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Grant responsibilities by leader



The Rotary Foundation offers grants that support a wide variety of projects, scholarships, and training that are carried out by Rotary members around the world.


This guide will help club and district leaders understand their roles in qualifying for grants and taking part in district, global, and disaster response grants.


Grant reports in My Rotary can help you manage your club or district’s grant activities and find members of The Rotary Foundation’s Cadre of Technical Advisers who can help you with your projects. For the chair roles below, the chairs will work with their committees to fulfill their responsibilities. For information about Programs of Scale grants, write to programsofscale@rotary.org. Send questions about other grants to grants@rotary.org.


DISTRICT GOVERNOR

Qualification and stewardship

  • Work with the district Rotary Foundation chair (DRFC) to qualify your district to participate in Rotary Foundation grants by authorizing the District Qualification Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the Grant Center. This should be done at the end of your governor-nominee year or the start of your governor-elect year.

  • Help review and implement the district MOU every year.

  • Assist the DRFC with grant management seminars, which are part of club qualification.

Global grants

  • Monitor all global grant activities in your district. You can use the Grant Center to review the global grants that your district and its clubs are sponsoring. You can also review the global grants that contributions from clubs in your district are supporting.

  • In consultation with the DRFC, authorize the use of District Designated Funds for global grants. You’ll be notified by email when DDF authorization is needed.

  • Discuss other grant needs in the district with the DRFC and decide which district leader will be responsible for them.

District grants

In consultation with the DRFC and the district grants subcommittee chair:

  • Manage clubs’ requests for district grants, review them, and decide which projects to fund.

  • Decide how much to request from the Foundation for administration and contingency funds.

  • Complete, authorize, and submit the district grant application in the Grant Center by 15 May of the Rotary year for which the funds are requested.

  • Distribute district grant funds to clubs and collect reports from them.

  • Submit new spending requests, if necessary, and complete the district grant report in the Grant Center.

Disaster response grants

In consultation with the DRFC:

  • Authorize and submit disaster response grant applications in the Grant Center.

  • Submit disaster response grant reports in the Grant Center within six months of payment.


DISTRICT ROTARY FOUNDATION CHAIR

Qualification and stewardship

  • Work with the governor to qualify your district to participate in Rotary Foundation grants by authorizing the District Qualification Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the Grant Center. This authorization should be completed as soon as your term starts or even before.

  • Help review and implement the district MOU every year.

  • Review the District Stewardship Planning Guide.

  • Lead the process of deciding whether to set any district-level qualification requirements for clubs, determining how to communicate this information, and tracking clubs’ progress toward meeting the requirements.

  • Organize grant management seminars, which are part of club qualification. Districts can use the Grant Management Seminar learning plan to either replace or supplement their in-person training.

  • Work with the district grants subcommittee chair to monitor grant activity and ensure that all grant projects are implemented promptly.

  • Report to the governor monthly about all Foundation activities in the district, including the qualification of clubs and the district.

  • Report on Rotary Foundation grant activities at a district meeting that all clubs are invited to attend.

  • Work with the district stewardship subcommittee chair to help investigate and address any suspected misuse of grant funds or other irregularities related to grants.

Global grants

  • Monitor all global grant activities in your district. You can use the Grant Center to review the global grants sponsored by your district and its clubs. You can also review the global grants that contributions from clubs in your district are supporting.

  • Review global grant applications in the Grant Center by your district or its clubs. You’ll be notified by email when your authorization is needed. Before you authorize an application, confirm that the clubs applying are qualified and that their activities are eligible for funding. Tell grant sponsors if any other information is needed before the application can be authorized.

  • In consultation with the governor, authorize any use of District Designated Funds for global grants. You’ll be notified by email when DDF authorization is needed.

  • Authorize the use of directed gifts and endowment funding, ensuring that the grant activities align with the gift specifications.

  • Authorize the grant application legal agreement and reports for district-sponsored global grants. You’ll be notified by email when your authorization is needed.

  • Connect clubs with local experts, including members of the Cadre of Technical Advisers and the district resource network, to help them plan successful projects.

  • Serve as the district’s primary liaison about global grants with regional grants officers and other Foundation staff members.

  • Support clubs in resolving any partnership and project implementation issues that arise during the implementation of the grant.

District grants

  • Ensure that the district Rotary Foundation committee has a policy that outlines how and when district grant funds will be distributed.

  • Serve as the Foundation’s primary contact for district grants.

  • In consultation with the governor and the district grants subcommittee chair:

    • Manage clubs’ requests for district grants, review them, and decide which projects to fund.

    • Decide how much to request from the Foundation for administration and contingency funds.

    • Complete, authorize, and submit the district grant application in the Grant Center by 15 May of the Rotary year for which the funds are requested.

    • Distribute district grant funds to clubs and collect reports from them.

    • Submit new spending requests, if necessary, and complete the district grant report in the Grant Center.

Disaster response grants

In consultation with the governor:

  • Authorize and submit disaster response grant applications in the Grant Center.

  • Submit disaster response grant reports in the Grant Center within six months of payment.

DISTRICT GRANTS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR

Qualification and stewardship

  • Work with the district Rotary Foundation chair (DRFC) to qualify clubs to participate in global grants.

  • Help review and implement the District Qualification Memorandum of Understanding every year, including by establishing and maintaining appropriate record-keeping systems to manage the district’s grants.

  • Assist with grant management seminars.

  • Work with the DRFC to monitor grant activity and ensure that all grant projects are implemented promptly.

  • Help decide how to allocate DDF.

  • Ensure that grant sponsors understand and comply with the terms and conditions of grant awards.

Global grants

  • Monitor all global grant activities in your district. You can use the Grant Center to review the global grants that your district and its clubs are sponsoring. You can also review the global grants that contributions from clubs in your district are supporting.

  • Collaborate with the district’s scholarship subcommittee chair or vocational training team subcommittee chair to conduct orientation (with other districts, if possible) for all scholars and training team participants before they depart or when they arrive.

District grants

  • Implement the policy for allocating funds for district grants as established by the district Rotary Foundation committee, including by working with the DRFC to disburse grant funds and establish and maintain appropriate record-keeping systems to manage the district’s grants.

  • In consultation with the governor and the DRFC:

    • Manage clubs’ requests for district grants, review them, and decide which projects to fund.

    • Decide how much to request from the Foundation for administration and contingency funds.

    • Complete, authorize, and submit the district grant application in the Grant Center by 15 May of the Rotary year for which the funds are requested.

    • Distribute district grant funds to clubs and collect reports from them.

    • Submit new spending requests, if necessary, and complete the district grant report in the Grant Center.

Disaster response grants

  • Support the governor and DRFC as needed in applying for disaster response grants and carrying out the activities funded by disaster response grants.

DISTRICT STEWARDSHIP SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR

Qualification and stewardship

  • Support club qualification processes as requested by the governor and district Rotary Foundation chair (DRFC).

  • Assist with grant management seminars.

  • Help review and implement the District Qualification Memorandum of Understanding every year, including by reviewing the financial management plan.

  • Review the District Stewardship Planning Guide.

  • Monitor and evaluate the implementation of proper stewardship and grant management practices for all club- and district-sponsored grants, including timely reporting to the Foundation for all grants.

  • Create a system to investigate and address any potential misuse or irregularities in grant-related activities, report any potential misuse or irregularities to the Foundation, and conduct initial local investigations into any reports of misuse.

Global grants

  • Monitor global grant activities in your district. You can use the Grant Center to review the global grants sponsored by your district and its clubs. You can also review the global grants that contributions from clubs in your district are supporting.

District grants

  • Monitor district grant activity in the district.

Disaster response grants

  • Monitor disaster response grant activity in the district.


CLUB PRESIDENT

Qualification and stewardship

  • Participate in the grant management seminar or designate another club member to do so. Ideally, the president and president-elect take part, as well as any club member that will be the primary contact on a global grant.

  • Review and agree to the Club Qualification Memorandum of Understanding.

  • Review the Club Stewardship Planning Guide.

  • Complete any other qualification requirements set by your district.

Global grants

  • Monitor all grant activities in your club. You can use the Grant Center to review any global grants that your club is sponsoring. You can also review the global grants that contributions from your club are supporting.

  • Authorize the grant application legal agreement, as well as reports for grants sponsored by your club.

District grants

  • Work with club members to submit district grant requests to the district.

  • Help implement the activities funded by district grants.

  • Make sure that district grant reports are submitted to the district.

Disaster response grants

  • Communicate with your district about any disaster response grant funds your club manages. Track relevant receipts or other financial documents and submit those to your district as requested.



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