Charity Funding Requests

Grant Award Policy

Charity Funding Requests: Grant Award Policy Charity Funding Requests submitted to Alton Rotary will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

* Will the funds be used exclusively for the benefit of people who live in the Alton area and surrounding communities?

* If the potential beneficiaries are not exclusively people in Alton and surrounding communities, can the funds be ring fenced so that they do benefit local groups only?

* Is the request for a tangible item?

* Do you wish Alton Rotary to purchase the items directly?

* If not for a tangible item, is the request for a complete activity?

* Does the request represent a complete item/project/activity, and not a small part of a whole?  Preference is given to items/projects/activities that can be fully funded by a grant award.

* Preference is given to requests that benefit a group of young people.

* Does the group benefiting from the grant have great need or are the circumstances extenuating? How so?

* Will the granting of the request “make a difference”?  How will it make a difference?  Why should the Club award this grant?

* If the request is from a large-scale or national charity, how can the requesting organisation evidence that granting the request will make a difference?

* Is there a lack of any other source of money that exists to fund, or that already funds, the item/project/activity?

* If granted, will the requestor provide evidence that the funds were spent appropriately, as required by the Charity Commission?  Proof of expenditure is required within six (6) months unless alternative arrangements are made in writing before electronic transfer of the funds from Rotary Club of Charitable Fund to the recipient.

On receipt of requests Alton Rotary will decide which charities will be recipients of a donation from their funds. There is no guarantee that a donation will be made, nor of the value of the donation. Payments are made by cheque or BACS.

 All grant recipients are required to provide evidence that the funds you/your organisation received were spent appropriately and, in a manner, consistent with your application for funds.  Thus, all grant recipients must complete the Grant Monitoring Form, contained on pages 3-5 of this Grant Award Policy.

If you submit a Charity Funding Request, you can expect to receive an acknowledgement within thirty (30) days.  If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please follow up by emailing rclton.treasurer@gmail.com

Change of Circumstances

If you experience a change of circumstances after receiving formal notification that you have been awarded an Alton Rotary grant, but before you have spent some or all of that grant, the trustees will consider allowing an alternative use of those funds, as long as all of the following conditions are met:

* Contact the Club through rcalton.treasurer@gmail.com and explain in detail the change of circumstances.

* Identify and describe your proposed alternative use of the remaining grant money.

* The alternative-use proposal must meet the general criteria of this Grant Award Policy as if it were a new, independent request for funds.

* The proposed alternative use of funds will not result in an increase of funds awarded.

* Change of circumstances applications are unusual, but they do arise.  The goal of permitting an alternative use of some or all the funds is to enable the grant recipient to apply Rotary Club of Alton funds in a meaningful way, rather than spending funds in a wasteful or a now-unnecessary manner.

Alton Rotary will consider change of circumstances requests as and when they can.  The usual or published timetable of grant applications and awards does not apply to alternative-use requests arising from changed circumstances.

September 2025

Download Grant Policy

Download Grant Application