Purpose: Support projects that increase involvement or strengthen relationships in the sponsor's community or country.
Goal: Encourage clubs to submit for and approve Community Assistance Grants.
District Simplified Grants awarded for the 2009-2010 Rotary year total over $28,000. They are as follows:
- Carbondale - Breakfast Basketball Goal System -- $1720
- Centralia - Centralia Super Heroes mentoring program -- $1000
- Flora - Food Pantry project -- $1000
- Freeburg - Lunch Bunch Book Club -- $1300
- Golconda - Baseball/Softball Park Lighting project -- $2100
- Lebanon - Lebanon Kids Excursions --$1000
- Marion - Marion Carnegie Library Teen Development Computer project -- $1375
- O'Fallon - Public Library Literacy A-V project -- $4065
- O'Fallon Sunrise - Gardening for the Greater Good -- $1000
- Red Bud - Leaping Literacy Skills -- $1100
- Salem - Regular Attendance Program -- $1000
- Sparta - Drill well and electric pump for Malawi school -- $5589
- St. Clair Co. (East) - For the Love of Reading Family Literacy project -- $1000
- Swansea - YMCA Nurture Nature -- $2200
- West Frankfort - Recycling bins for the High School -- $1000
- Williamson Co. Heartland - Transition to New Beginnings -- $2400
TOTAL -- $28,849
Grant requests are now being accepted for grant funds between July 2008 and February 28, 2009 for funds that will become available July 2009. Applications are at the bottom of the page. District Simplified Grants are a 2 for 1 match. That is for every $1 spent by a club on an approved grant, District 6510 will contribute $2.
5 Most Common Mistakes that Disqualify a Club's DSS Proposal
1. The project does not occur within the proper timeframe. You will be applying for grants that will start in July 2009 and be finished no later than July 2010.
2. The project does not ACTIVELY involve Rotarians. Rotarians cannot just pay money as their involvement. They must actually do something with the grant.
3. The project cannot use grant funds to pay salaries of service providers, operating or administrative expenses of an organization.
4. The project is not a NEW PROJECT, but an "add-on" to an existing project, or a reimbursement for a project that has already been completed. In order to receive a grant, the project must be a NEW project for your club.
5. The project cannot be used to purchase land or buildings, nor can major renovation be done with the proceeds of this grant. This does not disquality cosmetic upgrading to enhance the utility of an area.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do districts apply for District Simplified Grants?
Districts need to submit a request to utilize a District Simplified Grant in the Rotary year prior to funds being available. This simply means that a district must submit a request anywhere between 1 July and 31 March in any given Rotary year and indicate that the district would like to use funds for the following Rotary year. By submitting a request in the year prior, funds will be available at the start of the new Rotary year.
Can our district use District Simplified Grant funds for a Matching Grant contribution?
No. District Simplified Grants were created for districts to utilize their District Designated Funds (DDF) for projects in their local community and internationally, when appropriate.
The DDF used to support a District Simplified Grant have already been recorded as a contribution by The Rotary Foundation for which the donor has received Paul Harris Fellow credit and recognition credit. Tax receipts cannot be issued twice for the same funds.
If districts would like to support a Matching Grant, its district Rotary Foundation committee chairperson should authorize the use of DDF from the district's SHARE account to receive a full 1:1 match for their contribution.
How many projects can a district support with a District Simplified Grant?
A district can support as many projects as it would like to administer with available funds. District Simplified Grants are disbursed as one grant amount per year and may support as many projects as the district sees fit. The district is responsible for full accounting on all expenditures.
Will my club be able to request a District Simplified Grant from The Rotary Foundation?
Clubs are not able to directly request a District Simplified Grant from The Rotary Foundation. Each district determines how funds will be made available. Rotary clubs should contact their district Rotary Foundation chairperson to assess how they can participate in the program.
Who authorizes the District Simplified Grant request?
The district Rotary Foundation chairperson will work in cooperation with the district governor-elect to submit a District Simplified Grant request to The Rotary Foundation.
When can my district expect to receive its DSG funds?
After a district completes the DSG request form and The Rotary Foundation has determined that the district has reported on all prior projects, the Foundation will request the release of funds at the start of the new Rotary year.
District 6510 Simplified Grant Application
District Simplified Grant Report Form District - WORD Format
District Simplified Grant Report Form Club - WORD Format
District Simplified Grant Terms & Conditions PDF Format
District Simplified Grant Downloads
