District Grant Information
District Grants and the Qualification Process
The 2024-2025 District and Global Grant Allocation Sheet is available in the margin
All grant documents are sent to grants@rotaryd5000.org
Application Process:
District Grants can be used for local or international projects. For international DG projects, it is highly recommended that you have a Rotary Host Partner (Rotary Club or Rotaract Club) in the country where the project is taking place.
Applications must be approved by the District Foundation Committee BEFORE the project can be implemented and you have received funds from the Foundation Committee. District Grant funds must be deposited in your Grant Account (see the MOU and Financial Management Plan details below) and all funds proposed for the Grant in your application must be disbursed from your Grants account. Failure to comply with this requirement may jeopardize the entire District Grant application for everyone.
- Complete the Complete the District Grant Application Form
- Submit applications by June 15 to grants@rotaryd5000.org
- Clubs will be notified of approvals. Clubs need to provide a bank statement showing all matching funds on deposit in their grant account before your district DDF funds are released.
- Submit the Final Report within 2 months of the project completion date, or by the deadline of May 31.
All Projects MUST be completed by May 31 or the DDF will have to be returned to the District to return to The Rotary Foundation. Please select projects that can be completed by May of the grant year.
District Grant Allocation:
The 2023-24 and 2024-2025 allocation of District 5000 District Designated Funds for District Grants (DGs) is 47.5% (after 2.5% to Rotary) of the total SHARE allocation of DDF to the District, the maximum allowed by The Rotary Foundation. The Club's allocation of the DDF is based on the average of the Club's Rotary Foundation Annual Program Fund (APF) giving for the 3 years prior to the current Rotary Year (see DG and GG Allocations). The Club's allocation includes a "no-match" amount equal to 40% of its total DG allocation and a 60% "match" that requires a dollar-for-dollar match by the Club (or 20% and 30% of total District 5000 DDF respectively). District Grants can be used for local or international projects. For international DG projects, it is highly recommended that you have a Rotary Host Partner (Rotary Club or Rotaract Club) in the country where the project is taking place.
Qualification Requirements:
Each year, Clubs must complete qualification requirements by submitting the required documents by Jan 31, except for the Final Report which is due by May 31st:
Note: all Grant documents are to be sent to grants@rotaryd5000.org
- MOU and and the District 5000 Addendum
- Financial Management Plan (write in the bank account #s)
- Evidence of Federal (tax return copy or 990N confirmation for Federal Annual Return)
- Evidence of dedicated grant bank account
- District Grant Final Report submitted for each project
- Attend District Grants training. For Grant Qualification, this requirement should have been met by attending the Fall Rotary Foundation Grants Seminar in the year prior to the program year.
Notes:
- MOU, MOU Addendum, and Financial Management Plan are signed by the President-Elect and the President Nominee. If your Club does not have a President Elect or Nominee, the current President can sign documents for the President Elect (this is to be updated as soon as your Club has identified your President Elect). We need 2 different people
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Financial Management Plan: Read carefully the requirements for 2-signature disbursement authorizations and detailed record keeping, including the 5 year document retention period. Disbursements must be made from your grant account and all receipts must be submitted with the final report.
Grant Bank Account: Include the Full Name and Account Number for your club's dedicated District Grant Account and attach a cancelled check or recent bank statement for the account. The District 5000 MOU Addendum modifies the Rotary Foundation Qualification MOU requirement for individual bank accounts for Global Grants. You must also set up one District Grant Account for all of your DGs. You may keep the account in subsequent years. You must, however, account for each DG in your Club financial statements. If you are involved in a Global Grant in which you are the Principal International Partner and the Payee of Global Grant funds, you must set up a dedicated Global Grants account. Include the Full Name and Account Number of this account on your Financial Management Plan, or revise your Plan if you establish the account after Qualification. You should also attach a cancelled check or recent bank statement for these accounts.
Important: Any District Grants funds received will be immediately deposited into the District Grants Account and disbursed only to fund approved District Grants. For District Grant projects in which the Club is contributing cash to the project, including additional cash contribution beyond required match, the Club will transfer the contributed cash to the District Grant account and subsequently pay project-related expenses from the District Grants account. Do not disburse any funds until your application is approved and all Foundation funds (DDF) and Club contributions are deposited in the District Grant account. Failure to comply with this requirement may jeopardize the entire District Grant.
- District Grant Final Reports: Most Clubs should use the PDF form District 5000 District Grant FINAL REPORT. If you did not completed your project, or if you have had to modify your project, attached additional pages explaining why the project has been delayed, or why your original project could not be completed as well as a description of the new project that is replacing it.
- Final Report Voucher Form: The Payment Voucher Form (find it in the sidebar) is required to document that two authorized signers on the District Grant Account have approved the disbursement.
Resources:
District grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in your community and communities abroad. Each district chooses which activities it will fund with these grants.
What district grants support
You can use district grants to fund a variety of district and club projects and activities, including:
- Humanitarian projects, including service travel and disaster recovery efforts
- Scholarships for any level, length of time, location, or area of study
- Youth programs, including Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Rotaract, and Interact
- Vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals who travel abroad either to teach local professionals about their field or to learn more about it themselves
You have plenty of freedom to customize your service projects. Refer to the Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation District Grants for information about district grant requirements.
How they’re funded
Districts may use up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund to receive one district grant annually. This percentage is calculated based on the amount of DDF generated from a district’s Annual Fund giving three years prior, including Endowment Fund earnings. You aren’t required to request the full amount available.
The District receives this funding as a lump sum and then distribute it to your clubs.
Qualification
Districts need to become qualified to apply for district grants. Clubs need to qualify by January 31 prior to the grant year, which starts July 1
How clubs request funds
Clubs apply directly to the District by June 15th.