Support our Annual Fund

The inspiring book Doing Good in the World documents TRF’s history, and the difference its programmes have made to communities across the world. Primary funding for TRF’s work is the Annual Fund, which is supported solely by voluntary contributions from individual Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision to create a better and more humane world.

The Fund truly drives the Rotary Wheel and helps our clubs to make a difference by assisting efforts to enhance livelihood, and improve education, health and habitats of disadvantaged communities all over the world.

A common concern among some Rotarians is contributing to a fund that helps people in other communities. They would rather contribute to make a difference through a ‘local’ fund.

So let’s go back a few decades to TRF’s mission to ‘End Polio’. Even though North America had no incidence of Polio, Rotarians from the US and Canada, as also every other remote corner of the globe, contributed to make the world free of this debilitating disease. If they had thought that they should contribute only to ‘local’ funds, we would never have succeeded in making India, and 99 per cent of the world, Polio-free.

Besides 50 per cent of what you voluntarily contribute to the Annual Fund comes back to your district three years later through the District Designated Fund (DDF). Of this DDF, the district leadership can decide to use a maximum of 50 per cent for local projects through District Grants.

By not making the Annual Fund our priority and contributing liberally to it, we will be severely constraining our districts’ future leadership to do worthy projects. Both District Grants and Global Grants will suffer. Your contributions to the Fund helps to change lives throughout the world in ways you never dreamt of.

I appeal to you, open your purses and contribute generously to the Annual Fund of our Foundation.

Gulam A Vahanvaty
Trustee, The Rotary Foundation