I. Overview of The Rotary Foundation of Washington DC
Vision: As the Foundation of the Rotary Club of Washington, DC, we promote the peace and well-being of people and communities through service within the DC metropolitan area and across the globe.
Mission: Through charitable giving, we support our Club and its partners in their service activities with vulnerable populations, in our community and the world, working together at the grass-roots level to foster economic opportunity, justice and equity, education and literacy, health, and a sustainable environment.
The Rotary Club of Washington DC (“DC Rotary Club”) established the Rotary Foundation of Washington DC in 1922 to engage in works of charity. In 2023 the Foundation celebrated its 100th year of dedicated support to local and international non-profit organizations engaged in a wide range of charitable community development activities.
II. Overview of the Grant Opportunities
Note: neither grant is intended to support general operations of the recipient organization(s). Applications which do not specify a project-based proposal in as much detail as reasonably possible will not be considered for funding.
Applicants are invited to submit proposals for one or both of the below grant opportunities; however, only one of these grants will be awarded to an applicant. Please submit a separate proposal for each grant requested. The distribution of the Rotary Foundation funds between the $1,000 to $5,000 grants and the $20,000 grants will depend on the relative merits of the projects proposed by all applicants.
We encourage all first-time applicants to apply, answer each question thoroughly, and read the application requirements closely -- particularly the required documentation section (Questions 1a-1f) -- as we have sadly had to disqualify several otherwise worthy applications in the past due to missing or incorrect documentation.
Community Service Grants ($1,000-5,000)
The Rotary Foundation invites applications for Community Service Grants of $1,000 to $5,000 for non-profit organizations that serve Washington Metropolitan Area residents. These grants support projects that demonstrate a need for small capital items or “seed money” for a special service that provides direct and tangible benefits to residents of the greater Washington, DC area and primarily residents of Washington, DC itself.
Foundation Special Project Grants ($20,000)
The Rotary Foundation also invites applications for Foundation Special Project Grants of $20,000 per organization to serve Washington Metropolitan Area residents. These grants support larger projects that demonstrate long-term sustainability and impact. Applications must include responses to Section III. Sustainability and Impact
III. How to Apply
Submit your online application to The Rotary Foundation of Washington DC via this jotform. No fax, emails, hard copy submissions or late proposals will be accepted. Proposals must be received no later than 11:59 pm on Friday January 31, 2026. All attachments should be in one pdf format without password protection. If you have any questions, please email grants@dcrotaryclub.org.
You may not continue your response to any question in a pdf attachment. You are encouraged to make your responses as brief as possible, while still providing the information requested.
The Rotary Foundation staff may be in touch after submission with questions concerning your submission. The Rotary Foundation hopes to issue award decisions by the end of April 2026. Please note that we require recipients to provide feedback at the end of February 2027 on project implementation progress and results.