The Rotary Foundation
 
The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotary members and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. This support is essential to make possible projects, funded with Foundation grants, which bring sustainable improvement to communities in need.
 
POLIOPLUS
 
Polio eradication is Rotary’s top philanthropic priority. When Rotary launched the PolioPlus program in 1985, there were more than 350,000 polio cases in over 125 countries. Since 1988, when Rotary began working with its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to immunize more than 2 billion children, the incidence of polio has decreased 99 percent. As of 2013, Rotary’s contributions to the global polio eradication effort totaled $1.2 billion.
 
 
ROTARY PEACE FELLOWSHIPS
 
Purpose              
Rotary Peace Fellowships enable individuals to pursue a graduate degree in international relations, peace, conflict resolution, and related subjects, or a professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies at one of the six Rotary Peace Centers.
 
Funding              
Fellowships cover transportation, tuition, qualified internships, room and board, and other limited expenses for the duration of the program. Fellowships are supported through a pool of funds contributed by districts from their District Designated Fund, through term gifts, Rotary’s Endowment Fund, and the World Fund.
 
Application       
District submits a Rotary Peace Fellowship Application.
 
Deadlines         
District can submit an unlimited number of qualified applications by 1 July for world-competitive selection. Find out your district’s deadline from your district Rotary Peace Fellowships subcommittee chair.
 
Criteria
A candidate should have:
  • A bachelor’s degree or equivalent for a master’s degree program, a strong academic background for a professional certificate program
  • Work or service experience in relevant fields
  • English proficiency for both programs, and knowledge of a second language for master’s degree
  • A demonstrated commitment to peace and international understanding
Decision             
Up to 50 master’s degree and 50 professional development certificate fellows are selected annually. Trustee-approved applicants are notified by 15 November.
 
Ineligibility       
The following are not eligible for fellowships: Rotarians; honorary Rotarians; employees of a club, district, or other Rotary entity, including Rotary International; spouses, lineal descendants (children or grandchildren by blood, legal adoption, or marriage without adoption), spouses of lineal descendants, or ancestors (parent or grandparent by blood) of any living person in the foregoing categories. However, such individuals are eligible to apply for the short-term professional development program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
 
 
FOUNDATION FUNDING
 
Annual Fund Share
 
Purpose              
Annual Fund-SHARE is the primary source of funding for a broad range of local and international Rotary Foundation activities.  Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) is the fundraising initiative to encourage support for the Foundation’s Annual Fund. EREY aims to engage every Rotary club member by:
  • Encouraging every Rotarian to contribute to the Annual Fund every year
  • Encouraging every Rotarian to participate in a Foundation grant or program every year
 
How fund works
Through the SHARE system, contributions to The Rotary Foundation are transformed into grants that change lives. At the end of every Rotary year, contributions to the Annual Fund-SHARE from all Rotary clubs in a district are directed into two funds:
  • Fifty percent is credited to the World Fund.*
  • Fifty percent is credited to the District Designated Fund.
The Foundation uses the World Fund portion to pay for the worldwide grant and program opportunities available to all Rotary districts. Your district uses the District Designated Fund portion to fund the Foundation grants and programs of its choice.
 
The Rotary Foundation’s funding cycle makes district contributions available for use three years after they are received. The three-year cycle gives districts time to plan projects and activities and allows the Foundation to invest the contributions.
 
Your district Rotary Foundation committee decides how to use the District Designated Fund allocations in consultation with the clubs in the district. Districts may use up to 50 percent of the fund (which might also include spendable earnings from gifts to the Endowment Fund-SHARE) for district grants; the remainder may be used for global grants or be donated to PolioPlus, Rotary Peace Centers, or another district.
 
In addition to SHARE, donors may direct their Annual Fund contributions directly to the World Fund or to one of the Foundation’s six areas of focus. Annual Fund contributions directed to an area of focus are credited toward a club’s annual giving goal and per capita giving calculations. Likewise, these contributions are eligible for
all Annual Fund recognition opportunities, including EREY, Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member, Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society, Major Donor, and Arch Klumph Society. They also count toward all club recognition opportunities.
Contributions designated for areas of focus are not included in a district’s SHARE calculation and do not generate any increases in the amount of the District Designated Fund. Because Annual
Fund-SHARE contributions are the primary source of funding for Foundation grants, SHARE-designated contributions from Every Rotarian, Every Year remain crucial and therefore are strongly encouraged.
 
 
Endowment Fund
 
 
Purpose              
Ensures the long-term viability of the Foundation’s grants and programs. Spendable earnings from this endowed fund also enable the Foundation to expand existing activities and occasionally underwrite new ones like the Rotary Peace Centers.
 
How fund works   
Contributions are invested in perpetuity. A percentage of the total value of the fund is directed annually to Foundation grants and programs.
 
Types of Contributions
  • Outright gifts of cash, investments, or other property
  • Life income gifts (e.g., charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, pooled-income funds)
  • Testamentary gifts through wills or estate plans
  • Beneficiary of life insurance, retirement plan accounts, or other financial accounts
 
 
RECOGNITION
 
 
The Rotary Foundation shows its appreciation to individuals and clubs for personal outright contributions supporting its humanitarian and educational activities.
 
INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION OPPORTUNITIES
 
Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member
A Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member is an individual who contributes $100 or more each year to the Annual Fund. These contributions also count toward Paul Harris Fellow, Multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society, Major Donor, and club recognition. To obtain the annual Sustaining Member badge sticker in recognition of these contributions, contact your Rotary club president.
 
Paul Harris Fellow
Paul Harris Fellow recognition is given to an individual who contributes (or in whose name is contributed) $1,000 or more cumulatively to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant. Recognition consists of a certificate and pin. An optional medallion is available for $15.
 
Certificate of Appreciation
Occasionally, a donor contributes $1,000 and wishes to recognize a business or organization. In these instances, a Certificate of Appreciation is given instead of Paul Harris Fellow recognition, which is only for individuals.
 
Multiple Paul Harris Fellow
Multiple Paul Harris Fellow recognition is given at subsequent $1,000 levels. Recognition consists of a pin set with stones corresponding to the recognition amount.
  • $2,000 to $2,999.99 — one sapphire
  • $3,000 to $3,999.99 — two sapphires
  • $4,000 to $4,999.99 — three sapphires
  • $5,000 to $5,999.99 — four sapphires
  • $6,000 to $6,999.99 — five sapphires
  • $7,000 to $7,999.99 — one ruby
  • $8,000 to $8,999.99 — two rubies
  • $9,000 to $9,999.99 — three rubies
Paul Harris Society
The Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotarians and friends of The Rotary Foundation who personally contribute $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant each year. While this recognition was originally a district-administered program, the Trustees adopted the Paul Harris Society as an official recognition program of The Rotary Foundation effective 1 July 2013. Paul Harris Society contributions count toward Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member, Paul Harris Fellow, Multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Major Donor, and Arch Klumph Society recognition. Recognition consists of a chevron-style pin provided by your district Paul Harris Society coordinator.
 
Major Donor
The Rotary Foundation recognizes individuals or couples whose combined giving has reached $10,000, regardless of the gift designation. This recognition level can be achieved only through personal contributions and not through recognition points. Major Donors may elect to receive a crystal recognition piece and wearable recognition commemorating the gift at each new recognition level.
  • $10,000 to $24,999.99 — level 1
  • $25,000 to $49,999.99 — level 2
  • $50,000 to $99,999.99 — level 3
  • $100,000 to $249,999.99 — level 4
 
Arch Klumph Society
Donors who contribute $250,000 or more become members of the Arch Klumph Society. Portraits, biographies, and, in some cases,
video clips are housed in the society’s interactive galleries, one of which is located at Rotary International World Headquarters, while the other travels to Rotary events around the world.
Members also receive lapel pins and pendants, signed certificates, and invitations to the society’s exclusive events, held worldwide. New members are invited to an induction ceremony at RI World Headquarters.
Trustees Circle — $250,000 to $499,999.99 Chair’s Circle — $500,000 to $999,999.99 Foundation Circle — $1,000,000 and more
 
Benefactor
A Benefactor is an individual who informs The Rotary Foundation in writing that he or she has provided for the Foundation in his or her estate plan, or who makes an outright gift of $1,000 or more to the Endowment Fund. Benefactors receive a certificate and insignia to be worn with a Rotary or Paul Harris Fellow pin.
 
Bequest Society
The Rotary Foundation recognizes couples or individuals who have made commitments in their estate plans totaling $10,000 or more. Donors may elect to receive an engraved crystal recognition piece and wearable recognition commemorating the commitment at each new recognition level.
  • $10,000 to $24,999.99 — level 1
  • $25,000 to $49,999.99 — level 2
  • $50,000 to $99,999.99 — level 3
  • $100,000 to $249,999.99 — level 4
  • $250,000 to $499,999.99 — level 5
  • $500,000 to $999,999.99 — level 6
  • $1,000,000 and more — level 7