District Grant Management Course

Rotary District 6330
District Grant Management Course

District Grants Committee Chair: Deborah Renaud-McDermott (drm201@hotmail.com)
District Rotary Foundation Chair: Sonja Glass (sonja.glass@rogers.com)
 

Objectives

  • Learn where District Grant Funds Come From
  • Learn how your Club can “qualify” to apply for a D6330 District Grant.
  • Learn when, where, and how to apply for a District Grant.
  • Learn how your Grant application will be evaluated.
  • Learn the reporting and financial requirements.

The Foundation's Annual Fund:

Donations directed to The Foundation's Annual Fund are the Primary source of funding for District Grants.
A portion of Club Donations (and your personal donations) to the Annual Fund are returned to fund our District Grants.

Your Donations Are Important!

How Can Your Club Participate
in The District Grant Program?

The Rotary Foundation requires Clubs that want to participate in the District Grants program to qualify. To qualify, the club must:

  • be in good standing,
  • have at least 2 members complete the District’s Qualification Training course and quiz (you're part way through that now with this online course)
The Certification is valid for One Rotary Year
– clubs must be re-certified for each Rotary Year.

Rotary Foundation Grants

There are two kinds of Rotary Foundation Grants
- Global Grants and District Grants:
 
Global Grants
  • Must be in (at least) one of Rotary's Areas Of Focus
  • Must be International projects involving at least 2 clubs in 2 different countries. One of these clubs is the "host" club - the club where the project will take place. The other is the "international partner" - the club that provides funding and possibly some expertise to help implement the project.
  • Must have a minimum budget of USD $30,000
  • Club funds are supplemented by the District Designated Funds as, and if, available
  • Funds donated to the project from District Designated Funds are supplemented by The Rotary Foundation (World Fund) to fund these grants.
District Grants
  • May be local or international in scope.
  • Are usually smaller in scale. There is no minimum budget requirement.
  • Will usually involve active participation by Rotarians.
  • District 6330 clubs may apply for more than one District Grant in a single Rotary year, but are limited to a maximum of USD $2,000 per year in District Grant funding.
  • Projects must be started and completed within one Rotary year - July 1 to June 30 of the next year.

Ready to Apply for A Grant
 - will it be a District or a Global Grant?

3 simple questions to help you decide:
  • Is the project in one of the areas of focus
    – If no, consider applying for a District Grant
  • Is the project between Clubs/Districts in separate countries?
    – If no, consider applying for a District Grant
  • Is the total budget for the project >USD $30,000?
    – If no, consider applying for a District Grant
     
  • If yes to all the above, consider applying for a Global Grant

DISTRICT GRANTS

  • Fund short to medium term projects
    - projects must start and complete in the same Rotary year (July 1 - June 30)
  • Usually fund relatively smaller scale projects
    - 2 or more Clubs can work together for larger projects
  • Can be used for local or international projects
  • Districts develop local policies, procedures & rules, such as a deadline for applications & matching policy.
  • Provided that there are funds available:
    • District 6330 will match club raised funds $1.00 per $2.00 of club raised funds
    • Clubs can obtain a maximum of $2,000 per year in District Grant funding.
      For example: A District Grant can fund $2,000 of a $6,000 (or more) project  - with the club raising the other $4,000
Are District Grants awarded on a first-come, first-served basis?
This is where the initial proposal comes in. Our District asks Clubs to submit a proposal before May 31 so that we can gauge the demand from Clubs and allocate available funding to that demand. Clubs that submit a qualified proposal before May 31 are guaranteed a portion of the funds available during the following Rotary year. District Grant proposals submitted after May 31 will be considered only if there are funds available.
 
Can a Repeat Project receive District Grant funding?
  • Has the club previously applied for a District Grant for the same project?
    The limit to apply for a project for the same beneficiary, entity, or community is two consecutive years
  • A project that has been funded for two consecutive years, may not be funded again until there has been at least two years without funding.
Is the Grant based on the Club’s project budget estimate?
  • It is the Club’s project budget that gives us an idea of how much District Grant support is being requested.
Is there Active Club Member involvement in the project?
The proposed project is expected to include active Rotarian involvement.
 
How Much Grant Funding Will Your Project Get?

  • There are limited funds available. To ensure that your project gets considered for a District Grant, be sure to submit a District Grant Proposal before May 31

  • The District Grants Committee allocates District Grant funds to qualified project proposals and requests funding from The Rotary Foundation beginning in July (the starting month of the Rotary year).

  • District Grant funding will be $1 for every $2 of club-raised funds to a maximum for any club of USD $2,000 in one Rotary year.

  • This club allocation is also based on funding available. 

  • The Club pays the full expense of the project and receives grant after acceptance of the final report

District Grant Application Phases

  1. Full Application Submitted
  2. District Grant Committee Approval
  3. Rotary Foundation Acceptance
  4. Notice to Begin Spending
  5. Complete the Project
  6. Final Report
  7. Grant Payment
District Grant Initial Proposal
To confidently secure District Grant funding Clubs must submit a full application prior to May 31 in the year before the Rotary Year in which the project will take place. If all required documentation (e.g. quotes from suppliers) is not available at this time, the proposal must contain;
  • a brief description of the project (up to 400 characters), and
  • an indication of the total cost of the project in USD.
District Grant Application
  • Funding from The Rotary Foundation is usually received by the District in July or early August.
  • Once District Grant funding has been received from The Rotary Foundation, the District Grants Committee Chair will communicate with the club contacts
  • If you have already submitted the full application you will be advised that you can begin spending
  • If you have not already submitted the full application you will be asked to do so. 
Work may not proceed nor may expenses be incurred 
on any District Grant funded project 
until approval to SPEND is received from the District Grants Committee.
 
Complete Project - File Report - Get Grant $$
  • Following approval for SPENDING;
    • work may begin on the project, and
    • expenses may be incurred.
  • The Club pays all expenses related to the project.
  • A final report (using  the "Individual Project Report" in the Grants Module on the District website) for the project is filed with the District Grant Committee ;
    • during the same Rotary year that the project received approval,
    • within 2 months of completing the project and no later than May 15.
 

Take a Quiz to confirm your qualification.

To complete your personal qualification, successfully complete a short graded quiz by following this link. 
 
You must score at least 80% to qualify as a District Grant administrator for your club. At the completion of the quiz you will be given a link to edit your responses. Save that link in case you have not scored at least 80%.
 
The District Grants Committee Chair will inform you about your results and register you on the District website as a District Grant Administrator for your club once you have successfully completed the quiz.

Questions?

Contact Deborah Renaud-McDermott, District Grants Chair - drm201@hotmail.com