Giving
Where the money goes, and how each kind of gift gets to work — three years from now, or three generations from now.
Annual Fund-SHARE: the engine of the Foundation
The Annual Fund is the primary source of funding for everything the Foundation does. SHARE is how that money is split between worldwide programmes and your own district’s projects.
World Fund
Pays for global grant and programme opportunities available to every Rotary district worldwide.
District Designated Fund
Returned to your district to fund the projects, scholarships, and grants that District 1160 chooses.
Operating costs
Covers the worldwide cost of running the Foundation — keeping overhead minimal so most of every gift goes to projects.
The three-year cycle. DDF is available for use three years after contributions are received. The delay gives districts time to plan and lets the Foundation invest the funds — for instance, contributions received during 2022-23 are available to spend in 2025-26.
EREY: a simple ask
Every Rotary member contributes to the Annual Fund every year — and participates in a Foundation grant or programme every year. That’s it.
When every member gives — even a little — the Annual Fund becomes a predictable, growing engine that funds Rotary’s worldwide work in perpetuity. Per-capita giving, not size, is what most clubs use to set their annual goal.
The Endowment
The Endowment is Rotary’s perpetual fund: gifts are invested and professionally managed, and only the earnings are spent. The principal stays intact, generating funding for the same Foundation programmes the Annual Fund supports — but in perpetuity.
Gifts can be outright, planned (as part of an estate), or a combination of both. Each year, the Trustees decide how the Endowment’s earnings are directed: SHARE, the World Fund, the Rotary Peace Centers, or the seven areas of focus.
Disaster Response Fund
The Rotary Disaster Response Fund is a general disaster reserve that takes cash donations from individuals and clubs as well as DDF contributions. It is separate from the Annual Fund — gifts here don’t count toward EREY or SHARE — but they do generate Foundation recognition points and count toward Paul Harris Fellow, Major Donor, and Arch Klumph Society levels.
When a disaster occurs, qualified districts in affected areas apply for grants of up to US$25,000 to deliver relief on the ground.
Six ways to support the Foundation
- One-off gift — credit card at rotary.org/donate, or by cheque or wire transfer through your club.
- Rotary Direct (recurring) — automatic monthly, quarterly, or annual giving you can pause or update at any time through My Rotary.
- Securities — gifts of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Information at rotary.org/securities.
- Memorial & tribute gifts — give in honour or memory of someone; the honoree (or family) receives notification.
- Employer matching gifts — over 15,000 companies match employee gifts to the Foundation.
- Raise for Rotary fundraisers — create an online fundraiser for personal events, share with family and friends, with all gifts counting toward your Rotary giving history.
Make your gift count.
Whether it’s €25 to your club’s Annual Fund total or a planned gift to the Endowment, every contribution to The Rotary Foundation is invested in projects that change lives.