District Grants

District Grants Timeline

 District Grants Overview

     District Grants are administered by the District Grant Sub-Committee and are funded by a District Block Grant from the Rotary Foundation.  Rotary International information on District Grants can be found on the District Grants page of My Rotary.  The District Block Grant can include up to 50% of the District Designated Funds (DDF) derived from donations made to the Annual Fund three years prior, plus spendable earnings from the Endowment Fund. 

     District Grants have several purposes and may include funding of local or international projects with a maximum grant request of US $5,000 for Local Grants or a maximum grant request of US $10,000 for International Grants. Grant Funds match club funds.

These projects may include:

• 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.

     District Grant Applications are submitted through the District DACdb Grants module.  The following documents provide information about the application process and application requirements. 

The Rotary Foundation Terms & Conditions for District Grants (Mar 2023)

D5080 Addendum to Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation District Grants

Club Grants Steward Position Description

Club Financial Management Plan

Club Qualification MOU with D5080 Addendum

Memorandum of Understanding - Cooperating Organization

District 5080 Online Grant Application Process

     Applications for Local and International District Grants must be received no later than April 15th each year.

     Several documents will need to be uploaded to the DACdb Grants Module as part of the application process, including:

1. Club Qualification MOU – Signed by:
• Current Year Club President,
• Project Year Club President, and
• Club Grant Steward
2. Grant Financial Management Plan
3. MOUs with any cooperating organizations
4. Pro-forma invoices for any budget items costing US $1,000 or more

     To complete the Grant Cycle, the Final Report must be submitted through the DACdb Grants module.  This report should be submitted within two months of the project completion no later than April 30^th of the following year.

Express Grants Timeline (No Express Grants will be Offered for 2023-2024)

Express Grants Overview (No Express Grants will be Offered for 2023-2024)

     Express Grants are intended for clubs to use for small, local, pop-up projects that are not large enough for a District Grant and which can be completed by February 28th of the Rotary Year.  Express Grants are an extension of the District Grant process, are limited in the number available each year, and limited in the amount of each grant. These grants do not require the completion of the educational qualifications required for regular District Grants or Global Grants and do not require the use of a dedicated bank account.  Clubs may only apply for and receive ONE Express Grant per Rotary year.  Applications are e-Mailed to the Club’s designated Assistant Governor by December 31^st.

Global Grants

     Rotary Clubs in the District (International Club) initiate and manage Global Grants in partnership with a Rotary Club(s) in a foreign country (Host Club).

     Global Grants have a minimum budget of $30,000 comprised of a combination of Club Funds, District Funds and Foundation funds. The maximum contribution of RI Foundation Funds that may be awarded is $400,000.  Global Grants are applied for and administered on the RI Foundation website in the Rotary Grant Center.  Specific information related to Grant Resources can be found on the Rotary Foundation Website – A Guide to Global Grants link.

     Requests for District Designated Funds (DDF) must be submitted to the District Rotary Foundation Chair prior to the completion of the application. A DDF Request Memorandum of Understanding is required to complete this request.

For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, a change in the allocation of District Designated Funds has been established.

1. Global Grants | DDF Requests will only be considered for Clubs that have a minimum 3-year average per capita annual fund contribution of $ 50.
2. District Clubs that are listed as the International Club in the Global Grant application may be considered for a 1:1 (100%) contribution of DDF based on Club contributions.
3. District Clubs that partner with another District Club that is listed as the International Club in the Global Grant application may be considered for a 1:1 (100%) contribution of DDF based on Club contributions.
4. District Clubs that partner with non-D5080 Clubs that are listed as the International Club in the Global Grant application may be considered for a 1:2 (50%) contribution of DDF based on Club contributions.

Qualification Criteria for Foundation Grants

     To qualify for a District 5080 or Global Grant award, members of a Club must complete specific education each year. This education will vary depending upon the type of grant being considered.

     Both Global and District Grants require at least two of the three Grant Project Committee Members and the Club’s Grants Steward to complete the required training each year.  For Global Grants, the Primary Contact and one additional contact must be trained.

     Please be sure to designate your Club's Grants Steward as a designated position in your roster of member positions.

     Global Grant training is available from the Rotary Learning Center and requires the completion of the Grant Management Seminar or the Grant Management Recertification course for those who have previously completed the Grant Management Seminar.

     To qualify for District Grants, D5080 conducts in-person training sessions, online virtual training sessions and makes available a video of the training session.  Any Rotarian who wished to become qualified must participate in one of these training sessions or watch the video, followed by the completion of a quiz with a passing score of 80% or higher.

District Grant Qualification Training Schedule for 2024-2025

D5080 Fall Assembly and Foundation Summit, Face 2 Face Training

D5080 Virtual Session

November 29 - 6:00pm to 7:30pm PST
Registration is open on the D5080 Homepage

All attendees, Face 2 Face or Virtual will be required to complete an online qualification quiz with a minimum grade of 80% to be considered qualified.

Foundation Grants Responsible Parties for 2023-2024