Chapter 15: The District as Your First CED Ally¶

What the district does for your CED project¶

The district is the institutional threshold between your club and The Rotary Foundation. No Global Grant can be submitted without going through it. No DDF can be committed without its signature. No TRF qualification holds without its support. For a club new to CED, the district is not a distant intermediary: it is the project's day-to-day contact.

The five concrete functions the district performs in CED:

Function	What it means for your club
Access to TRF funding	Only the district can submit a Global Grant. Your club provides the application; the district co-signs it and forwards it.
Committing DDF	The District Designated Fund is a reserve drawn from EREY contributions made three years earlier. The district decides how it is used for a Global Grant.
Coordination between clubs	When several clubs in a district run CED projects, the district links them, avoids duplication and facilitates co-financing.
TRF qualification	The district maintains its annual qualification with TRF. Without qualification, no Global Grant is possible, for any club in the district.
Access to the Cadre and to expert resources	The district refers you to members of the Rotary Cadre of Technical Advisers when a technical component needs outside validation.

Key people at the district¶

Three people, sometimes four, are your direct contacts.

The district governor (DG)¶

Elected for one year. He or she co-signs Global Grants, sets the district's strategic direction, and represents the district to RI and TRF. The governor's CED role is political more than technical: getting the district moving, encouraging clubs, deciding between priorities.

For a CED coordinator, the DG needs to know the project exists and where it is headed. One meeting a year is enough, but it is not optional. A project the DG never saw go by is a project that will move through the pipeline more slowly.

The District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair (DRFC)¶

This is your main technical contact. The DRFC maintains the district's TRF qualification, helps clubs prepare their applications, co-signs Global Grants with the DG, and oversees stewardship reporting on the district side. The typical term is three years, which provides continuity independent of the yearly rotation of presidents.

A CED coordinator who does not personally know the DRFC has not started preparing a Global Grant. Build the relationship as soon as the club is seriously considering a project, not at submission time.

The District CED Chair (where there is one)¶

Not a mandatory position, but increasingly common in districts active in CED. A subject-matter lead specifically for the CED area of focus: keeping up with developments, sharing good practice among the district's clubs, liaising with RAGCED. Where this position exists, it is a valuable contact for a CED coordinator getting started.

The Cadre member: Rotary Cadre of Technical Advisers¶

Not always attached to the district, but reachable through the district. The Cadre is an international network of expert Rotarians called on by TRF and by clubs to review, audit and advise on complex technical components (microfinance, training, value chains, environment, and so on). Using the Cadre is free for a club; the request goes through the DRFC.

A concrete step to take now. If you do not personally know your DRFC, call this week. If your district has a CED Chair, meet within 30 days. Save their phone numbers in your own contacts, not just in the district directory.

The District Grant and the Global Grant: two complementary tools¶

The district has two main mechanisms to combine for a CED project.

District Grant: the starting lever¶

The District Grant is a grant funded by the district's DDF (up to 50% of the annual DDF can go to District Grants). It is more flexible than the Global Grant: short review times, a simplified application, no mandatory international partner, no formal CNA required. But the amounts per project are smaller (often USD 1,000 to 5,000, sometimes more depending on the district), and coverage is limited to the initiating district.

Typical CED uses of the District Grant:

Funding a pilot before moving to a Global Grant (e.g., testing a training module on a pilot group of 15 people before launching a more ambitious project)
Funding the Community Needs Assessment for a future Global Grant project (an eligible preliminary study)
Co-financing the institutional strengthening phase of a local partner (e.g., support for setting up a cooperative before it takes on a bigger project)
Supporting a light component of a CED project (e.g., a financial literacy training component that complements a value chain)

Global Grant: the centerpiece¶

Budget USD 30,000 to 400,000+, duration 12-36 months, international partner required, CNA required. It is the backbone tool of serious CED projects. Chapter 16 is devoted to it.

How they fit together in practice¶

Many successful CED projects follow a sequence: preparatory District Grant → Global Grant → expansion through a second Global Grant. This step-by-step approach serves two purposes. It gives the club time to learn and to build its partnership's credibility before the big commitment. And it lets the DRFC check that the club can properly document a first round of funding before co-signing a more exposed Global Grant.

District qualification: why it matters to you¶

The district's TRF qualification is a prerequisite for any Global Grant. Without district qualification, no club in the district can receive a Global Grant, however good its project.

Typical qualification criteria¶

Criterion	Description
Club-district MOU signed	The club has signed the TRF MOU that defines its grant stewardship obligations
GMS completed	The club's grant signatories have attended the Grant Management Seminar in the Rotary year
No late reports	No overdue stewardship report on previous grants
No active sanction	Neither the club nor the district is under a TRF suspension procedure
District USD account in order	Dedicated, active bank account, able to receive and disburse funds

What the CED coordinator should check¶

Before investing several months in a Global Grant application, check with the DRFC that:

The district is qualified for the current Rotary year
The club has signed the club-district MOU
The identified signatories have current GMS training
None of the club's stewardship reports is overdue

A perfectly designed project run by a club or district that is not qualified will wait months, sometimes a whole year, before it can be submitted. Do this check early, not at the last minute.

Bringing several clubs in a district together on a shared CED project¶

An ambitious CED project often benefits from bringing two to five clubs in the district together around a shared initiative. Several configurations are possible.

Configuration 1: Multi-club CED project with a lead club¶

One club runs the project (signature, contact with TRF, management); the other clubs contribute cash co-financing or technical volunteers. A simple arrangement that brings people together without administrative overhead.

Configuration 2: Multi-club CED project with an inter-club committee¶

Several clubs sign jointly. An inter-club CED committee governs the project. A heavier arrangement, but suited to projects of USD 200,000 and up, where a diversity of contributions is an asset.

Configuration 3: District program with several coordinated projects¶

The district defines a CED strategy over 3-5 years with several related projects (e.g., a vocational training program rolled out across several areas). Each club runs one component; the district coordinates. An ambitious arrangement, suited to districts with an active District CED Chair.

How to start bringing clubs together¶

Concrete steps for a CED coordinator who wants to broaden the project:

Present the idea to the club's CED committee and confirm the intention to broaden it
Talk to the DRFC and the DG: the district can spread the word, or even organize an inter-club CED meeting
Identify neighboring clubs active on related topics (check the district newsletter, Rotary Showcase, RAGCED contacts)
Set up a video call or a meeting to present the project and discuss a possible contribution
Formalize commitments through letters of intent between clubs, then by signing the Global Grant

What the district expects from your club¶

The relationship with the district runs both ways. A club that uses DDF without ever contributing, turns in its reports late and changes its contact person every time the president changes wears out the patience of the DRFC and the DG. Conversely, a rigorous, responsive, transparent club becomes a preferred partner the district relies on.

The district's typical expectations:

Dimension	Expectation
Following TRF procedures	Complete application, compliant budget, CNA attached, deadlines met
Quality of documentation	Accurate, on-time stewardship reports, backed by supporting documents
Communication	Regular progress updates to the DRFC, early warning of difficulties
Contribution to the DDF	Club participation in the district's EREY campaigns
Sharing with other clubs	Presenting the project at the district conference, sharing the method
Continuity	A stable CED coordinator, a long term, a structured handover

Contributing to the DDF: a long-term logic¶

The DDF available today comes from the district's EREY contributions three years earlier. Each EREY dollar given by a Rotarian is split, in varying proportions, between the World Fund (TRF's global matching pool) and the district's DDF. When the district wants to invest in a Global Grant three years later, it draws on that DDF.

For a club planning to run CED projects over the long term, this logic is decisive. What the club does not contribute today will not be available to co-finance a future Global Grant. Encouraging club members to take part in EREY, to make one-time gifts to the Foundation, to become a Paul Harris Fellow, is preparing the funding for the CED projects of 2028.

This logic, rarely spelled out, separates clubs that are active in CED over the long term from clubs that try a one-off project and are surprised to lack resources the next time around.

The 5 questions to ask your DG or DRFC¶

For a CED coordinator taking office, or considering a project:

Is the district TRF-qualified this Rotary year? When is the next renewal date?
How much DDF is available for Global Grants this year and the next two?
What CED projects are under way in the district? Is coordination possible?
Can a District Grant be used to fund a preparatory CNA or a pilot?
Who is the Cadre member for CED topics available to our district?

These five questions, asked during a one-hour meeting with the DRFC, get a project moving in concrete terms. They save months of guesswork.

Checklist for preparing the district relationship¶

The district as accelerator or brake¶

An active, well-organized district, with an experienced DRFC and a committed District CED Chair, is a powerful accelerator for a club getting started. It guides, connects, co-signs quickly, and helps through the first difficulty.

A district with little CED engagement can become a brake: slow processing, signatures that are hard to get, a shaky grasp of TRF procedures. In these situations, the right response is not to go around the district (which is impossible and counterproductive), but to activate it: offer to host a training session at a regular club meeting, invite the DG to visit an ongoing project, write a summary note to present at the district conference.

A club that helps professionalize its district sets up smoother funding for its future projects, and does a service to every other club in the district.

The next chapter details the technical heart of Rotary CED: the full cycle of a Global Grant, from concept note to final report.