ROTARY FUTURE VISION

As of 6 May, more than 175 districts have submitted applications to participate in the Future Vision Plan pilot. Applications must be submitted through Member Access by 15 May. "The Rotary Foundation Future Vision Plan will enhance Rotarians' capacity for service," says Luis Vicente Giay, Future Vision Committee chair. "It will strengthen Rotary and our Foundation and will allow our Foundation to better fulfill its purpose: Doing Good in the World." The Future Vision pilot , which will begin 1 July 2010, is a three-year test of a new grant structure. To simplify the grant-making process, the plan offers only two types of grants: Rotary Foundation District Grants and Rotary Foundation Global Grants . District grants, modeled after the existing District Simplified Grants, are block grants made to districts for up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund (DDF) and can be used for a wide variety of activities. Global grants support larger, international projects with sustainable, high-impact outcomes in one of the six areas of focus . District governors-elect, district Rotary Foundation committee chairs, and regional Rotary Foundation coordinators (RRFCs) from the districts selected for the pilot will receive training immediately before the 2010 International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA. Clubs in the pilot districts will undergo training later in the 2009-10 Rotary year. Future Vision Committee member Mark Maloney cites several advantages to participating in the pilot. Pilot districts will be able to provide input into the refinement of the grant structure, receive specialized support and service, and have earlier access to more funds to use at their discretion. The current District Simplified Grants program allows districts to request only 20 percent of the DDF. At the same time, the pilot districts must commit to three years and will need to be patient and flexible, he says, as some changes may occur as the pilot moves forward. "We are standing at a moment of unprecedented change and unequaled opportunity," Maloney told RRFCs at an annual training meeting in Chicago earlier this year.