Future Vision pilot application begins in January

By Janis Young Rotary International News

6 January 2009

District application for participation in the Future Vision Plan pilot will begin on 27 January. Pictured, a Rotarian literacy initiative supported by a Rotary Foundation 3-H grant has helped thousands of Brazilian children learn to read and write. Rotary Images/Alyce Henson

District application for participation in the Future Vision Plan pilot will begin on 27 January, immediately following the 2009 International Assembly, where district governors-elect will receive information on the plan and the pilot.

Between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2013, pilot districts will test the plan’s grant structure to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges. Their feedback will help The Rotary Foundation to refine the plan to its final form by July 2013, when all districts will begin participation. Governors and Foundation chairs of the pilot districts will receive specialized training during the 2009-10 Rotary year to prepare for the transition to the pilot.

When working with each other, pilot districts may use Rotary Foundation Global Grants to sponsor vocational training teams and scholars who are working or studying in one or more of the Future Vision Plan’s six areas of focus and to carry out humanitarian projects in the areas of focus. Nonpilot districts may work together using the current Foundation programs and grants, some of which will be phased out before the end of the pilot.

Pilot and nonpilot districts may continue to work together during the three-year pilot, provided they follow specific guidelines established by the Foundation.

Vocational training teams. Pilot districts may use a Rotary Foundation District Grant to send a vocational training team to nonpilot districts. When using a district grant, the pilot district may determine the number and professional composition of the team. Nonpilot districts may send a GSE team to pilot districts under the current program.

Scholarships. Pilot districts may sponsor scholars to study in nonpilot districts using district grants. Nonpilot districts may send Ambassadorial Scholars to districts worldwide.
Humanitarian projects. Pilot districts may use district grants to support humanitarian projects with nonpilot districts, and nonpilot districts may use District Simplified Grants for projects with pilot districts.

Interested districts must apply for the Future Vision pilot online through Member Access at http://www.rotary.org/. The pilot application period will end 15 May. Pilot districts will be notified and announced on the RI Web site in June. To learn more about the Future Vision Plan, go to www.rotary.org/futurevision. If you have questions about the plan and the pilot, see the Future Vision FAQ or write to newgrantspilot@rotary.org.