Areas of Focus
Seven causes shape every Rotary global grant and Programs of Scale grant — chosen because they create lasting, measurable change in communities.
Seven causes, one mission
Rotary is dedicated to causes that build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world. Global grants and Programs of Scale grants work toward specific goals in one or more of the seven areas below.
1. Peacebuilding and conflict prevention. Rotary works for peace at every level — funding peace fellowships, supporting community-led reconciliation, and partnering with the Institute for Economics and Peace on the Positive Peace framework. The goal: address the conditions that sustain peace, not simply the absence of war.
2. Disease prevention and treatment. From polio to malaria to maternal health, Rotary funds disease prevention at the front line — vaccinations, training healthcare workers, building clinics, and supporting major eradication campaigns including PolioPlus.
3. Water, sanitation, and hygiene. Clean water and safe sanitation are the foundation of healthy communities. Rotary funds wells, water-purification projects, sanitation infrastructure, and hygiene education in the regions where access is most limited.
4. Maternal and child health. Rotary works to give every mother and child a healthy start — through prenatal care, training midwives, immunisation programmes, and nutrition initiatives that reduce the under-five mortality rate.
5. Basic education and literacy. Education breaks the cycle of poverty. Rotary funds schools, teacher training, adult literacy programmes, and scholarships — including those for women and girls who have been denied access elsewhere.
6. Community economic development. Rotary supports the conditions that lift people out of poverty: vocational training, microfinance, women-led enterprise, and partnerships with social entrepreneurs in the communities where help is needed.
7. Environment. Added in 2021 — the newest area of focus. Rotary funds reforestation, ocean and freshwater protection, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and conservation work that links environmental health with human wellbeing.
From cause to grant to change.
Each area of focus has detailed policy goals that shape what Rotary will fund. To launch a global grant or Programs of Scale grant, your club’s project plan needs to align with one of these seven causes.