Contributions to The Rotary Foundation can be made to the Annual Programs Fund or the Permanent Fund, and donors can specify the intent of their donation by requesting their donation be applied to the Matching Grants program (a Matching Grant number is required) and the Polio Plus program. These avenues of contribution are described below. All donations should be made through Altadena Rotary Charities (ARC). Make your checks or moneyorders payable to Altadena Rotary Charities. Or you can contribute by credit card through the Altadena Rotary website.

At any one time, there are several matching grants / funds to which you may designate your contributions, allowing your Paul Harris donations to do double work by supporting projects that are near and dear to your heart. Feel free to talk to Mike Zoeller, our Foundation Representative about what is available when you are thinking of making your annual or special contribution.

The Annual Programs Fund is the primary source of unrestricted support for the programs of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The mission of the Annual Programs Fund mirrors that of The Rotary Foundation: to support the efforts of Rotary International in the achievement of world understanding and peace through local, national, and international humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs. The Annual Programs Fund supports Foundation programs in 163 countries on seven continents. From digging clean water wells for villages in Africa to teaching basic literacy skills to children in Latin America. During any given moment in a day, thousands of Rotarians volunteer their time and expertise to ensure that all contributions given to the Annual Programs Fund are spent wisely on quality Rotary projects.

The Permanent Fund ensures The Rotary Foundation’s ability to meet the urgent needs of the future through an endowment. An endowed contribution is a gift that the Foundation holds in perpetuity. The gift is invested, and only a portion of its investment return is used for purposes specified by the donor. To guard against inflation, the remaining investment return is added to the principal. The goal is to ensure that the principal maintains its real value over time. Thus, gifts to the Permanent Fund will grow and continue to support The Rotary Foundation for years to come. Matching Grants Through Matching Grants, The Rotary Foundation matches contributions raised by Rotary clubs and districts for international service projects involving Rotary clubs or districts in two or more countries. Frequently, these are World Community Service (WCS) projects. The Rotary Foundation provides a 1:1 match for District Designated Funds SHARE contributions and a 0.5:1 match for new cash contributions.

In 1985, Rotary launched the PolioPlus program to protect children worldwide from the cruel and fatal consequences of polio. In 1988, the World Health Assembly challenged the world to eradicate polio. Since that time, Rotary’s efforts and those of partner agencies, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and governments around the world, have achieved a 99 percent reduction in the number of polio cases worldwide.

Below is a chart showing the flow of contributions to the various types of projects funded by the foundation.