The Rotary Club of Akron had the opportunity to be updated on the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International during our Tuesday, November 24th meeting.  Rebecca Silber, who serves as the Annual Giving Officer for Zones 30 and 31 was our featured speaker. 
 
It was evident that Rebecca cares deeply about connecting donors and volunteers to the causes they are most passionate about and feels a calling towards her fundraising work as a way to leave a positive impact on the world around her.
 
Working at The Rotary Foundation has fulfilled a career dream of Rebecca’s working for an organization that is not only well respected but is also known internationally for its commitment to making the world a better place through Service Above Self.
 
Rebecca feels strongly about building bridges between Rotarians and The Foundation so they can experience a deep sense of fulfilment and accomplishment through their generosity and service.
 
Many Rotarians are not familiar with all of the giving opportunities that are available to us through the Rotary International Foundation.  This summary of Ms. Silber’s presentation will highlight a few of those opportunities.
 
 
The mission of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International 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 Foundation awarded $86,677,399 in funding to 1,306 grants during fiscal year 2018. Here is a breakdown of the six areas of focus the grants supported:
  • Preventing Disease
$35,660,986
  • Providing Clean Water
$18,761,791 
  • Supporting Education
$10,998,136
  • Growing Local Economies
$10,503,910
  • Saving Mothers & Children
 $7,204,677
  • Promoting Peace                       
$3,547,899
 
These six Areas of Focus guide everything the Foundation does. A seventh area of focus will be implemented in July 2021.  That focus will be “Supporting the Environment.”
 
The Rotary Foundation supports both Global grants and District grants:
            GLOBAL GRANTS:
Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in Rotary’s areas of focus. By working together to respond to real community needs, clubs and districts strengthen their global partnerships.
            Global grants can fund:
  • Humanitarian projects
  • Scholarships for graduate-level academic studies
  • Vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals who travel abroad either to teach local professionals about their field or to learn more about it themselves
 
How they’re funded:
Global grants have a minimum budget of $30,000 and a maximum World Fund award of $400,000. Grant sponsors can use a combination of District Designated Funds (DDF), cash, and/or directed gifts and endowment earnings to fund a global grant. The Foundation will provide a 100 percent World Fund match for all DDF contributions. There is no minimum World Fund match.
DISTRICT GRANTS:
District grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in your community and communities abroad. Each district chooses which activities it will fund with these grants.
What district grants support:
You can use district grants to fund a variety of district and club projects and activities, including:
  • Humanitarian projects, including service travel and disaster recovery efforts
  • Scholarships for any level, length of time, location, or area of study
  • Youth programs, including Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Rotaract, and Interact
  • Vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals who travel abroad either to teach local professionals about their field or to learn more about it themselves
 
How they’re funded:
Districts may use up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund to receive one district grant annually. This percentage is calculated based on the amount of DDF generated from a district’s Annual Fund giving three years prior, including Endowment Fund earnings.
 
How Does a Rotarian Donate to the RI Rotary Foundation?
There are multiple areas a Rotarian might consider.  The following is a list of possible areas:
  • Annual Fund Share
  • World Fund
  • Polio-Plus Fund
  • Disaster Response Fund
  • Endowment Fund
For additional information on the RI Rotary Foundation, I would encourage Rotarians to access the Rotary Foundation website:  www.MyRotary.org.  
 
Upon logging in, then click on Rotary Foundation. 
(Click on the graphic to view larger)
 
Yours in Rotary Service,
Terry
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