Funding Our Good Work

The Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary Club has a separate charitable non-profit foundation — City of Lakes Rotary Foundation — through which it finances its charitable works and projects. Through this foundation and The Rotary Foundation (TRF), our Club is able to leverage matching grants and other partnerships to fund significant charitable service projects in our own community and internationally.

Our goal for our annual fundraising drive is to have each Rotarian contribute to both the City of Lakes Rotary Foundation and The Rotary Foundation each year. In addition, other fundraising events and programs may take place throughout the year, allowing all members and their families and friends to contribute to the important work of Rotary both locally and globally. Below are descriptions of our two Foundations:

City of Lakes Rotary Foundation

To help with its various service projects and to better serve its various communities, the City of Lakes Rotary Club set up the City of Lakes Rotary Foundation. It is a not-for-profit corporation set up within state and IRS guidelines as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Contributors receive federal income tax deductions for contributions. City of Lakes Rotary Foundation is separate from the City of Lakes Rotary Club. It operates as a separate legal entity with its own trustees, but because the trustees are chosen from the leadership ranks of the City of Lakes Rotary Club, an important link to the Club and its service activities is actively maintained.

The City of Lakes Rotary Foundation helps the City of Lakes Rotary Club with its service activities, and helps it extend its outreach in many ways that might not be possible otherwise. With the help of the Foundation, the Club not only strengthens its own service projects, but also provides awards to non-Rotarian individuals as well as grants to non-profit organizations that serve our local community in significant ways. One need not be a Rotarian to contribute to the City of Lakes Rotary Foundation or to participate in the Foundation's fund-raising activities. Funds provided by City of Lakes Rotary Foundation for local projects are often matched at the District level through Community Assistance Program Grants.

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International (TRF) is headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, along with Rotary International. It helps fund large, worldwide programs that unite Rotarians globally. TRF transforms gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary International, TRF taps into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into their top priority programs, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. TRF grants come back to local Clubs and club-to-club partnerships to empower Rotarians to address challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that have a lasting impact.

Learn more about the important work of The Rotary International Foundation.