By Eeshwar Rajagopalan
Rotaract Australia Chair 2023-24
The Rotary Foundation is a little bit like a piggy bank. Each year, some of the money put into it is taken out and spent by clubs all around the world so they can do amazing things to help their communities. And, as a Rotaract club, you can benefit from this as well!
Do you have a great project that you want to do in your local community, but need a bit of extra funding to make it a reality? Northern Gold Coast Rotaract did. They applied for a district grant, netting them $1,000 in extra funding to run a program encouraging Interactors in District 9640 to deliver their own wonderful projects. Not only has this grant brought in financial support, but the district is partnering with the club to provide additional expertise. Now they are on their way towards facilitating a host of community projects and growing the next generation of volunteers.
The money is there, but how can you get it? Each year, districts will ask clubs to submit a grant application, usually between February and May. They will also run a grants seminar to help you put in the best application possible. Once these have been reviewed, successful clubs will receive some or all of the funding requested in the following financial year. Then, you run your project like you would normally, but better! To wrap up, you let the district know what it is that you achieved and by the time you’re done, it’ll be time to put in another application for your next impactful project.
But where did that money come from in the first place? From Rotary and Rotaract clubs, just like yours, donating into The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund. The Foundation invests that money for three years and then returns half to the districts, so you can spend it on your local community. To make sure we can keep doing this into the future, we’ll also need to help in topping up that piggy bank. Any donation helps, but if you think your club can aim to become a Centurion by donating $100 per member, you get a sweet pin out of it too.
To find out more about how your club can benefit from The Rotary Foundation and how you can help support the wonderful work it does, reach out to your District Foundation Chair!