Most often when Rotary Districts and Clubs think about a Global Grant, it is for an International Service Project or a Vocational Training Team. There is a third option – a Global Grant Scholarship – that deserves serious consideration.
Global Grant Scholarships, along with Rotary Peace Fellowships, have taken the place of Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships, which as Rotary’s signature scholarship program from 1947 to 2013 helped fund university studies for more than 30,000 foreign students from over 100 countries.
In contrast to Rotary Peace Fellowships, Global Grant Scholarships are customizable as: the amount of funding can range from US$30,000 to US$400,000 per scholarship;
The area of study can be within any of the 6 The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Areas of Focus – not just Peacebuilding & Conflict Prevention; and the place of study can be any university – not just a university with a Rotary Peace Center.
A good example of a current Global Grant Scholarship is GG1989757 involving: District 7090 as Host District and the Rotary Club of Hamilton
Tonic After 5 as Host Club; and District 9940 in New Zealand as International Sponsoring District and Rotary Club of Karori as International Sponsoring Club.
GG1989757 is providing US$30,000 in support of a medical research fellowship received by a brilliant, young Maori doctor Matt Wheeler for the 2019-20 year at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario to cover the Wheeler family’s living and other expenses not funded by the McMaster fellowship. District 9940 is contributing US$15,000 District Designated Funds (DDF), which is being matched by US$15,000 from TRF, with no financial contribution from District 7790 or the Rotary Clubs needed to reach the US$30,000 total scholarship amount.
Dr. Wheeler’s research at McMaster will be part of his final qualification as a specialist haematologist and equip him to work with a focus on the prevention of atherothrombosis especially among Maori and Pacific people.
McMaster University is internationally recognized as a leader in atherothrombosis research; and Times Higher Education (THE) University Rankings currently ranks McMaster as 23rd top university in the world for medical education.
Typically, Zones 24 & 32 Rotary Clubs participate in Global Grant International Service Projects as International Sponsoring Clubs by providing funding and helping with reporting. As Host Club, the role of Rotary Club of Hamilton – Tonic After 5 is somewhat different. The Host Club is still required to set up a 3-person Global Grant Committee and help with reporting. However, the main ongoing responsibility of a Host Club during the Global Grant Scholarship period is to ensure Rotary engagement of the Global Grant Scholar, as well as other forms of advice and support related to settling into the community, and the appointment of a Host Counsellor to lead the Host Club process.
Since picking up and welcoming the Wheeler family at Toronto International Pearson Airport on July 16, 2019, Dr. Wheeler’s Rotary engagement has included attending: the Rotary Club of Niagara-On-The-Lake’s Rotary Rocks 25th Anniversary Picnic on July 30, 2019; his first Rotary Club of Hamilton – Tonic After 5 Members Meeting to observe a guest speaker’s presentation on Empowerment Squared’s Liberian Learning Center in West Africa on August 7, 2019; and making his own guest speaker presentation at the Rotary Club of Hamilton – Tonic After 5 Members Meeting on August 21, 2019.