District Grants

What are they?

District Grants are matching grants from District 1150 for humanitarian projects in the community (including communities abroad).  Projects should be capable of being completed within one year of approval. 

Before applying for a grant, clubs should ensure that they have sufficient funds available within this timeframe.  A club must contribute at least an equal amount to the grant requested. Grants are normally restricted to a maximum of £1,000, but each case is dealt with on merit.

What are the criteria for obtaining a District Grant?

Grants must support the mission of The Rotary Foundation, which 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”

• Preference will be given to projects for humanitarian or service activities that benefit underprivileged, vulnerable or underserved people in the community, or for the purchase of equipment for non-profit making organisations (e.g. schools, hospitals). 
• Grants will be made for discrete projects (not towards a general fund) and must not be started before the grant has been approved in writing,
• Projects must adhere to the rules set by TRF, but in general cannot be used for the direct benefit of any Rotarian, Rotary, Rotaract, Interact, Rotakids clubs or profit-making organisation, religious functions or places of worship. A check on adherence to the full rules will be made by the Grant Sub-committee as part of the application process, and are available on request,
• Projects should benefit as many people in the community as possible. As a guideline, a grant of £500 would be expected to benefit at least 10 people,
• Rotarians are expected to be actively involved in planning, implementing and publicising the project. Fundraising alone is not considered adequate participation,
• Rotary Clubs must agree to complete a report form as soon as possible after the end of the project and provide originals or copies of all receipts or invoices.

What is the District Grant process?

• Attend the Foundation Grant Management Seminar at District Assembly.
• Complete a Proposed Projects Application form for all projects. Rotary Clubs can apply for multiple projects but have to prioritise them. Only the outline information will be required at this stage. The deadline for submission of these forms is 31st August. In exceptional circumstances, late applications will be considered as long as sufficient funds remain for that Rotary year.
• Prospective Project forms can be downloaded here Prospective_Grant_Request_Form.docx  or obtained from any of the District Foundation Officers. The form should contain facts that the Foundation Grants Sub Committee can use to decide between competing applications. It is suggested that no more than 100 words are used for this description. 
• Submitted applications will be assessed by the Foundation Grants Sub-committee early in September each year, and Clubs will be informed if their applications have been successful. Once TRF approves the Spending Plan, clubs with approved grants will be informed and a Full Application Full_Application_1.docx  needs to be submitted (usually mid to late September). There will be a mid-term review of the grant's progress by the end of February. 
• Clubs must retain control of all monies allocated to the projects and closely supervise how it is spent.
• Once the project is completed a Final Report form will be issued and submitted by the club, along with receipts or proof of spends.
• Normally the District Grant will not be sent to the Rotary Club until the project has been completed and a Final Report submitted together with original or copy receipts or invoices.

Complying with The Rotary Foundation rules

The Foundation Sub-committee through the individual Rotary Clubs must ensure that the grants are spent in accordance with The Rotary Foundation rules. Any major change in the project should be brought to the attention of the District as soon as possible, for re-assessment. 

In submitting the Final Report, Clubs are required to state how the funds have been allocated. Any under-expenditure may result in a lower grant.