Back in 1917, Rotary President Arch C. Klumph had proposed that an endowment be set up "for doing good in the world." In 1928, this endowment became a not-for-profit corporation known as The Rotary Foundation. Upon the death of Paul Harris in 1947, an outpouring of Rotarian donations made in his honor, totaling US$2 million, launched the Foundation's first program — graduate fellowships, now called Ambassadorial Scholarships. Today The Rotary Foundation improves the lives of people in every corner of the world by promoting world understanding and peace through local, national, and international humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs.

Since 1947, the Foundation has awarded more than US$1.1 billion in humanitarian and educational grants, which are initiated and administered by local Rotary clubs and districts. Started in 1965, (1)Matching Grants for International Humanitarian Projects is a Rotary Foundation program that matches contributions raised by Rotary clubs and districts for international service projects involving clubs in two or more countries.

The (2) Group Study Exchange Program, also begun in 1965, has provided grants for more than 11,000 teams of men and women in the early stages of their business and professional careers to travel abroad and share vocational information with the representatives of their respective professions in another country. Team members spend four to six weeks studying the host country's institutions, economy, and culture while observing how their own professions are practiced abroad. More than 500 exchanges between paired Rotary districts occur each year, advancing the program's ultimate goal of promoting international understanding and goodwill.

The Foundation initiated (3) Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants in 1978. 3-H Grants are awarded to fund long-term, self-help grassroots development projects that are too large for one club or district to implement on its own. Projects must be self-sustaining after the 3-H grant funds have been expended.

1. Matching Grants

Through Matching Grants The Rotary Foundation matches contributions raised by Rotary clubs and districts for international service projects involving Rotary clubs or districts in two or more countries. Frequently, these are World Community Service (WCS) projects.

The Rotary Foundation provides a 1:1 match for District Designated Funds SHARE contributions and a 0.5:1 match for new cash contributions.

How to apply

Applications are accepted from 1 July to 31 March and approved from 1 August to 15 May. Requests over US$25,000, as well as applications involving Revolving Loan Funds, will be considered by the Trustees at the biannual meetings; therefore, applications must be received and complete by 1 August for consideration at the October meeting and by 1 January for consideration at the April meeting. Download applications for Matching Grants.

Information on how to fill out a Matching Grant application and the application process can be found in The Guide to Humanitarian Grants.

Terms and conditions

All Matching Grant expenditures and activities must comply with the terms and conditions of a Matching Grant.

Eligibility

Read more about the eligibility of expenditures and activities.

Frequently asked questions

Download questions and answers regarding the US$5,000 minimum award for Matching Grants.

Reporting requirements

All grants of The Rotary Foundation require the highest attention to stewardship. Progress reports are required every twelve months for the life of the project(s). A final report is due within two months of the expenditure of funds. Download a copy of the Matching Grant Report Form.

(2) Group Study Exchange

A USA-Mexico Group Study Exchange team stands on the edge of the Barranca Sinforosa during a break from their Group Study Exchange scientific exploration.
 

The Group Study Exchange (GSE) program of The Rotary Foundation is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 and in the early years of their professional lives. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits between paired areas in different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's institutions and ways of life, observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

For each team member, The Rotary Foundation provides the most economical round-trip air ticket between the home and host countries. Local Rotarians in the host area provide for meals, lodging, and group travel within their district.

Updates:

The newly revised GSE News Kit is now available in on-line format only. Go to the Download Center to download a copy of the Group Study Exchange News Kit (251-EN). The kit offers ideas and tips on how your district can attract qualified GSE team member candidates and promote the GSE program in your community.

Trustees have reinstated the World Fund Awards for every district every year, starting in 2005-06.

(3) Health, Hunger, and Humanity Grants (3-H)

Health, Hunger, and Humanity (3-H) Grants are awarded to fund long-term, self-help, and grassroots development projects that are too large for one club or district to implement on their own. Projects must be self-sustaining after the 3-H Grant funds have been expended. All projects must involve Rotary clubs and districts in at least two different countries with a significant number of Rotarians actively participating in the project.

In October 2004 the Trustees updated the 3-H requirements to be more consistent with the Humanitarian Grants structure and to strengthen the sustainability of projects. Below is a summary of the updates made to the program requirements:

• The primary host and international sponsor clubs/districts of a 3-H application must have successfully worked together as primary sponsors of a Matching Grant project within 5 years of submitting their 3-H application to be eligible for consideration. Sponsors must also be current on reporting for any previous 3-H or Matching Grant awards.

• Utilize an integrative approach that uses multiple program components to address humanitarian needs, including a combination of sustainable activities such as: training, community participation, Rotary Community Corps, capital assets, and technical expertise from Rotarian and non-Rotarian sources.

• Complete a community needs assessment that demonstrates local need and support from the local population for the project.

• Require 3-H Grant sponsors to provide a minimum contribution of 10% of the total 3-H grant award amount. (i.e. US $30,000 contribution for a US $300,000 grant award.)

The business cycle for 3-H grants has also changed. Grant decisions will be made on an annual basis according to the timeline below:

*Sponsors must submit a proposal according to the timeline above before they will receive a 3-H application. Sponsors submitting proposals that demonstrate 3-H principles and meet the new program requirements will receive an application from The Rotary Foundation. Applications must be received by 1 August 2005 for consideration at the April 2006 meeting. Proposals submitted between 1 July 2005 and 31 March 2006 will be reviewed for possible consideration at the April 2007 meeting of the Trustees.