers, and just for their own club I believe). Many clubs have plenty of recognition points.
There are two ways to apply for the PHF award:
- Use the on-line application form on the RIBI web site: www.ribi.org/resources/for-clubs/paul-harris/phf-requests. You’ll need to log in to the RIBI site members’ area first.
- Use the attached "Word" copy of the application form which can be completed by hand or electronically. Then post it or email it to Louise Smith (louises@ribi.org) at Alcester.
Please note, the award will come with a certificate and lapel pin, for free. The medal (usually only worn on formal occasions like charter nights) now costs US$15. If the club want one of these for the recipient then you will have to order the medallion though the RI web site at
: http://shop.rotary.org/catalog/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=medallion and pay for it by credit card. It will then be sent direct to you.
There are thousands of charitable organisations working throughout the world that make a positive impact on those in need. But your Rotary Foundation is the only charitable organisation funded by contributions from Rotarians, for programmes and projects identified by Rotarians and administered by Rotarians at the project site.
The Rotary Foundation is YOU - Every Rotarian Every Year.
The mission of the Rotary Foundation is furthering understanding and friendly relations between people of different nations. We accomplish this by fostering tangible and effective programmes through local, national and international projects. Through OUR Foundation, we reach out to both local and international communities.
Whether it’s eradicating polio, digging water wells, or educating a scholar in peace and conflict resolution, Rotary creates the environment and circumstances to promote peace throughout the world.
What happens when we combine the energy, enthusiasm and passion of our members? The world community pays attention.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) realised the powerof Rotary when we raised almost $250 million in the mid 1980’s for polio eradication and in the 2002-03 campaign raised over $130 million more. By the time the campaign is completed over $600 million dollars will have been provided through Rotary efforts. We have mobilised volunteers, communities, governments, and even warring factions in over 90 countries to combat polio. Our partnership with WHO, UNICEF and the US Centres for Disease Control is the largest public health initiative in the history of the world.
Polio isn’t the only project which is capturing the attention of the world community. The Rotary Foundation has partnered with eight different universities around the world to establish the Rotary Centres for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution. Our Group Study Exchange Programme and Ambassadorial Scholarships Programme mean too that Rotary is the largest non-governmental educational provider in the world.
Our grants programmes enable individual clubs to connect with clubs thousands of miles away to combine their energies and make a real difference to the lives of countless disadvantaged people. The global grant programme enables larger scale projects to take place using the skills and energies of groups of clubs. Yet through the district grant programme local projects can equally be supported.
All these programmes are great stories, that began with contributions to the Annual Programmes Fund. It is this programme which is the primary source of support for all the humanitarian and educational work we do. Sadly the income to the Rotary Foundation does not match the demand on its resources. If we are to continue doing all the great things that we do, it is vital for Every Rotarian to participate in the programmes of the Rotary Foundation and give it their support Every Year.
If Rotary is to be there to:
Provide the largest non-governmental educational programme in the world
- Feed the hungry
- Care for the sick
- Shelter the poor
- And lead the way toward peace and world understanding
… Then EVERY ROTARIAN needs to support the Annual Programmes Fund, either individually or through his/her efforts in the club. 'Every Rotarian Every Year' implies every Rotarian contributing some amount, large or small, to the Rotary Foundation Annual Programmes fund, every year. Rotarians should also consider becoming a Sustaining Member of the Rotary Foundation, with a contribution of US$100 or more each year. This can be done painlessly by setting up a standing order for as little as £15 per quarter, combined with a gift aid declaration. The appropriate forms for this are here:
Sustaining Member Information
Rotary Foundation – “How to Donate" leaflet
