In 1917, Arch C. Klumph, Rotary's sixth president, proposed
to the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia,
USA, the creation of an "endowment fund for Rotary . . . for
the purpose of doing good in the world in charitable, educational,
and other avenues of community service." A few months later,
the endowment received its first contribution of $26.50 from
the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
In 1928, when the endowment fund had grown to more than US$5,000,
the fund was renamed The Rotary Foundation, and it became
a distinct entity within Rotary International. Five Trustees,
including Klumph, were appointed to "hold, invest, manage,
and administer all of its property. . . as a single trust,
for the furtherance of the purposes of RI."
Two years later, the Foundation made its first grant of US$500
to the International Society for Crippled Children. The ISCC
— created by Rotarian Edgar F. "Daddy" Allen — later
grew into the Easter Seals organization.
The Great Depression and World War II both impeded significant
growth for the Foundation, but the need for promoting a lasting
world peace generated great post-war interest in developing
the Foundation. After Rotary founder Paul P. Harris died in
1947, contributions began pouring into Rotary International,
and the Paul Harris Memorial Fund was created for the purpose
of building the Foundation.
That same year, the first Foundation program was established
— Fellowships for Advanced Study, which was the forerunner
of the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships program. Then in
1965-66, three new programs were launched — Group Study
Exchange, Awards for Technical Training, and Grants for Activities
in Keeping with the Objective of The Rotary Foundation, which
was later called Matching Grants.
The Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) program was launched
in 1978, with the Rotary Volunteers program being created
as a part of 3-H in 1980. The
Polio Plus
program was announced in 1984-85, and the following year saw
the introduction of Rotary Grants for University Teachers.
The first Peace Forums were held in 1987-88, leading to the
establishment of Rotary Peace Programs. Then in 1989, 1963-64
RI President Carl P. Miller and his wife, Ruth, donated US$1
million to establish the Discovery Grants program.
Throughout this time, support of the Foundation grew tremendously.
Since that first $26.50 donation in 1917, the Foundation has
received contributions totaling more than US$1 billion. More
than US$68 million was donated in 1998-99 alone. To date,
some 726,000 individuals have been recognized as Paul Harris
Fellows — that is, someone who has contributed US$1000
or has had that amount contributed in his or her name.
Such strong support and involvement of Rotarians worldwide
ensures a secure future for The Rotary Foundation as it continues
its vital work for international understanding and world peace.
To download contribution forms - click on
applicable title (acrobat files):
Annual Programs Fund
