• The academic program must be located in a foreign country.
• The applicant must complete a District 5890 Global Grant Scholarship Application and submit to their local Rotary club for consideration.
• The scholar must have selected the university that he/she wants to attend.
• The scholar must be studying within one of the Seven Areas of Focus established by Rotary International.
• The academic program must be no less than one academic year.
• The program must be a graduate level program only.
• The 2024-2025 scholar must begin his/her academic program during the 2025-26 Rotary year.
• The applicant must complete all required reports during and after his/her scholarship time.
• The applicant should submit as detailed a budget as possible of the expected expenses for the scholarship period, including details of any other scholarships and/or sources of funding.
• The scholar must outline a service project in their study country (it will be discussed during the district interview) and execute the service plan in the study country during scholarship time within the Seven Areas of Focus, if the tuition and living expenses do not exceed USD$30,000.
• The scholar may NOT be (1) a Rotarian; (2) an employee of a club, district, or other Rotary entity, or of Rotary International; (3) the spouse, a lineal descendant (child or grandchild by blood or stepchild legally adopted or not), the spouse of a lineal descendant, or an ancestor (parent or grandparent by blood) of any person in the foregoing two categories.
• The scholar should live in the vicinity of approved study institution, preferably in the host district, so that he/she can participate in the Rotary club and district activities of the host district.
• Additional terms and conditions are outlined in the District 5890 Global Grant Scholarship Application.

Rotary's Seven Areas of Focus

The following are the study areas as established by The Rotary Foundation and Rotary International.  Scholars must plan to pursue a course of study in one of the seven areas of focus spelled out by Rotary International (RI), and their graduate-level educational goals should support this career interest. 

       1.  Peacebuilding and conflict prevention/resolution  

       2.  Disease prevention and treatment

       3.  Water and sanitation

       4.  Maternal and child health

       5.  Basic education and literacy

       6. Economic and community development

       7. Environment

A New Focus on Service Learning

If the total cost of a Scholar’s academic fees and living expenses do not exceed USD$30,000, they must complete a service project in their host community.  This project must be presented at the District interview.  If accepted, the scholar must take the initiative to make contacts in his/her host country and secure funding for the project. The service project MUST fall within the scholar’s study area, and thus within the above Seven Areas of Focus. 

 

A good service project should:

• incorporate local Rotary clubs and Rotarians
• serve a specific population within the host community
• plan for public relations, press releases, and community announcements within the host community and at home
• be documented and photographed
• plan for funding options or incorporate fund-raising
• cover a need within the host community based on local feedback and appropriate research
• be measurable and sustainable
• reflect an interest of the scholar while meeting a need within the host community
• meet the 4-Way Test of ethical standards

 

General Timeline for Selecting a  Scholar (all dates will be posted in August 2024)

August - The scholarship materials and application will be made available to the club presidents. Clubs then should develop a committee for interviewing and selecting a candidate. Clubs will conduct interviews based on a schedule that fits the needs of the clubs. Clubs must select one candidate and notify all candidates of selection at the appropriate time.

 

October – Deadline by which clubs must see that all application documents are received by the District Global Grants Scholarships Chair.

 

December - District interviews will be held in Houston, Texas for scholars wanting to begin study in 2025-26.  If the candidate is unable to be interviewed in person that day, the applicant might not be eligible to receive a scholarship.

 

January  – Global Scholar Elect Training Seminar (GSETS) in Houston.  This seminar is for the successful candidates from the interviews.  Attending this seminar, or one in another state, is mandatory prior to beginning the scholarship year.

 

Funding for scholarships will be determined based upon availability of District funds year-to-year.

How to Become a Sponsor Counselor & Club

• Assist the candidate in completing the district scholarship application and preparing for the club and district interviews.
• Assist the candidate in creating a realistic scholarship budget, as well as a personal one.
• Assist the candidate in identifying a service project, if one will be required in the host country.
• Provide the candidate with a copy of the Terms and Conditions for Rotary Foundation Global Grants

• At the conclusion of the interviews, the District 5890 Scholarships Committee will select candidates to be presented to The Rotary Foundation to continue the application process. The candidate is not guaranteed a Global Grant Scholarship until the final approval is given by The Rotary Foundation, and all necessary paperwork is completed.
• The candidate selected by the District Scholarships Committee will then be given a User Name and Password by The Rotary Foundation, with which to access the Rotary web site (www.rotary.org), in order to fill out their Global Grant Application (the Global Grant Application questions are very similar to those on the district Global Grant Scholarship Application).
• Once endorsed, it is the responsibility of the endorsed candidate and their sponsoring Rotary club to jointly complete and submit the Global Grant Application on the Rotary International web site.  The Rotary Foundation will ultimately determine the final approval or disapproval of the Global Grant Application.
• The District Committee will assist in identifying an international host club and counselor.  Early contact between the host and international sponsor Rotarians can help facilitate the scholar’s transition in the host country.
• Identify any relevant application or other deadlines that the candidate may have (e.g., university deposits).
• Assist the scholar in preparing the Global Grant Application, by helping with proper Rotary terminology, and being sure that the Area of Focus is described fully as to its relevance to their studies, and to the project, if required.
• “Sustainability” and “Measurability” are key words to remember when describing the scholar’s impact, both while in their host country, and after they return home.
• There is certain banking information that you will need to provide with this application.  The club must have a bank account dedicated solely to the handling of this Global Grant Scholarship funding. You will need to provide routing information for this account on the web site.
• You will need several authorizations from club and district officers, both here and abroad, before this application can be filed.

After the Global Grant Application is approved

During the scholarship period

• Maintain regular correspondence with the scholar, in order to share news with fellow Rotarians at sponsor club meetings and to enable the award recipient to relate news about the sponsor club to the host club.
• Encourage the scholar to share concerns or problems experienced abroad.  An award recipient may sometimes feel uncomfortable involving the host counselor in a sensitive issue and will turn to you as a symbolic contact back home.
• If the scholarship is longer than 12 months, collect interim reports from the scholar for submission to The Rotary Foundation and receipts for expenses of US$75 and more for the retention and reporting requirements for the District 5890 Audit Committee for their scholarship year.