Rotary Foundation Australia

Turning Australian generosity into global impact.

Rotary Foundation Australia is the vital link connecting Australian generosity with Rotary’s global impact, ensuring donations are tax-deductible, well-managed and transformed into lasting change at home and abroad.

WORDS Jessie Harman. Chair. Rotary Foundation Australia.

Every day, Rotarians across Australia are changing lives – in local communities and around the world. Behind many of these projects is an organisation you may not recognise, but whose role is critical: Rotary Foundation Australia (RFA).

RFA exists to make it easier and more rewarding for Australians to support Rotary’s own charity, The Rotary Foundation (TRF). For more than a century, TRF has been transforming donations into positive and sustainable outcomes. In Australia, RFA is the quiet enabler helping that happen.

Under Australian law, donations to overseas charities are generally not tax deductible. Without a local vehicle, Rotarians and supporters could be discouraged from giving or projects could be delayed while compliance hurdles are being met. RFA solves that problem.

As a registered Australian charity with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, RFA enables donors to make tax-deductible contributions to The Rotary Foundation. That one step significantly increases the volume of funds flowing into Rotary grants and programs – and ultimately into Rotary’s life-changing work.

RFA also provides confidence. It ensures donations to TRF are handled in line with Australian charity and taxation regulations, protecting Rotary’s reputation and donors’ trust.

Yet RFA is more than simply a funding channel processing donations. It also enables an expanded suite of services to strengthen Rotary projects and maximise their impact. Through support, stewardship and advice, RFA helps Rotarians develop stronger grant applications, design sustainable programs and meet essential reporting requirements.

The results are evident. Through RFA, Australian Rotarians are supporting projects as diverse as Indigenous health initiatives in remote communities, vaccination programs across the Pacific, and scholarships for peace fellows at leading universities.

And everyone can play a part. You can make a donation through RFA, knowing it will be tax-deductible, expertly managed, and channelled into programs that transform lives. You can seek support for your next grant application, and you can spread the word about the Foundation’s impact – because when more Australians understand the role of RFA, we can do even more good at home and abroad.

Rotary Foundation Australia is a bridge between Australian generosity and Rotary’s global impact. Quietly and effectively, it turns our support into sustainable change – helping Rotary do what we do best: create positive and lasting change.