Our club has been involved in three different types of Rotary Foundation Grants in the last month:
Global Grant to Assist Hospital in Jaffna Sri Lanka with Covid-19 equipment
We have submitted a grant application for about $US 100,000 in equipment, using donations of about $40,000 from various individuals, supplemented by District Designated Funds of about $30,000, and Rotary Foundation World Funds of about $30,000.
We were notified at the end of May that the grant would be approved, but that the Foundation budget for grants had been exhausted until the new financial year begins on 1 July. We are seeking clarification about this situation, and hope to be able to get started on the project in June with the initial donations.
Disaster Recovery Grant for Covid-19 Pandemic
Each Rotary District around the world was encouraged to submit an application for up to $25,000 to meet urgent needs in its local area. Our district received three applications from local clubs, including one from the E-Club of Greater Sydney. All three applications involved providing food and essential supplies to needy people in the northern Sydney area who have not received assistance from government programs. The district's application was submitted to the Foundation, and is on a wait-list for funding. The Rotary Foundation is seeking donations to a new fund for Disaster Recovery, and the Trustees have already exhausted the $4 million it allocated for the program. If all 500+ Rotary districts applied for the $25,000 grant, over $12 million would be required.
District Grant for Covid-19 Relief for Fiji
Each year our District receives 25% of the funds donated by clubs and individuals in our district from 3 years previously for use in District Grants. In 2020-21, this amounts to about $145,000. All clubs are encouraged to apply for a matching grant that requires the club to raises half of the project amount. Normally these grants cannot be awarded before the beginning of the financial year on 1 July, but special provisions have been made to allow the District to approve Covid-19 grants early.
Usually, only one grant is permitted per club, and the Club Board requested expressions of interest from all members in May. The Club received one application for a $12,000 project to assist needy people in Lautoka Fiji from Alacoque Welsh and Tony Castley. Individual donors committed to contribute the club's $6,000 share of the project, and the Club Board approved the submission of the application to District Grants Chair Haran Ramachandran. The project was officially approved on 24 May, and the $12,000 grant was sent to Fiji last week.