FUTURE VISION PLAN
Terms and Conditions for
Rotary Foundation District Grants2016-17
General Criteria
Rotary Foundation District Grants support a wide variety of humanitarian and educational activities in local communities and abroad. All projects and activities funded by these grants must:
1.Relate to the mission of The Rotary Foundation.
2.Include the active participation of Rotarians.
3.Exclude any liability to The Rotary Foundation or Rotary International except for the funding amount of the grant.
4.Adhere to the governing laws of the United States and the country where the activity us taking place and not harm individuals or entities.
5.Only fund activities that have been reviewed and approved before their implementation. Grants will not be approved to reimburse clubs or districts for projects already completed or in progress. Planning for grant activities ahead of approval is allowed and encouraged, but expenses may not be incurred before approval.
6.Demonstrate sensitivity toward another country’s/geographic area’s tradition and culture if grant activities will take place outside of the grant recipient’s country/geographic area.
7.Comply with the Conflict of Interest Policy for Grant Participants as outlined in section 7.030 of the Rotary Foundation Code of Policies.
Future Vision District Grants
1.Support local and international humanitarian and service projects, scholarships and vocational training teams relating to the mission.
2.Can fund projects and activities in Rotary and non-Rotary countries and geographic areas where permitted by applicable governing laws and in accordance with Foundation policies.
Eligibility Criteria
In addition to the general criteria and rules for Rotary Foundation District Grants, specific allowable activities have been identified for both grant types. District and global grants can fund:
1.Construction of infrastructure limited to toilet blocks and sanitation systems, access roads, dams, bridges, storage units, fences and security systems, water/irrigation systems and greenhouses.
2.Renovation, repair and refurbishment of structures that are currently occupied or operational in which individuals live, work or spend a significant amount of time, which may include the provision of new services or upgrade of utilities (i.e., electrical plumbing and heating), repair of roofs, additions to existing schools or hospitals, elevators and renovation of bathrooms.
3.Purchase and distribution of contraceptives for use in disease prevention and maternal health projects.
4.International travel for scholars, vocational training teams and project beneficiaries.
5.Domestic travel for scholars, vocational training teams, project beneficiaries and those professionals (Rotarian and non-Rotarian) needed to implement the project.
6. Direct cost fees, contracted labor costs, stipends or honorariums related to project implementation.
7.Activities involving vaccines and immunizations that are consistent with the best practices described by the Polio Plus program and the World Health Organization.
Future Vision District Grants can additionally fund:
1.International travel for project planning and direct service.
2.The removal of land mines in cooperation with an experienced partner organization (Rotarians may not personally participate in the physical removal of land mines).
3.Administrative expenses (of a Rotary Club) up to 3 percent of the grant award, necessary for grant implementation including: bank fees, postage, software and an independent financial assessment.
District 7620 Future Vision Grants Policy
The Grants Process.
1.The Grants process for District 7620 is governed by two documents:
(a) The Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation District Grants and Global Grants (“Terms and Conditions”) – issued by Rotary International in June 2013 and available on This key document describes the core eligibility guidelines for all grants. It also contains important information on how to apply for grants, travel policies, how grants are funded, payment arrangements, and reporting requirements. Before applying for a grant it is strongly recommended that clubs consult this document and follow its provisions; and
(b) The criteria for determining the eligibility of clubs for grants. These criteria – set out below - are additional to those contained in the Terms and Conditions and are tailored specifically to the needs and circumstances of District 7620.
District Designated Fund (“DDF”).
- The DDF Allocation. Each year the Rotarians in District 7620 contribute funds to TRF. These funds are invested by TRF for three years and the interest on this investment is used to finance the operations of TRF for that three year period. At the end of the third year TRF allocates those funds to two Funds. Fifty per cent of those funds are credited to the World Fund and fifty per cent are credited to the District Designated Fund. This latter allocation is sometimes described as the SHARE allocation. TRF advises the District each year of the SHARE allocation for that Rotary year. The funds that are credited to the DDF (the SHARE allocation) are used by the District to fund District and Global Grants. The funds that are credited to the World Fund are used by TRF to provide the match for Districtand Global Grants.
- The District Grant Allocation. In accordance with the Terms and Conditions, TRF has determined that for each Rotary year the District may apply for a single grant (often described as the Block Grant) to support one or more projects (District Grants) using up to 50% of the District’s SHARE allocation. At the beginning of the Rotary year the District Governor-Elect must decide whether to use the full 50% or some lesser percentage of the SHARE allocation to fund District Grants that will become available in the following Rotary year – his year as District Governor. The other 50% of the DDF is used to fund Global Grants. The District Governor-Elect must also decide whether all of the 50 % is used for humanitarian purposes or for scholarship purposes or for some combination of the two.
The District Grant process
1. General Eligibility Criteria for District Grants. Applications for District Grants will be considered by the GC with due regard to the following general criteria:
(a) Does the application comply with the Terms and Conditions;
(b) Does the application meet the Four Way Test given that there may not be enough DDF to fund all applications for District Grants.
2. Specific Eligibility Criteria for District Grants. Applications for District Grants will also be considered by the Grants Committee with due regard to the following additional specific criteria.
(a)The minimum per capita gift to the Annual Program Fund (“APF”)
Must not be less than $100.00. The eligibility is based on the 2015-16
Giving. Per capita membership will be determined by the number of Club
Members as advised by Rotary International on June 30 of the previous
Year.
(b)Clubs that have donated $100 per capita to the APF in the 2015-16
Year will be eligible for an up to $2,000 District Grant. Clubs must
contribute $2,000 as a matching contribution towards the project. ($1 for $1). PLEASE NOTE: FUNDS ARE NOT DISBURSED UNTIL THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED AND THE FINAL REPORT AND APPROPRIATE RECEIPTS ARE SUBMITTED TO THE GRANTS CHAIR.
(c)Up to three clubs may combine to apply for a District Grant to fund
a single project. The maximum grant request is equal to $2,000 per club, or a total of $6,000 for the three clubs. The clubs may determine their individual
contribution to the total for the purpose of determining the amount of
matching funds required, but each club must meet the $100 per capita to the
APF.
(d)At least two members of the applicant club(s) must have received
Current Memorandum of Understanding training. Current is defined to
Mean during the twelve months leading up to the year of application or subsequent to the start of the year but before the project is requested.
(e)The Terms and Conditions mandate that DDF cannot be used to fund
on-going projects. For District 7620 this limitation will also extend to include repeat projects regardless of whether there are new beneficiaries. A project
may not be funded for more than two years whether by the same or different
clubs.
f.Projects that are eligible for District Grant funding are by their nature short-term and are expected to be completed within the year of the grant.
A project completion report on any such project must be completed and submitted to the Grant Committee Chair along with appropriate receipts before the start of the following year’s District Grant program. Any club that fails to meet this reporting requirement may not propose or participate with another Club in a future project until the final report on its current project has been submitted and approved.
g.The District Rotary Foundation Chair may allocate any unused funds in this category during the Rotary year towards projects or scholarships
3. Approval of District Grant applications
(a) Clubs will be encouraged to begin preparation of District Grant applications early in the Rotary year. Draft applications should be reviewed by the GC or the appropriate subcommittee in April/May. Final versions of applications will be reviewed and approved by the GC in May. All approved applications will then be consolidated into a single Block Grant application for submission to TRF by the end of June. The Block Grant application must be authorized by the District Rotary Foundation Chair and the District Governor.
(b) Once the Block Grant application has been approved by TRF – usually in July – the funds represented by the Block Grant will be transferred by TRF to the District for distribution to the clubs. Only then can any project be started.
Restrictions
Grants cannot be used to unfairly discriminate against any group, promote a particular political or religious viewpoint, support purely religious functions at churches and other places of worship, support activities that involve abortion or that are undertaken solely for sex discrimination, fund the purchase of arms or ammunition, support the following programs of RI: Rotary Youth Exchange, RYLA, Rotary Friendship Exchange, Rotaract and Interact, or as a new contribution to the Foundation or another Rotary Foundation grant.
In addition, grants cannot fund:
1.Continuous or excessive support of any one beneficiary, entity or community.
2.Establishment of a foundation, permanent trust or long-term interest-bearing account.
3.Purchase of land or buildings
4.New construction of any structure in which individuals live, work or engage in any gainful activity, such as buildings (schools, homes/low-cost shelters and hospitals), containers and mobile homes or structures in which individuals carry out any type of activity including manufacturing or processing.
5.Fundraising activities.
6.Expenses related to Rotary events such as district conferences, conventions, institutes, anniversary celebrations or entertainment activities.
7.Public relations initiatives not directly related to a humanitarian or educational activity.
8.Operating, administrative or indirect program expenses of another organization.
9.Unrestricted cash donations to a beneficiary or cooperating organization.
10.Projects already in progress or completed.
11.Activities primarily implemented by a non-Rotary organization.
12.Transportation of vaccines by hand over national borders.
How and when to apply
District Grant Applications are accepted from 1 April 2016 – 20 April 2016. A forum will be held on Saturday April 30thwhere Clubs must present their projects to the Committee. A Committee meeting will be held soon thereafter to determine eligibility and to allocate funds.
What are the reporting requirements?
A final report with receipts is due by March 31, 2017. However, it is best to submit the final report as soon as you have completed your project.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT 7620
APPLICATION FOR A FUTURE VISION DISTRICT GRANT
Club Name
Club Contact No. 1
(name, address,
phone and e-mail)
Club Contact No. 2
(name, address,
phone and e-mail)
Club Contact No. 3
(name, address,
phone and e-mail)
Project Title
Project Mission
(one sentence)
Project Location
Funds provided by Club
Funds provided by
Cooperating Organizations
Amount Requested
From the District
Total Project Amount
Note: Please answer all questions in their entirety. This application must be signed before it is submitted to the Grants Committee.
1.Describe in detail the project, its location, its objectives and implementation plan.
2.What is the start date and estimated completion date.
3. Describe how the project will benefit the community.
4. Describe the non-financial participation by Rotarians in the project (e.g., Rotarian physical activities, technical expertise).
5. Describe how the general public will know this is a Rotary-sponsored project, e.g., publicity in a newspaper or display of the Rotary wheel.
6.Cooperating Organizations — Provide a letter of participation from the cooperating organization(s). The letter must specifically list its responsibilities and how it will interact with Rotarians. It must also state that it will cooperate in any financial review of the project.
7.Endorsement Letter – Please provide a letter of endorsement form the host partner confirming that the cooperating organization works with the laws of that specific country.
8.Budget
Submit a complete, detailed, and itemized budget for the entire project. Supporting documentation utilized for the development of this budget may be requested. Please keep all documentation of funds provided by the Club, by others and funds provided by the District.
9.How will the project be evaluated to determine project sustainability?
For International Projects only:
1.Who will operate, secure and maintain the items purchased with grant funds, ensuring the items continue to function and making necessary repairs when needed? This includes equipment, assets and materials.
2.Who will own the items purchased with grant funds at the end of the project? This includes equipment, assets and materials. Please note that items cannot be owned by a Rotary Club or a Rotarian.
3.How will the primary host sponsor maintain an inventory of the items purchased with grant funds, which includes their location after distribution
4.What arrangements have been made for customs clearance if items will be purchased and shipped from outside the project country?
All Rotary clubs involved in this project are responsible to District 7620 and the Rotary Foundation for the conduct of the project, the proper spending of the DDF funds and understand they are to file all reports completely and on a timely basis.
The signatures on theapplication confirm that the sponsors understand and accept this responsibility. The signatures of thesponsors also affirm that all information in this application is true and accurate, to the best of theirknowledge, and that all cooperating organizations, if any, are reputable, responsible, registered with the project country, and are acting within the laws of the project country.
As the president of the Rotary Club of ______, I hereby affirm that the club has voted to undertake this project as an activity of the club.
Print name:
Signature:
Date:
Club Number:
District 7620
Please submit your application to Bette Lewis, District Grant Subcommittee Chair at . You may mail it as well to Bette at 1915 Blackbriar St. Silver Spring, Md. 20903. If you have any questions, Bette can be reached at 301-439-9453.
Email is the preferred means of initial submission. The club must submit a mailed copy if the club does not have the capability of placing a signature on email to: