MATCHING GRANT MONIES INCREASED

At their April meeting, The Rotary Foundation Trustees approved a Matching Grants World Fund budget of US$21.5 million for 2010-11. This amount represents an 82 percent increase over the previous year’s budget of $11.8 million and, because funds for the 100 Future Vision pilot districts were budgeted separately, one of the largest World Fund budgets in Matching Grants history. The Trustees approved a Rotary Foundation Global Grants World Fund budget of $8 million for Future Vision pilot districts starting with the 2010-11 program year.  

Although the 2010-11 Foundation programs budget is pending final approval by the RI Board of Directors in June, we want to reassure Rotarians that we do not anticipate the Matching Grant budget being fully committed early in the Rotary year. The Trustees plan to review Competitive Matching Grant applications at their October 2010 and April 2011 meetings; the Foundation will notify districts if this business cycle changes.  

The Trustees were able to restore World Fund budget for Matching Grants largely because Rotarians and other friends of Rotary donated a record amount of almost $115 million to the Annual Programs Fund in 2007-08 (World Fund allocations are based on Annual Programs Fund donations three years prior). Additionally, because investment income stabilized, the Trustees did not need to use a significant amount of World Fund to supplement the Foundation’s programs operations budget for the coming year. 

If you have questions about Matching Grants and the 2010-11 program year budget, please e-mail them to contact.center@rotary.org.