Matching Grant Budget Reductions -
Frequently Asked Questions
September 2009
Despite a budget increase of US$2.3 million, the 2009-10
Matching Grant budget has been fully committed. For
tthe remainder of the Rotary
year, TRF will no longer process Matching Grant
applications requesting a match from the Foundation.
Please continue reading for answers to frequently asked
questions regarding the Matching Grant budget.
Q. What will happen to new applications received by The
Rotary Foundation?o:p>
AA. TRF will return applications to the sponsors and
offer them the opportunity to re-finance the project
requesting $0 match from the World Fund.
Q. How can I re-finance my project requesting $0 match
from the World Fund?o:p>
A. Clubs and districts are encouraged to fund their
projects entirely with cash and District Designated Fund (DDF) contributions in lieu of receiving
a match from the Foundation.
The project budget must be a minimum of $10,000 to use
this option. Please note that the host sponsor must contribute $100 (either in cash or
DDF). Please also remember that the project financing must equal the project
budget.
Q. How will I know if my Matching Grant application was
approved?
A. Humanitarian Grants staff members are processing an
exceptionally high volume of applications at this time and are working hard to inform
sponsors of the status of their application by the end of September. Your patience is
appreciated. If you do not receive an update about the status of your grant application by
25 September, please contact
TRF at
contact.center@rotary.org
Q. How is it possible that some applications were
approved while others were not, even though they were submitted to TRF at the same time?
A. In order to provide equal support for the worthy
projects of Rotarians worldwide, Matching Grant
applications were processed in the order in which they
were received and approved in the order in which they were completed and
met all Trustee requirements for funding.
Q. My application was reverted but I resolved all of the
issues. Can I re-submit it now?
A. Yes, you may resubmit the application provided
that you submit a revised financing plan that requests
$0 match from TRF. The total project financing should
consist of at least $10,000 in cash and DDF. If you are
able to secure outside sources of funding, please make
sure you indicate those as well. Please remember that
total project financing and total project budget should
match.
Q. If my grant has already been approved, will it still
be processed for payment?
A. Yes. Any grants that have already been approved this
Rotary year or in previous years will not be affected and will be processed for payment
once the payment requirements have been fulfilled.
Q. What happens if too many Competitive Matching Grant
applications are submitted and my application cannot get
funding?
A. The October 2009 Competitive Matching Grant round is
likely to be very competitive.
Consequently only the strongest applications will
receive TRF support. Sponsors may choose to substitute DDF for the original World Fund
match in order to ensure funding for larger projects
(which would then not be considered Competitive).
Q. What will happen to Matching Grants during 2010-11?
A. The Trustees will approve the 2010-11 budget during
their April 2010 meeting. Until that time, we do not
know how much money will be available for Matching
Grants. However, while there have been some improvements
in The Rotary Foundation’s investments, it is unlikely
that we will see a significant increase in the budget
from 2009-10.
Q. Has TRF cut staffing resources since the budget was
reduced?
A. The Humanitarian Grants Division has reduced the
number of program staff and has delayed hiring for multiple positions in order to
conserve TRF resources. Each coordinator currently has over 350 grants that they
coordinate and will continue to add to that number as applications are submitted in the 2009-10
Rotary year. Additionally, there are over 6,000 grants currently open totaling over
$150,000,000 in funding. Staff members are needed to coordinate and process these
thousands of files despite the budget reduction.