Community Grant Guidelines

2023-2024 Rotary Grant Guidelines
Rotary Club of Palo Alto

 

 

Dear Palo Alto and East Palo Alto Non-Profits:

The Rotary Club of Palo Alto distributes funds annually to support charitable activities in the Palo Alto area as part of our commitment to community service. We invite you to apply in support of projects that will benefit the communities of Palo Alto and/or East Palo Alto. We expect to award a total of about $50,000 in grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000.

Our guidelines for the process are simple:

  • You are encouraged to request funding for a specific program or project rather than general, unspecified support. We are especially interested in projects for which we can be the primary funder.
  • We welcome proposals that address COVID-related impacts on your organization, as well as for programs that address diversity, equity or other social justice needs in the community.
  • While not necessary, the committee also encourages proposals that include an opportunity for active participation by Rotary Club members (a one-time activity such as a work or clean-up day or more ongoing work, such as tutoring, mentoring, providing consulting help, etc.)
  • The project must benefit the Palo Alto and/or East Palo Alto communities.
  • You must be a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. No grants will be made that benefit only one or a few individuals.
  • Organizations that have received gifts from Rotary for two years in a row must wait a year before applying again. On occasion, the club may approve a multi-year program that provides financial and other support to an organization for two or more years.

To be considered for a grant, you must submit a one-page letter of interest no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2023. This letter should provide a brief description of your project and the funding amount you are requesting. Please do not send or attach any other information other than the one-page letter.

After reviewing the letters of interest, on or about December 8, 2023, we anticipate inviting 10-15 organizations to submit more detailed proposals, which will be due on January 12, 2024. Final grant decisions will be announced in March, 2024.

Please e-mail your letter of interest to parotarygrants@gmail.com. Put only the name of your organization in the subject line of the e-mail and then attach your one-page letter as a PDF (preferred) or Word document to the e-mail. Please make sure that the name of your organization is also at the top of the letter.

All letters will be acknowledged by e-mail. All correspondence with you in the future will be by e-mail, so please make sure you send your letter from an e-mail address that you will be regularly checking. If you have questions about the grant process, you may check the Rotary Club's website at www.rotarypaloalto.org or contact Bruce Gee @ parotarygrants@gmail.com.