THE BUFFALO ROTARY FOUNDATION. INC.

History, Purpose and Mission

The Buffalo Rotary Student Loan Fund was converted in 1970 to The Buffalo Rotary Foundation, Inc. The Buffalo Rotary Foundation awards grants to tax exempt organizations organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. The Foundation cannot make gifts to or for the benefit of an individual. The donee must be an IRS Section 501(c) (3) corporation

Grant Requests

Grant requests are reviewed and recommended to the membership by the Community Affairs and International Service Committees. The Service Survey Committee then reviews all recommendations in order to insure compliance with grant requirements. Rotarians participate by voting on requests at our semi-annual Club assemblies in November and May. The Board of Directors has ultimate responsibility and authority regarding grant approvals that are, after being acted upon, sent to the Buffalo Rotary Foundation’s Board of Trustees for their consideration and action. Application deadlines are July 15th and January 15th

The Buffalo Rotary Foundation is looking to fund:

  • Capital projects when the funds requested are for a very identifiable piece of a project that has high Rotary interest and public profile.

The Buffalo Rotary Foundation does NOT fund:

  • Requests for on-going operating funds or funds for normal repair and maintenance purposes.
  • Large private projects where government provided the primary funding, ie., hospitals.
  • Large capital projects or projects that have general community support

The grant application is available as an Acrobat Reader file or a Word document. The file contains the application instructions. You will need Acrobat Reader to view the pdf document. You can obtain Acrobat Reader for free from

The following two files are also downloadable from our website

  1. PDF Buffalo Rotary Foundation Grant Application
  2. WORD DOCUMENT Buffalo Rotary Foundation Grant Application

Grant requests must include the following:

Demonstration of a clear need for funding by the supporting materials including a budget, most recent audited financial statements and a list of past and present funding sources to demonstrate organization’s viability.

The project must align with Rotary’s mission.

A business plan for the project which provides reasonable assurance of its success and sustainability.

A commitment to provide a report of results upon the project’s completion.

If the project is intended to last longer than one year, applicant must demonstrate that the project is sustainable after grant funds have been expended.

Funding Considerations:

Seed money for new, worthy and effective projects, particularly when resources from others are not forthcoming.

Projects which include meaningful personal involvement of Rotarians and their partners in their roles as community volunteers.

Projects that build personal values cherished by Rotarians and others, such as high ethical standards, a concern for others, tolerance, a sense of self esteem, seeking of full potential, and a realization of the importance of working for goodwill and peace.

Projects that propose to help satisfy a significant need, which is not yet being adequately met, and which has the potential to galvanize Rotary interest and public respect.

Projects which impact upon a large number of people, locally or world-wide.

THE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION

There are two Rotary foundations--- the Buffalo Rotary Foundation and the Foundation of Rotary International. The international foundation promotes world understanding through educational and charitable programs and is administered by Rotary International in Evanston, Illinois.

The educational programs include scholarships for: one year of academic studies in a foreign country where scholars serve as ambassadors of goodwill; and Group Study Exchanges, where professional and business people travel to a foreign country to broaden their understanding of people in other countries.

The charitable programs cover special grants to support projects of local clubs and districts around the world that benefit non-Rotarians, and Grants for Health, Hunger and Humanity (3H).

The Paul Harris Fellowship honors the founder of Rotary. A Paul Harris Fellow is one who has contributed, or on whose behalf has been contributed, the sum of $ 1,000 to the Rotary International Foundation.