Rotary 7450 District Grant Guidelines 2023-24

District 7450 Grant Funds are available for projects that will begin during the 2023-2024 Rotary year. District Grants are typically modest in amounts, intended to support an effective project that will meet an identified need in a community, a need that falls within Rotary’s seven areas of focus (listed below), and that will involve the active participation of Rotarians.

This grant program is part of The Rotary Foundation (TRF). Funds for Districts Grants to Clubs are distributed by TRF, the specific amount each year based on how much the District clubs contributed to the Rotary Annual Fund three years earlier. Therefore, the dollar amount available for grants varies each year; increased giving to the Annual Fund increases the amount available for Grants.

All District Grant applications will be reviewed by members of the District Grant Subcommittee, in accordance with TRF guidelines. TRF will then also review and approve a single block District Grant; only after TRF approval of the block grant spending plan may funds be spent on grant projects. The Guidelines below provide details for District Grant projects applications, implementation, and reporting.

District Grants Subcommittee members are available to answer questions and are especially eager to support clubs which are applying for grants for the first time. Please contact the Chair of the District Rotary Foundation Committee, Peter Mardinly, at [email protected], or Warren Sell, Chair of the District Grants Subcommittee, at [email protected].

GUIDELINES FOR DISTRICT GRANTS

(Guidelines are subject to review and amendment each year.)

1. For the 2023-2024 Rotary year beginning July 1, all applications for District Grants are due on or before May 31, 2023.
2. All applications must be submitted online via DACdb.  Detailed instructions for using the application format on DACdb are located on the District 7450 website under the “District Grants” heading, directly accessed here.
3. The Rotary Foundation rules on the use of grants must be observed.
   TRF detailed rules and restrictions can be found at:  https://my.rotary.org/en/take-action/apply-grants/district-grants.   At a minimum you should download and read the brochure “Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation District Grants” which is a hyperlink under Resources and Reference.
4. Any club in District 7450 may apply as the lead club for one District 7450 grant per Rotary year.
5. Up to a maximum of five clubs may partner with other clubs on any project. Each partnering club will contribute to the project budget. The lead club’s contribution will be matched; partnering club contributions may be matched if sufficient funds allow.
6. District Grants are matching grants: the amount requested from a District Grant can be no more than the total amount contributed by the applying club(s).
7. To be eligible to receive District Grant funds, clubs are required to be “qualified” in accordance with The Rotary Foundation specifications. “Qualified” means that a club demonstrates an understanding of the nature of District Grants and agrees to its terms. Becoming qualified involves stewardship and compliance with training relating to compliance with a signed Memorandum of Understanding (legally binding contract) between the club and the District submitted as part of the application.
   1. Clubs are required to have at least one member of a club complete “District Grant management training.”  Note:  District Grant qualification is different from Global Grant qualification.  All club members are welcome to attend training; clubs are encouraged to send more than one member; the President-Elect is especially encouraged to attend as the project will be implemented during that person’s presidential year.
      For 2023-2024, the training will consist of:

      i) online class modules available on “The Learning Center” of Rotary International,
      ii.) all District Grant information on the District website, and
      iii.) a one-session Foundation training to review procedures, confirm grant details and Club reporting obligations, and answer questions.
      For questions or concerns about training, please contact Warren Sell, Chair Grants Subcommittee, at WarrenSell.rotary at outlook.com.

   2. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (Contract) between the applying club and the District – signed by the current club President and the President-elect – is required to be uploaded with all applications. Important: The MOU is a legally binding contract spelling out in detail the expectations and responsibilities of all parties.
8. Each District Grant project is required by The Rotary Foundation to:
   1. include active participation by Rotarians in each club embarking on a project singly or in partnership.
   2. fall within one of the 7 focus areas established by Rotary International: Promoting Peace; Fighting Disease; Growing Local Economies; Supporting Education; Providing Clean Water; Saving Mothers and Children; Protecting the Environment.
   3. Plan and provide means by which the Rotary project activities will be noted and communicated to others, e.g., by plaques and publicity in appropriate media.
9. If a project includes cooperating with a non-Rotary organization, a “letter of participation” from that organization is required to be uploaded with the grant application. The letter should specify what that organization’s responsibilities will be and how Rotarians will interact with the organization.
10. In awarding District Grants, the applicant Rotary Club’s giving record and participation in District activities may be considered:
    1. Does the applying club have a positive history of giving to the Annual Fund of TRF on a per member basis?
    2. Has the club entered its Rotary Foundation Giving goals in Rotary Central on the Rotary International website?
    3. Does the club have members who participate in District activities such as District Assembly, District Conference, Seminars, committee service?
    4. Does the club have a successful history of timely completion and reporting on previous grants (if applicable)?
    5. Is the club able to show that all federal tax filings are current?
    6. Are applicant clubs current in their payment of dues to RI and the District?
11. The decisions by the District Grants Subcommittee with regard to District grant applications requests will be communicated within two weeks from the date submitted to TRF for final approval, via email to those named on the grant application as contacts.
12. The (local) District Foundation Committee will submit our set of approved project applications to TRF for its review. Clubs may not begin their projects until they have been FURTHER notified of TRF approval (email notification); the amount of time TRF has taken for this approval process has varied over the years, but it should not be later than August. Funds will be released for disbursement to clubs (all funds must go to either the Rotary Club or its Foundation) for approved projects immediately upon the District receiving the Funds from TRF.
13. A  Final Report is due online to the District when a project is completed. The form for this report is on DACdb at the same place where the application materials are submitted, found via a new Tab at the top, and draws directly from the original application’s content. . Instructions for the Final Report are similarly located. Final Reports on project grants are requested as soon as possible after a project’s completion and at most within two months. A club applying for a District Grant is required to have all its Final Reports of previous grants completed on DACdb by the application due date of May 31, 2023. Should a project in process not yet be complete by that date, an Interim Report may, at the discretion of the District Grants Subcommittee, be accepted if it sufficiently describes expenditures to date and a timetable for project completion. The format for an Interim Report is found also on the same DACdb page as the application and Final Report, found via a tab on the upper heading.