Rotary’s leadership in the polio eradication effort was recognized in 2009 with
a $255 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The new funds come in addition to the $100 million challenge grant received
from the Gates Foundation in 2007.

The first grant was spent during the 2008 calendar year on immunization
and other polio eradication activities, and the second grant must be spent
in the same way in 2009. Rotary must raise $100 million to match each grant
for a total of $200 million by 30 June 2012. This fundraising effort is called
Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge.

Every Rotary club in the world is being asked to help meet the challenge by
organizing a public fundraising event annually for the next three years. The
$555 million generated by the grant and match will be a vital catalyst to
help achieve Rotary’s top goal of ending polio worldwide

To increase efficiency and develop a more strategic focus,
The Rotary Foundation Trustees adopted the Future Vision Plan. The plan’s three-year pilot will begin July 2010 and involve about 100 Rotary districts worldwide.

Clubs in these districts will not participate in current Foundation
programs, which will be phased out by 2013. Pilot districts may apply for Rotary Foundation District Grants, which will enable them to carry out local and international
projects of their choice, and Rotary Foundation Global Grants, which will support projects in the following areas of focus: peace and conflict prevention/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development.

During the pilot phase, the Foundation will develop strategic partnerships with a range
of organizations that share Rotary’s service