NOVEMBER IS ROTARY FOUNDATION MONTH

Turning Generosity into Lasting Change

Each November, Rotary recognizes Rotary Foundation Month—a time to learn more about our Foundation, celebrate the projects it makes possible, thank those who support it, and invite every Rotary and Rotaract member to participate in its work.

The Rotary Foundation transforms contributions into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Its mission is to help Rotary members advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, protecting the environment, and alleviating poverty.

The monthly priorities we recognize throughout the Rotary year show where action is needed. The Rotary Foundation helps provide the financial resources, partnerships, expertise, and grant structure that allow clubs to turn those priorities into sustainable, measurable projects.

“We should not live for ourselves alone, but for the joy in doing good for others.” — Arch C. Klumph, 1916–17 Rotary president and father of The Rotary Foundation.

One Idea That Changed Rotary

At the 1917 Rotary convention in Atlanta, outgoing Rotary president Arch C. Klumph proposed establishing an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world.”

The first contribution—US$26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Missouri—was modest. But the vision behind it was ambitious: to create a permanent resource through which Rotary members could address humanitarian needs extending beyond the capacity of any one club.

In 1928, the fund was formally named The Rotary Foundation, and a Board of Trustees was established. From that small beginning grew a worldwide force supporting health, education, peacebuilding, economic opportunity, clean water, environmental protection, disaster response, and the effort to eradicate polio.

November gives us an opportunity to reconnect with that original vision and ask: How can our support of the Foundation help Rotary do more good in the world?

Our Foundation Is the Power Behind Our Service

The Rotary Foundation is not separate from club service. It is one of the principal ways Rotary members expand the reach, scale, and sustainability of their work.

A club may identify a community need, build trusted relationships, contribute professional expertise, recruit volunteers, and develop a practical solution. Foundation grants can help that club obtain the resources necessary to move from an idea to meaningful action.

Foundation-supported projects address Rotary’s seven areas of focus:

Peacebuilding and conflict prevention
Disease prevention and treatment
Water, sanitation, and hygiene
Maternal and child health
Basic education and literacy
Community economic development
Protecting the environment

Foundation funding also supports polio eradication, Rotary Peace Fellowships, scholarships, vocational training teams, disaster response, and other initiatives aligned with Rotary’s mission.

Gifts Become Grants—and Grants Become Action

The Foundation offers several ways to support Rotary service.

Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is a primary source of support for Foundation grants and programs. Gifts designated to Annual Fund-SHARE help provide resources for both the World Fund and District Designated Funds, giving districts an important role in deciding how a portion of Foundation funding will be used.

Annual Fund contributions can support work across all seven areas of focus and help clubs undertake projects that would otherwise be beyond their financial capacity.

Endowment Fund

Gifts to the Endowment Fund are invested, with spendable earnings supporting Rotary programs into the future. Endowment gifts can create a lasting legacy for a donor, family, club, or district while helping ensure that future Rotary members will have resources to respond to needs that may not yet be known.

PolioPlus Fund

Contributions to the PolioPlus Fund support Rotary’s highest philanthropic priority: the global eradication of polio.

As of June 2025, Rotary had committed more than US$2.8 billion to eradication activities. Rotary and its partners have helped immunize nearly three billion children, while continuing vaccination, surveillance, laboratory, and community-mobilization work wherever the virus remains a threat.

Disaster Response and Directed Gifts

Donors may also support disaster response, Rotary Peace Centers, particular areas of focus, approved global grants, or other designated Foundation priorities.

The appropriate designation depends on the donor’s goals. Clubs should help members understand the options without creating pressure. Foundation giving is most meaningful when it reflects informed, voluntary generosity.

The Foundation at Work

The scale of the Foundation’s work demonstrates what Rotary members can accomplish together.

During 2024–25, The Rotary Foundation approved:

468 district grants, with program awards totaling US$27.8 million
1,423 global grants, with program awards totaling US$81 million
74 disaster response grants, with program awards totaling US$1.8 million
A US$2 million Programs of Scale grant to establish Positive Peace hubs in communities in Colombia

District grants support smaller, short-term activities addressing local or international needs. Global grants support larger international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes. Disaster response grants assist relief and recovery efforts, while Programs of Scale expand proven solutions over several years in partnership with experienced organizations.

These figures represent more than financial transactions. Each grant can represent a child receiving an education, a mother obtaining safe health care, a community gaining clean water, a farmer improving a livelihood, or a peacebuilder gaining the skills to prevent violence.

Building Peace Through Education

The Rotary Foundation also supports the Rotary Peace Centers, where experienced leaders study peacebuilding, conflict resolution, development, and related disciplines.

Rotary now awards as many as 170 funded fellowships each year. Since the program began in 2002, more than 1,900 Rotary Peace Fellows have been trained and are working in over 140 countries in government, education, law enforcement, research, humanitarian service, community development, and other fields.

Clubs can support this work financially, promote the fellowship within their professional and community networks, and help identify qualified candidates committed to peace and development.

What Can Our Club Do This November?

Foundation Month should involve more than asking members for contributions. It should help members understand the relationship between giving, grants, service, and impact.

Clubs could:

Devote a meeting to explaining how The Rotary Foundation works.
Invite a grant recipient, Peace Fellow, scholar, project leader, or community partner to speak.
Present a past district or global grant and explain what changed because of it.
Ask members to identify local needs that might qualify for a district grant.
Explore an international partnership for a future global grant.
Share brief Foundation facts or project stories in each November club bulletin.
Recognize and thank members who have supported the Foundation.
Encourage voluntary participation in the Annual Fund at a level appropriate for each member.
Promote Rotary Direct as a convenient option for recurring contributions.
Organize a fundraiser supporting the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or another approved Foundation priority.
Include Rotaract members in Foundation education, project planning, and fundraising.
Recruit potential candidates for Rotary Peace Fellowships or global grant scholarships.
Review open grants to ensure that reports, receipts, bank records, and stewardship requirements are current.
Share photographs, testimonials, results, and partner acknowledgments from Foundation-supported projects.
Invite prospective members and community partners to learn how Rotary contributions become service.

Districts around the Rotary world recommend combining Foundation education, service activities, donor appreciation, fundraising, community storytelling, and invitations to family members and prospective supporters during November.

Give Members a Reason to Care

People are more likely to support the Foundation when they understand what it accomplishes.

Rather than presenting only fundraising goals, tell the story of the people and communities behind those goals. Explain:

What problem was identified
How community members participated in planning
What Rotary members contributed
How Foundation funds expanded the project
Which partners were involved
How many people benefited
What changed because of the project
How the benefits will continue

A Foundation presentation becomes more powerful when a member can say, “Here is the project our club completed, here are the people whose lives changed, and here is how our Foundation helped make it possible.”

Plan Projects That Create Lasting Impact

Successful Foundation projects begin with community priorities, not with available equipment or a predetermined solution.

Before seeking grant funding, clubs should conduct a community assessment, consult intended beneficiaries, identify capable partners, establish realistic objectives, and determine how the work will continue after Rotary funding ends.

For a global grant, clubs should also consider:

Whether the project addresses a documented community need
Whether it aligns with an area of focus
Whether the host community has participated in planning
Whether outcomes can be measured
Whether local people have the skills and resources to sustain the work
Whether equipment can be maintained and repaired
Whether appropriate financial controls are in place
Whether both host and international partners understand their responsibilities

Global grants are designed for large international activities with sustainable and measurable results, while district grants provide greater flexibility for smaller and shorter-term projects.

This approach also supports Rotary’s 2026–27 presidential message, Create Lasting Impact, which encourages members to work together on collective actions that produce sustainable change locally, globally, and personally.

Practice Responsible Stewardship

Every Foundation contribution represents trust.

Donors trust Rotary to use their gifts responsibly. Community partners trust Rotary to fulfill its commitments. Grant recipients trust project sponsors to provide timely guidance and resources. Rotary members trust one another to maintain accurate records, follow grant conditions, disclose conflicts of interest, and report results honestly.

Good stewardship includes:

Maintaining separate and accurate financial records
Following approved budgets
Retaining receipts and supporting documents
Using competitive and transparent purchasing practices
Reporting changes before departing substantially from an approved plan
Protecting personal and beneficiary information
Monitoring projects after funds have been spent
Completing required reports on time
Returning unused grant funds when required
Sharing both successes and lessons learned

Responsible stewardship protects the Foundation’s resources and Rotary’s reputation.

Recognition Should Lead Back to Impact

Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society, Major Donor, Benefactor, Bequest Society, and Arch Klumph Society recognitions give Rotary an opportunity to thank people for their generosity.

The recognition, however, should never become more important than the purpose of the gift.

When presenting Foundation recognition, clubs should explain what the contributions support. Connect the pin, certificate, or presentation with a story of clean water, disease prevention, education, peacebuilding, maternal health, economic opportunity, or environmental protection.

Recognition is most meaningful when it inspires renewed commitment to service.

Sunshine Rotary in Action

Sunshine Rotary’s engagement with The Rotary Foundation combines personal giving, donor recognition, grant participation, and humanitarian service.

A Growing Culture of Foundation Support

In May 2025, the Club had five Paul Harris Fellows and one Major Donor. Continued contributions and recognitions increased that number, and by February 2026, Sunshine Rotary had recognized International Service Director Syed Mahfuz as its tenth Paul Harris Fellow.

Charter President Bina Ahmad and her husband PDG Mahbub Ahmad have been Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation since 2016, while Foundation Chair Tabin Ahmad will become a Major Donor within the 2026-27 Rotary year. 2026-27 President Raaid Ahmad and Past President Jenny Huang are also members of the Paul Harris Society, whose participants make substantial annual commitments to the Foundation.

These recognitions are not intended merely as awards. The underlying contributions support the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, and approved Foundation grants that enable Rotary members to undertake humanitarian and educational programs throughout the world.

Foundation Funds at Work Locally

Sunshine Rotary also used a Rotary District 7230 grant, supplemented by member contributions, to conduct a multi-location food-distribution project across the Bronx, Westchester, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.

Club members assembled and distributed bags containing rice, lentils, flour, cooking oil, pasta, oatmeal, protein bars, sugar, salt, and other staples. Nearly 100 families experiencing food insecurity were reached in five locations.

The project illustrates the connection between Foundation giving and service. Contributions made by Rotary members return to districts through grant funding, where clubs can combine them with local knowledge, volunteer participation, and community partnerships.

Sunshine Rotary’s experience demonstrates that Foundation Month is both a time to encourage giving and an opportunity to show members what their generosity makes possible.

Measure More Than the Amount Raised

Fundraising totals are important, but they are not the only measure of Foundation engagement.

A club might also evaluate:

The percentage of members who understand the Foundation’s mission
Voluntary member participation in Foundation giving
The number of members who attended grant training
New project ideas identified through community assessments
District or global grant applications developed
Projects completed and reports submitted on time
Community outcomes produced through Foundation funding
Partnerships established or strengthened
Peace Fellowship candidates recruited
Project stories shared with members and the public
New members attracted by the club’s demonstrated impact

These measures help a club connect fundraising with education, engagement, stewardship, service, and public image.

Take Action This November

The Rotary Foundation belongs to every Rotary member. It carries our generosity beyond the limitations of one person or one club and connects us with people of action around the world.

This November, let us learn more about our Foundation, tell its story, thank those who support it, develop stronger projects, and invite every member to participate in a way that is meaningful and appropriate.

A contribution of any size can become part of something larger. A project idea can become a district grant. A local partnership can grow into an international collaboration. A promising professional can become a Rotary Peace Fellow. A well-designed project can improve lives for generations.

How will your club use The Rotary Foundation to create lasting impact?

Share your club’s Foundation programs, grant projects, results, recognitions, and photographs so we can celebrate our members as People of Action and inspire others to join Rotary in doing good in the world.

Rotary Resources

The Rotary Foundation overview and current resources
Rotary Foundation grants and grant categories
The Rotary Foundation 2025 Fact Card
Rotary Peace Fellowships
Donor recognition and gift designations
Rotary Brand Center photographs and website resources