Matching Grants A tool to strengthen fellowship & International Goodwill

Prakash Saraswat – DGSC – 3170 - TRF Seminar, Kolhapur – 21 Oct’12

Service above self

The Rotary motto Service Above Self conveys the humanitarian spirit of the organization’s more than 1.2 million members.

Strong fellowship among Rotarians and meaningful community and international service projects characterize Rotary worldwide.

The ‘first’ Service Project

24th October 1907 – just 32 months after Rotary started as a ‘fellowship’ organisation

International Service

International Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary’s humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace.

Rotarians can support International Service by sponsoring a project in another country, seeking international project partners to support projects in their own communities, or by personally volunteering at an international project site.

Our Rotary Foundation 1917, RI President Arch C. Klumph proposed

that an endowment be set up “for the purpose of doing good in the world.”

In 1928, when the endowment fund had grown to more than US$5,000, it was renamed The Rotary Foundation, and it became a distinct entity within Rotary International.

Five Trustees, including Klumph, were appointed to “hold, invest, manage, and administer all of its property as a single trust, for the furtherance of the purposes of RI.”

TRF - Mission

The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. 

Foundation grants support Rotarians in their humanitarian, vocational, and educational activities.

Early years of TRF 1930 - the Foundation made its first grant of

$500 to the International Society for Crippled Children. The organization, created by Rotarian Edgar F. “Daddy” Allen, later grew into the Easter Seals.

In 1965-66, three new programs were launched: Group Study Exchange , Awards for Technical Training, and Grants for Activities in Keeping with the Objective of The Rotary Foundation, which was later called Matching Grants.

What is a Matching Grant?

Matching Grants support international humanitarian service projects. Rotary clubs or districts from two countries work collaboratively to implement a project.

A very important part of ‘Rotary’ Humanitarian grants enable Rotarians to

support service projects that provide water wells, medical care, literacy classes, and other essentials to people in need.

Rotarian participation is key to the projects’ success. Through the Humanitarian Grants Program, Rotarians have received US$1.6 billion in grant awards since 1947.

What are the requirements of a Matching Grant?

Matching Grants must involve a Rotary club or district in the project country (host) and a Rotary club or district in another country (international) implementing a humanitarian project. Partners are expected to: Maintain communication for the life of the project Establish a committee of at least three Rotarians to oversee the project Treat grant funds as a sacred trust Maintain clear and accurate accounting

All projects must have active Rotarian participation and oversight. Active participation can include: Managing project funds Visiting the project site on an as-needed basis

The international and host partners sharing information via correspondence

The partners sharing expertise Purchasing, shipping, or distributing items purchased Publicizing the project to local media and the district

Service & Fellowship

A single MG project in 2010-11

A ‘permanent’ BOND between the Districts

Possible results of a single Matching Grant Project

The urge to meet up with the International partner who had made the project possible

To have a GSE Team alliance in the future

To result in more Matching Grants projects in the future

To have the DG of that District come to our own District Conference

A reason to meet-up

Visit by Partners to dedicate a safe drinking water project

Opportunity to visit them and build the partnership to another 5 Matching Grants till now

Sharing & Caring is fellowship

Neo-natal MG project in Kolhapur

The ‘’opportunity’’ to meet the partner in person after the project – a chance to learn how things are different across the world.

Don’t be ashamed to discuss

RI President Rep PDG Nancy Barbee dedicating a project

Seeing the need.. Funding another project.

Permanent ‘friends’

Rotarians from Kelowna, Canada feel at home in Icchalkaranji and Kolhapur (soon in Belgaum too)

View – from the other side

Visit by the partners to see the toilets made due to a grant with them

An opportunity to get invited to D7260 Assembly and speak about TRF !

Building Goodwill

The result : • A HUG of fellowship• A BOND of friendship

A project to provide water filters to 15 schools in Beirut, Lebanon is ‘stuck’ a week before 31st March deadline

A Club from our District stepped in to ‘save’ the project

Rotary Impact Our club or district’s international Rotary

connections are stronger as a result of this project. Club membership has increased as a result of this project. Visibility of Rotary in our community has increased. Our club’s awareness of the needs in our community has

increased. Volunteer activity in our club or district has expanded. Our club or district is more active in pursuing Foundation

grants and Rotary programs. Awareness of the needs in our community has increased

among Rotarians in other countries. Participation in this Matching Grant has not changed our club

or district in any significant way.

Medicare Mission to Nigeria Medicare Team to

Nigeria is being planned in early 2013

10 Volunteer Surgeons to visit Port Harcourt for a 10 day mission to serve

Fellowship, Service, International Peace & Goodwill – all rolled into ONE

Purpose of a Grant

If you think that doing a Matching Grant simply as something to get the money, use it and forget to stay in touch with the partner thereafter...

...You’re missing the ‘’purpose’’ –

to strengthen fellowship and build International Goodwill through service

The last line

The Annual Programs Fund along with Rotarian involvement worldwide, ensures a secure future for The Rotary Foundation as it continues its vital work for international understanding and world peace.

THANK YOU