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The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation

The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation is a private, stand-alone corporation that serves as the primary community charitable arm of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis. Annual contributions to the Foundation are added to an eternal endowment fund and allocated income from that fund is utilized to support grants for charitable and educational purposes, primarily in the Indianapolis and Central Indiana areas.

The Foundation is governed by a group of nine active Rotarians who have been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis, plus the four Officers of the Club and the immediate past president of the Club who serve as ex-officio members of the Foundation Board. The club Sgt. at Arms does not serve on the Foundation Board.

Donate to the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation
To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation click the Donate button below. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

If you wish to make your contribution by check, please make your check payable to the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation and mail to the Rotary Club of Indianapolis, 133 W. Market Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Thank you for your support of the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation.

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Community Grant – Deadline June 19, 2024
Download and read about the 2024 Indianapolis Rotary Foundation Community Grant Guidelines
Click here for the online Community Grant Application Form.

Foundation Civic Entrepreneurship Grant
Civic Entrepreneurship grants are specifically designed to fulfill a stated purpose of the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation, Inc. That purpose is to stimulate the desire of each member of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis to be of service to others and to society in general.

Download the guidelines.
Download a REAL example of a Civic Grant application.

“Service Above Self” Emergency Response Fund (Restricted)
In 2020, The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation created the Service Above Self Emergency Response Fund to provide more timely response with financial resources to individuals affected by an emergency crisis. The following are general guidelines used to determine need and use of available funds:

  • The Fund is intended to support organizations serving the basic needs of individuals affected by the crisis. Grants from the fund are contingent upon demonstrated need and the availability of funds.
  • The Service Above Self Emergency Response Fund will reside with the foundation and will be a restricted fund.
  • Initial funding of $10,000 will come from the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation. $10,000 will be reallocated from the 2020-21 Community Grant budget.
  • Additional funding may be received by donors and future Indianapolis Rotary Foundation allocations.
  • Upon declaration of an “emergency” by local or state government officials, any director of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis or Indianapolis Rotary Foundation may initiate a project or proposal for recommendation.
  • An emergency is defined as a sudden, unexpected event that impacts the community at large. Examples might include fire, flood, global pandemics, financial crises.  The relief funds shall not be used for individual organization emergencies.
  • Requests for funds must be in writing and approved by the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation Board.
  • To facilitate a timely response, votes may be done in person or by teleconference.
  • Requests must comply with Indianapolis Rotary Foundation granting guidelines. Timelines can be adjusted to accommodate a timely response.
  • Rotary Club of Indianapolis and Indianapolis Rotary Foundation Director organizations are not eligible for these funds.

Foundation History
The Foundation was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis and incorporated as a not-for-profit organization under the laws of the State of Indiana on April 15th, 1947. A Club document that was published at that time stated that the intention of this organization is that “this agency of Rotary is to be a means to promote the well known philosophy of SERVICE ABOVE SELF and, at the same time, stimulate the desire of every Rotarian to be of service to his fellow men and to society in general.” The development of the Foundation was catalyzed by the widow of Isaac R. Holycross, a Rotarian, who offered to donate $25,000 to the Club to “promote charitable purposes under the direction of Rotary”. At this time, the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club accepted her generous offer and established the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation to serve as the charitable arm of the Club.

Since that time, annual fund drives have been held by the Foundation and a number of Rotarians have made significant bequests to the Foundation.

Thanks to the generosity of the Indianapolis Rotarians and their families, the level of the endowment fund of The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation now stands at nearly six million dollars, making it one of the largest Rotary Foundations in the United States.

Foundation Support
The activities of the Indianapolis Rotary Foundation are directed primarily to “Service Above Self” in the Indianapolis and Central Indiana area. In contrast, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, also supported by Indianapolis Rotarians, supports internationally oriented projects, such as scholarship programs, group study exchange programs, health-hunger-humanity grant related projects such as “Polio Plus” to eradicate the threat of polio around the Earth, global literacy projects, etc. The Paul Harris Fellow program is an important element of the fund-raising program of the Rotary International Foundation.

The two foundations, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International and The Indianapolis Rotary Foundation, are complementary, one to the other, and both are worthy of support by all Indianapolis Rotarians.

2023-24 Officers and Directors
Foundation Officers:
Bill Bubenzer- President
Matt Burnett- Vice President
Matt Will- Treasurer/Secretary

Foundation Directors:
David Dreyer
Pat Garten
Lynn Lambuth
Tom Richardson
Erin Smith
Erin Weesner

Ex Officio Directors:
Patrick Broccolo – Club President
Marie Koenig – Club President Elect
Charlie Meyer – Club Vice President
Jamie Hanan – Club Secretary
Jenny Dexter – Immediate Past Club President
Jeff Moffatt – Club Treasurer

Meeting Schedule (subject to change)

  • Monday, August 7, 2023, 11:30 AM
  • Friday, November 10, 2023, 11:30 AM
  • Thursday, February 22, 2024, 11:30 AM
  • Thursday, May 30, 2024, 11:30 AM

Additional Documents

Recent 990s