Rotary Grants Available to Support D5500 Club Projects                                                      (Prepared by Sally Montagne, D5500 Grants Chair, June 2009)                               

Two types of Rotary Foundation grants support club projects for the Rotary Year 2009-2010:

1.  District Simplified Grants – Small grants for short-term local or international humanitarian projects. 

2.  Matching Grants – International service projects involving Rotary clubs in 2 or more countries.  

Volunteer Service Grants and 3-H Grants will not be available this year because of funding cut-backs.  Equivalent kinds of programs are not expected to be available to District 5500 until the Future Vision Plan is fully functional.     

I.  District Simplified Grants - District Simplified Grants can be Local or International projects.  They are small grants to clubs to do new humanitarian projects that involve the active, personal participation of Rotarians and that benefit the community and/or improve the lives of those less fortunate. 

            A.   They must be:

1.   Humanitarian projects such as literacy and education, health, water, food production, job creation, and alleviation of poverty

2.   Projects that involve the active, personal participation of Rotarians

3.   New projects that are not already in progress or completed (i.e. it can’t be started until the application is approved by the District Grants Committee).  These grants are to assist clubs in starting new programs and aren’t available to fund the same project a second year, even though new beneficiaries are involved. 

4.    Rotary sponsored projects (i.e. cant’ fund the projects of other organizations no matter how worthwhile)

5.   International projects should be coordinated with a Rotary club in that country, although not required.

B.  District 5500 Rules and Availability:  

C.  Examples of qualifying DSG projects that clubs have used include:  (The DSGs can all be local       or international.)

•  School equipment and supplies

•  Dictionaries for 3^rd graders – Thesaurus’ for 7^th graders – Audio books for slow readers

• ·Equipment, playgrounds, furniture, books for orphanages, both in the US and in foreign countries

• ·Playground equipment for low-income neighborhoods and schools

• ·Literacy and job training programs for adults and non-English speaking persons

• ·Children’s books for parents of new babies

• ·Therapeutic equipment for disabled children

• ·Water and health projects for a Leper Colony in Africa

• ·Seeds, garden tools, and fencing for gardens for food-banks or low-income neighborhoods

• ·Books and educational supplies for adult and youth prisons

• ·Sports equipment & supplies for poor and rural schools

• ·After school computer labs in low-income neighborhoods or villages

• ·“Clothes Closets” for graduates of job training programs who are looking for jobs

• · Developing a “camera club” for a low-income neighborhood school with new or donate cameras, digital cards, and even computers and printers

• · Developing and equipping an art or mural program for perimeter walls, water towers, fire hydrants

• · Developing, equipping, and coaching high school students to “mentor” younger kids in reading, a science program or even a camera club

II.  Matching Grants – International only – Assist Rotary clubs in carrying out humanitarian projects with clubs in other countries.  (This is a brief summary of some highlights.  The full rules are on the Rotary website – www.rotary.org. 

      A.  Rules about Matching Grants:

1.    The Rotary Foundation (TRF) match award must be between $5,000 and $25,000, which usually means the total cost of projects should be between approximately $11,000 and $65,000 including the TRF match.  Applications can be submitted anytime between July 1 and March 31, as long as the funds are available.  Approval usually takes up to six weeks.  (Larger “competitive” grants, which are reviewed only twice yearly, are available for TRF matches up to $150,000). 

2.    The District may match all or part of your club funds with DDF.  TRF will match club funds by 50%.  TRF will also match the District’s DDF contributions 100%.  

3.    It must be a humanitarian service project designed to improve the lives of those less fortunate – such as literacy and education, health, water, food production, job creation, and alleviation of poverty. 

4.    The club must partner with a Rotary Club in the project country, and involve the active participation of Rotarians in both countries.  Examples of “participation” are given in the instructions at the beginning of the grant form.

5.    It must be a new Rotary-sponsored project that is not already in progress or completed.   These grants are not available to fund the projects of other organizations, no matter how worthwhile. 

6.    It must be an “eligible” activity.  Click here for an excellent chart of eligible (and not eligible) activities.  Please note that the project can not be for construction of a building, electrical or plumbing work, or any kind of building repairs or upgrades.  However, it can be for furnishing a structure that already exists.

7.    Click here for Matching grant applications and instructions. 

8.    Click here for an on-line version of the excellent grants ‘bible’ -- “The Guide to Matching Grants” (Publication 144-EN).  This Guide gives line by line instructions and a sample copy of a completed grant application.  A hard copy of this Guide can also be ordered can from www.rotary.org. 

9.    International Conventions and meetings are great places to meet potential partners and discuss mutual     interests which can lead to successful international projects.   Also visiting Rotarians, District Governors, Past District Governors, Foundation Chairs, Grant Chairs, GSE Team members, etc. are great sources.  

             C.  Examples of recent successful matching grant projects include (but aren’t limited to):

a.   Mobile medical clinics for rural areas.  Also equipment for village, prenatal and child care clinics.

b.   Water wells for villages with no safe water.  Filtration systems for areas with unsafe water.

c.   Rainwater harvesting from school roofs (or wells at schools) so children can attend school and then bring home safe water (instead of walking several hours a day for water at polluted water sources).

d.   School buses or vans for rural areas that don’t have schools, or schools past the elementary grades.

e.    Basic school equipment, furniture, books, computers. 

f.     Computer equipment for schools, rural areas, prisons, adult education programs.

h.   (Used) ambulances for hospitals and clinics in Mexico. Grant funds can also be used for    repairs. 

i.    Therapeutic equipment and programs for deaf, blind, and disabled children and adults.

j.    Projects for orphaned and abandoned children including AIDS orphans and “street            children”.

h.   Food production projects (including seeds, tools and equipment, and fencing) – village       gardens,  poultry raising, animal loan programs, planting fruit and nut trees,                  reforestation projects.  Also flood  control and drainage projects. These often turn into income producing projects for the village. 

             i.   Income generating projects – Sewing machine coops, computer labs, milking goats or       cows, grain banks, welding programs, wood-working factories, local craft coops,                 construction crafts, etc.

             j.   Revolving loan programs for small businesses, often home based.

             k.  Day care center projects for disabled persons, seniors, working parents and street children.

              l.  Public sanitation facilities for rural areas, marketplaces, schools, clinics, etc.

III.  Additional questions and assistance:   Please contact Sally Montagne, Chair of the District 5500 Grants Committee, sally.montagne@cox.net or 520-378-4601.  For DSGs, please contact Craig Pemberton, cwpem@roadrunner.com or 928-246-6225, or Sally Montagne.  Also the Rotary website, www.rotary.org, and then use the search box at the top right side of the page.  Sometimes it helps to “Google” your request.