It is rare to find a project within Great Britain and Ireland which qualifies for Global Grant Funding, but it is not impossible. It is just a matter of looking in depth at your own community and assessing any urgent gaps in service provision.
One such programme which has received funding approval from The Rotary Foundation for a Global Grant is the Thames Hospice Patient Care Improvement Programme.
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The Thames Hospice is located in Bray, Berkshire, and serves a community covering 750 square miles in the Thames Valley with a population of over 500,000 people. It is the only hospice in the area providing 24/7 emergency services.
Cookham Bridge Rotary already had links with the hospice but they wanted to do more and so the idea of a high impact large scale project in partnership with the hospice was conceived.
Derek Smith is the lead for the project and I asked him a few questions about the project…
HOW DID THE PROJECT COME ABOUT?
Thames Hospice has been around for some 35 years and over that time has seen the need for its services increase tremendously in our community and as a result has grown to help meet those needs.
There had always been links between my Rotary club and other local Rotary clubs with Thames Hospice and many have made cash donations over the years which were most welcome.
However, we wanted to make a real difference and spoke with the hospice and asked them what they needed and it was agreed that a Patient Care Improvement Programme was a great way of making a real difference and so it began.
WHAT WOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAMME?
The programme would primarily involve upskilling current nursing staff in the
area of general patient care and in the provision of critical pain relief.
This will enable them to undertake more responsible tasks without recourse to support from senior medical staff thereby relieving senior staff to carry out tasks more appropriate to their qualifications.
WHY DID YOU CONSIDER A FOUNDATION GLOBAL GRANT TO HELP FUND THE PROJECT?
A Global Grant would enable us to develop a much larger project and therefore have a higher impact than we would have otherwise been able to afford.
The Thames Hospice is located in Bray, Berkshire, and serves a community covering 750 square miles in the Thames Valley with a population of over 500,000 people.
YOU HAVE MANAGED TO GET 25 CLUBS TO PROVIDE SOME OF THE FINANCE FOR THE PROJECT, HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO DO THAT?
We realised that our club could not do this project on its own, either financially or logistically so I did a presentation at our District Conference and that did the trick.
We had seven clubs willing help put the project together and the remainder would donate funds.
HOW DID YOU FIND AN INTERNATIONAL PARTNER?
A Rotarian from a local club moved to Germany some years ago and joined a club over there.
He still kept in touch with his former club and was more than happy to recommend this project to his club in Germany as the International Partner.
APART FROM YOUR LOCAL CLUBS WAS ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED?
It was vital that the project was developed with the hospice in the forefront but as important was the involvement of the district in particular the District Foundation Chair and our Assistant Governor and a number of others all of whom were invaluable in getting the project to where it is today.
Thames Hospice has been around for some 35 years and over that time has seen the need for its services increase tremendously in our community and as a result has grown to help meet those needs.
DID YOU FIND ANY ISSUE WITH THE APPLICATION FORM?
Most was quite simple and straight forward, the only issue was the section on community involvement.
The form assumes that the project will take place in a small community in an underdeveloped part of the world where discussions can take place with community leaders on the ground.
Obviously in our case that was not appropriate. However, by involving the hospice and between us developing a comprehensive needs assessment The Rotary Foundation was happy that we had completed our due diligence in this area.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE ANY CLUB LOOKING TO DO A GLOBAL GRANT PROJECT LOCALLY?
Go for it, but do not attempt this on your own, involve other clubs in your strategic team after all many hands make light work.
So, in a nutshell, it is possible to devise and implement a Global Grant project in Great Britain and Ireland, it is just a matter a finding a need in your local community.
Derek is happy to provide advice or answer any questions related to this project. Please contact Assistant Regional Foundation Co-ordinator Ashley Gray at: ashleygray@btinternet.com
The value of The Rotary Foundation
In the first half of this Rotary year, clubs and districts in Great Britain & Ireland received approval for some stunning projects at home and overseas – all thanks to grants from The Rotary Foundation.
The total number of projects approved by The Rotary Foundation was 493, including 70 Global Grant projects.
The total value of all of these projects was an eye-watering $4,563,728, with the largest project coming in at $146,000.
A total of 298 projects are to take place within Great Britain & Ireland.
The total number of projects approved by The Rotary Foundation was 493, including 70 Global Grant projects, in the last Rotary year.
District Grants are smaller grants which offer clubs the flexibility to create their own much-needed projects. Great Britain & Ireland Rotary clubs have developed 23 of these projects worth $605,584.
These figures show how contributing to The Rotary Foundation really makes a difference to people’s lives both at home and overseas.
- It’s EFFICIENT having some of the lowest operating costs for charities in the world.
- It’s EFFECTIVE with every project having its need assessed before being implemented
- It’s ETHICAL with every project complying with the second Object of Rotary
- It’s SUSTAINABLE with every project having a sustainable element to it
- It’s FOR EVERYBODY
- It exists to SERVE ROTARIANS
In these difficult times, the world needs The Rotary Foundation more than ever. Donating could not be simpler; give your donation to your club treasurer or donate here.
