District grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in your community and communities abroad.

Extract from District 9980 Foundation Newsletter June 2021, written by Andrew Hamilton, District Rotary Foundation Chair.

District Grants

Hands on community projects are a great way to raise awareness of Rotary in your community and to show Rotarians are People of Action.

When the initial District Grant applications were received from Rotary Clubs in the District, the total value was USD $34,124. The District Grant is an easy way to access funds from the Rotary Foundation and can be used to help fund projects for every Rotary Club in the District. Initially 19 applications were received from individual clubs and group club projects:

• Usborne Illustrated Dictionaries and “Rhyming around the Alphabet” packages to children in local schools
• Part funding of community assessment trip for a school construction project in Vanuatu.
• Trial of C-Pen Dyslexic Tools in partnership with a group of schools, and to share funding with wider teaching communities.

• Development of a community assessment and Talent Mapping - WASH Data App
• Funding for extra teaching hours for dyslexic children to assist them to catch up following the disruption to schooling caused by COVID-19.
• Usborne Illustrated Dictionaries for year 4 students (several District Grant applications were for the Usborne Dictionaries)
• Literacy Packs to all entry year students in 77 schools across Southland.
• Good Citizenship Awards (in the form of vouchers for books and stationery) to 10 Primary Schools.
• Assistance with the re-developing of a training kitchen for people with disabilities.

• Project to improve children’s knowledge and appreciation of water quality and water related issues.
• Funding for Monarch Butterfly project to increase awareness and appreciation of butterfly ecology, adverse effects of chemicals on butterflies.
• Part funding of a multi-seat vehicle to be used to transport children who otherwise might not be able to attend kindergarten.
• A public shelter in a location where the Rotary Club has already provided a barbeque table and bench seat.
• Funding annual salary of a teacher in a remote school in Nepal where the children, especially girls, might not otherwise be able to remain in school.

• Assistance with the establishment of a vegetable garden to grow food for distribution to local charities who will then distribute to local families in need.
• Assistance with funding of a bike track.
• This is located on a public walking/biking track. Follow-up to MIHE work carried out in Nepal by a group of midwives from our District under a Global Grant and a VTT.

Not all the above projects were successful for different reasons (i.e., COVID-19, inability to travel overseas, funding sourced elsewhere). There were several other subsequent rounds of District Grant applications where funds were allocated for projects other than mentioned above.

Hopefully this list helps expand your thinking on possible and potential ideas for future District Grant projects. 

To get the District Grant guidelines for your District, please contact your District Rotary Foundation Chair.