Rotary Foundation

In 1917, Arch C. Klumph, Rotary International's sixth president, proposed to the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta, the creation of an "endowment fund for Rotary for the purpose of doing good in the world in charitable, educational, and other avenues of community service." A few months later, the endowment received its first contribution of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, MO.

In 1928, when the endowment fund had grown to more than $5,000, the fund was renamed The Rotary Foundation and it became a distinct entity within Rotary International. Two years later, the Foundation made its first grant of $500 to the International Society for Crippled Children, created by Rotarian Edgar Allen - later to become the Easter Seals organization.

Rotary and the Rotary Foundation extends far beyond Thomasville, Georgia. The work of the Foundation reaches around the world in the form of

Over six hundred million dollars in Rotary commitments to global polio eradication.
Our Health, Hunger and Humanity or 3-H Grants, which are long term projects to enhance health, help alleviate hunger or improve human development. Since 1978, 287 projects in 75 countries have been funded at a cost of $74,000,000.
Matching grants provide funds for international service projects. Since 1965, 24,000 matching grant projects in 167 countries have been funded at a cost of over $257,000,000.

District Simplified Grants, Individual Grants, Disaster Recovery, Rotary World Peace Fellowships, Ambassadorial Scholarships, Group Study Exchange, and on and on.

Some of these programs have been around for over sixty years, such as the Ambassadorial Scholarships, while most are less than five years old

The total funding for Rotary International projects comes to a staggering

One Billion, Eight Hundred Million Dollars

Click Here to visit the Rotary Foundation Website