On June 1st, The Rotary Foundation began accepting Concept Notes for its next Programs of Scale grant. In April of 2024, the Foundation will award a single, $2 million Program of Scale grant to one member-led, evidence-based program that is ready to scale up over three to five years to increase its impact in one or more of Rotary’s seven areas of focus. There is no reason that grant can’t be from our Zones. This relatively new grant flows from the first priority in Rotary’s Action Plan, to increase the impact we have in the world.

At last week’s International Convention, R.I. President Jennifer Jones announced this year’s recipient, United to End Cervical Cancer in Egypt, an initiative to reduce the number of cases while raising awareness and improving women’s access to preventive care. The four-year program in and around Cairo will vaccinate more than 30,000 girls ages 9-15, provide cancer screenings for 10,000 women, and launch a public awareness campaign to reach 4 million people.

The first step in this grant process is for a qualified Rotary or Rotact club to submit concept notes summarizing the scalable, long-term program it is proposing, explaining how it will partner with other organizations to significantly expand service projects that have demonstrated success in the past. Interested clubs can download a complete handbook on this grant competition here. In October, applications deemed strongest by the Foundation’s Cadre of Technical Advisers will be invited to submit full proposals. Both the Cadre and the numerous Rotary Action Groups are available resources as clubs design programs and prepare applications.