Rotarians understand that donations to The Rotary Foundation (Foundation) are used to fund projects locally and around the world (more than $4 billion in Rotary good funded to date). Rotarians seeking project funding understand that money raised by clubs for projects is often doubled or even tripled through the leverage available by involving the Foundation. When we as Rotarians make a contribution to the Foundation, we have the ability to allocate those contributions among several available pools or “buckets” (e.g., Annual Fund SHARE, Polio Plus, Endowment, and more).
The Annual Fund SHARE is the largest of these “buckets”. Let’s follow a donation to the Annual Fund SHARE to see where it goes:
A gift of $100 made in June 2026 from District 5400 goes to the Foundation. These dollars are invested for 3 years. The growth and earnings on these invested dollars fund the operating budget of the Foundation. At the end of 3 years (2029) every dollar of this money is spent:
- Approximately half of the dollars come back to District 5400 directly as District Designated Funds (DDF) where they are used to fund grants (district grants and global grants) as determined by our district. More on DDF in another article.
- Approximately half of the dollars go to the World Fund, where they are used to fund global grants and programs Including PolioPlus, Rotary Peace Centers, other districts, and a portion may even go to the endowment.
Want to maximize the lives touched by your contributions both home and abroad? As we approach the end of the Rotary fiscal year, please consider a gift to the Foundation Annual Fund – SHARE.
Author: Robert Pearson
