Rotary Global Grant Scholarships for Graduates 2023-24
Deadline for applications: 30 June 2023
The Rotary Foundation funds scholarships with global grants and district grants. This supplement focuses on global grant scholarships. For information about district grant scholarships, clubs should contact their district Rotary Foundation committee, and districts should refer to District Grants Scholarship Best Practices.
OVERVIEW
Through global grants, Rotary members can support future leaders in fields related to the areas of focus:
• Peacebuilding and conflict prevention
• Disease prevention and treatment
• Water, sanitation, and hygiene
• Maternal and child health
• Basic education and literacy
• Community economic development
• Environment
Global grant scholarships fund graduate-level coursework or research for one to four academic years. A key feature of global grants is the partnership between the district or club in the study location (host sponsor) and the district or club in the scholar’s home country (international sponsor). Both sponsors must be qualified before they can submit an application.
FINDING AND INTERVIEWING ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES
Global grant scholars plan to pursue a career in an area of focus, and their graduate-level educational goals should support this career interest. Pursuing a career in an area of focus means the scholar has a long-term commitment to measurable, sustainable change. Be sure that a candidate’s previous work or volunteer experience, academic program, and career plans are strongly aligned with one of the areas of focus.
Consider working with universities to identify potential scholars (for example, outstanding graduates of a water engineering program who are seeking funding for graduate study in that field). Universities can also connect local clubs with international students who have been accepted into their graduate programs that are relevant to a particular area of focus.
In addition to confirming a candidate’s eligibility, an interview enables you to determine whether the candidate has:
• Excellent leadership skills and potential
• A proven record of success in their academic field or vocation
• A commitment to community service
• Well-defined and realistic goals
• Concrete ideas for advancing within their chosen field
• Sincerity about maintaining a lifelong relationship with Rotary after the scholarship period
Districts and clubs may create their own application form, or they may use the sample candidate application provided by the Foundation. Provide the candidate with a copy of the Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation Global Grants and the areas of focus policy statements, and be sure that they
understand them. You are encouraged to discuss a candidate’s eligibility with your regional grants officer.
Once you have nominated a candidate, provide them with a clear timeline and information about the online global grant application process (through the Grant Center). Be certain to manage the candidate’s expectations, keeping in mind that the scholarship will not be awarded until the Foundation approves the grant.
TIMELINE
Applications for scholarship candidates who will begin studies in August, September, or October must be submitted to Foundation by 30 June. The rest of the year, global grant scholarship applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Submit applications at least three months before the scholarship candidate’s intended departure date to allow adequate time for Foundation review and processing.
The following is a sample timeline to sponsor a scholarship candidate that would travel to the host country on 1 August:
November to March:
Organize a selection committee
Recruit scholarship applicants
Conduct interviews and select candidates
Review and confirm selection; contact your regional grants officer to conduct a preliminary review of the candidate
March to April:
Contact host district to invite participation*
Identify host sponsor, primary and secondary contacts
Start application process in the Grant Center
Have candidate complete scholar profile
By 1 May:
Submit application to the Foundation
Provide bank information and two signatories
May to July
Grant approved
Provide scholar with letter of financial guarantee
Receive grant payment
Transfer grant funds to scholar
Conduct scholar orientation seminar
1 August Scholar departs
6-12 months from payment Submit progress or final report**
2 months after completion Submit final report
*Include the district Rotary Foundation committee chair and the district scholarship subcommittee chair in your communications to the host district to help you find a host sponsor. If no response is received from the host district after several attempts, inform your regional grants officer.
**Submit a progress report well before the 12-month reporting deadline to stay current on reporting.
HOW TO APPLY
Clubs and districts must be qualified before they can apply for global grants. The host and the
international sponsor will each appoint a grant committee consisting of at least three Rotary members.
Global grant applications are submitted in the Grant Center. The sponsor clubs or districts create the
initial application, where they will add the scholarship candidate’s name and email address and click
“Notify Scholarship Candidate.” The scholarship candidate will receive an email instructing them to create a My Rotary account, and then complete the scholar profile in the Grant Center. The scholarship
candidate should not create a My Rotary account until after they have been added to the application by the host or international sponsor. If the language of the host sponsor country differs from that of the
international sponsor country, the application should be completed in each language. If necessary, the
candidate can be asked to help translate correspondence between the host and international sponsors.
However, the sponsor, not the candidate should identify and initiate communication with a host sponsor
district or club. The Foundation has a translated form letter available that may help you contact a
potential host sponsor.
Candidates must provide proof of university admission at the time of application. Conditional admission
is only acceptable when the school requires a financial guarantee or completion of undergraduate degree, and it is not acceptable if admission is contingent on improvement in a language score.
Allow enough time for the Foundation to process the application, which should be submitted at least three months before the scholar’s intended departure date. You will need to respond quickly to requests for additional information. Communicate with your partners throughout the application process to ensure that sponsor clubs or districts are maintaining their qualified status and are current on reporting
requirements for open grants.
Remind the candidate that a scholarship is not awarded until the Foundation approves the grant. Any
expenses incurred before Foundation approval are not eligible for reimbursement.
FUNDING AND BUDGET
Global grants have a minimum budget of $30,000 and a maximum World Fund award of $400,000.
Grant sponsors can use a combination of District Designated Funds (DDF), cash, and directed gifts and
endowment earnings to fund a global grant. The Foundation will provide an 80 percent World Fund match for all DDF contributions. There is no minimum World Fund match. DDF is drawn from the fund
for the year in which the application is approved.
When preparing the budget, consult the list of eligible expenses below. After approval, any changes to the original budget must be pre-approved by your regional grants officer.
The following items are eligible for funding:
• Passport/visa
• Inoculations
• Travel expenses (as specified in the Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation Global Grants)
• School supplies
• Tuition
• School fees, including any health insurance required by the study institution
• Room and board
• Household supplies
• Language training courses (but not if university admission is contingent on improvement of
language skills)
• Local transportation expenses
The following items are not eligible for funding:
• Expenses incurred before the application is approved
• Vehicles and related expenses
• Expenses for spouses and dependents
• Housing/living expenses in the home country during the scholarship period
• Taxes owed as a result of receiving the scholarship
• Medical care
• Furniture
• Entertainment
• Personal travel
• Expenses related to Rotary events
Note regarding scholars studying in the U.S.: Under U.S. tax law, The Rotary Foundation must withhold tax from global grant scholarships awarded for study in the U.S. on any expenses beyond tuition, books, necessary equipment, and fees. So clubs and districts should advise scholars to limit their budgets to tuition, books, necessary equipment, and fees. Note, though, that this requirement doesn’t apply to
U.S.-bound scholars from Japan, Canada, and Germany, who are funded through associate foundations in those countries.
BEST PRACTICES
• Be sure that the scholarship candidate understands which expenses are eligible and which are
not. If you are uncertain about the eligibility of a budget item, consult your regional grants officer.
• Simplify the budget by focusing on tuition, school fees, and room and board.
PAYMENT
You will need to make arrangements to receive the grant payment. The sponsors should work together to
determine a bank account location (in the scholar’s home country or study country), designate two Rotary members as bank account signatories, and complete the information in the Grant Center to receive payment from the Foundation. The bank account name should include the district number for a districtsponsored grant or the club name for a club-sponsored grant. The signatories must be members of the sponsor district or club.
Tell the scholar how grant payments will be made, if they will be in installments, and discuss how
payments after the initial one will be made.
ORIENTATION
Scholars are required to complete the online orientation for scholars accessed through Rotary’s Learning
Center. Scholars must be signed in to My Rotary to access the course. In addition, international sponsors
are encouraged to offer an in-person, outbound orientation session before departure. Host sponsors may also conduct an inbound orientation session.
TRAVEL
All travel arrangements are the responsibility of the scholar. Scholars may choose to work with Rotary
International Travel Service (RITS) or they may make their own travel arrangements. More information is
available on the grants travel page of the Rotary website.
Scholars are responsible for obtaining travel insurance. More information is available on the grant travel
insurance page of the Rotary website.
HOST COUNSELOR
The host counselor is the primary point of contact for the scholar in the host country. The host sponsor
primary contact, listed in the grant application, is assumed to be the host counselor unless a different
person is identified. Be sure that the scholar has contact information for the host counselor as well as for
the sponsor district or club. Encourage the scholar to send a self-introduction to the host counselor after
the Foundation announces approval and to begin regular correspondence.
The host counselor can assist with:
• Locating housing, particularly if university housing is not available
• Arranging a welcome for the scholar
• Inviting the scholar to club meetings or district conferences
• Encouraging the scholar to participate in local service activities or cultural events
• Providing practical assistance with things like opening a bank account and finding a nearby
grocery store
• Managing grant funds
• Publicizing the scholar’s activities through the district’s newsletter
• Making Rotary members aware of the scholar’s availability for speaking engagements
• Encouraging the scholar to join an area of focus-specific Rotary scholars group on Facebook
At the end of the scholarship period, the host counselor should meet with the scholar to see that all
necessary closing tasks have been completed (for example, housing and bank accounts). The host
counselor should also maintain communication with the scholar and ensure that necessary contact
information is updated.
REPORTING
The host and international sponsors are both responsible for reporting on the use of scholarship funds.
Progress reports must be submitted within 12 months of receiving the first grant payment. Final reports
must be submitted within two months after the end of the scholarship period. The host sponsor, international sponsor, or the scholar may initiate the report in the Grant Center. The sponsors and the
scholar complete the appropriate portions of the report.
The report summarizes the scholar’s studies or research, the relationship to the selected area of focus, and the scholar’s Rotary and community involvement. It also includes a statement of income and expenses.
Correlating bank statements from the grant bank account must be provided with the report. The scholar
must provide receipts for any expense of US$75 or more. The sponsor district or club may set up
additional reporting requirements as it sees fit.
If the language of the host sponsor country differs from that of the international sponsor country, the
report should be completed in each language.
POST-SCHOLARSHIP
Although the scholarship period ends, the Rotary-scholar relationship should not. Stay up to date with
contact information and invite the scholar to speak about their experiences at club meetings and district conferences. Encourage the scholar to participate in Foundation alumni activities in their local district after the scholarship period.
Source / More information: Official Website HERE.