“Emergency” Grants

In addition to the annual grants program, the Rotary Club’s community grants committee sets aside a small amount of money each year in a special fund to be available for urgent needs that cannot wait for the normal grant review process.

These funds are only available to tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that are based in and serve either Palo Alto or East Palo Alto.

Organizations with a legitimate urgent need for funds may submit a letter via e-mail to committee chair Bill Johnson  (bjohnson@paweekly.com).   “Urgent” means that the agency has a critical need or opportunity that must be addressed within a very short period or suffer irreversible negative consequences.  The committee’s intention is to only use these funds when the urgent need is clear and compelling.

Should a request meet this standard, the request letter will be distributed by e-mail to all committee members and a decision will be made and check distributed within one week.