The Great Enabler

By David Anderson, Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator

As the charitable arm of Rotary International, The Rotary Foundation taps into a global network of Rotarians to fulfill the mission of our Foundation.

These Rotarians invest their time, money and expertise into the Foundation’s priorities and projects, transforming your personal giving and club contributions into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Projects such as eradicating polio and promoting peace, which are a powerful and integral part of our DNA.

The Foundation is an enabling charity that makes a difference in the world. It’s a hands-on approach to improving lives. Through our Rotary Foundation grants, Rotarians are empowered to approach challenges that confront us every day: conflict resolution, illiteracy, malnutrition, disease and environmental destruction. Whatever project that is undertaken, Rotarians deliver sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.

PICTURED: Global grants support global health initiatives through Rotary’s Disease Prevention and Treatment and Maternal and Child Health Areas of Focus.

In the last Rotary year, Rotary clubs across Zone 8 delivered 552 Rotary Foundation projects valued at almost US$4.92 million. Of those 552 projects, 256 were delivered in Australia and 69 in New Zealand.

Total spending on district grants amounted to US$982,000 of which 316 projects were implemented locally and 173 internationally. Rotarians creating hope in the world and, perhaps, delivering a little bit of magic as well.

Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in one or more of Rotary’s Areas of Focus. They are designed to meet real community needs through projects that have been principally designed by the host community and club and must align with one of the seven Areas of Focus. With a minimum budget of US$30,000, global grants must be sustainable and include plans for long-term success after the funds have been spent.

Global grants can be used for humanitarian projects, scholarships for graduate-level academic studies that relate to one or more Areas of Focus, and Vocational Training Teams.

Across Zone 8, 63 global grants were approved in 2023-24, valued at US$3.93 million. Fifty-seven of those grants were from Australia and six from New Zealand. Requiring an international partnership involving a host club and an international club, nine global grants were delivered in Australia in 2023-24, dispelling the myth that a global grant can’t be implemented in your own district.

Of these 63 global grants, 23 were written, approved and delivered by District 9685, valued at US$3.62 million. This is truly a remarkable figure showing how one district builds large scale, sustainable projects using their own District Designated Funds (DDF), tapping into DDF from partner districts and receiving the 80 per cent match from the World Fund.

With US$1.51 million DDF available for spending in 2024-25, expect our clubs and districts to do even more good in the world!

MAIN PICTURE: Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in one or more of Rotary’s Areas of Focus, including Community and Economic Development.