The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit association. Its mission is to help Rotarians advance world understanding, goodwill and peace by funding projects that improve health, support education, and alleviate poverty.
The Rotary Foundation grew out of an idea put forward in 1917 at the Atlanta convention, presided over by Arch Klumph. The original idea was to set up an endowment fund "for the purpose of doing good in the world". From that idea, and with an initial contribution of $26.50, a force was set in motion that has transformed millions of lives.
Another key date is 1930, the year the Foundation became a charitable trust; in 1983 it was established as a not-for-profit corporation.
Its headquarters are located in Evanston, Illinois.
It operates solely for charitable purposes and is governed by a board of trustees; its chair is a high-profile Rotarian, often a past Rotary International president.
The Foundation operates through grants and global programmes across the 7 areas of focus.
The Foundation's largest project is undoubtedly "End Polio Now", launched over 35 years ago with the vaccination of 6 million children in the Philippines: today polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Foundation runs mainly 2 broad types of programme: humanitarian programmes and educational programmes. Among the former are projects such as aid to disaster-stricken areas through district grants and global grants.
Among the educational programmes are Ambassadorial Scholarships or the RYLA programme.
The Foundation is funded through several channels:
- Donations from Rotarians
- Donations from clubs
- Benefactors
These funds are then invested and redistributed as Global Grants and District Grants, to ensure sustainable and transparent management. In the 2023/24 year, the Foundation carried out 485 district grants, 105 in response to disasters, and 1,287 global grants.