The Rotary International (RI) Board of Directors has approved the continuation of the Public Relations (PR) Grants at the district level for the 2007-08 Rotary year. PR Grants are designed to assist districts to reach the general public by promoting Rotary and improving Rotary’s public image.

PR Grants enable districts to place RI produced television and radio public service announcements (PSAs), billboards, banners, and newspaper supplements in their communities. 

District 7610 will apply for a PR Grant this year up to the amount of $6,000, which is the maximum allowed. RI requires a local contribution of up to $2,000 for the maximum size grant to promote Rotary’s image within the District. 

2007-08 PR Grant Qualifications:
The District is seeking club applications on a competitive basis that meet the RI criteria for use of PR funds in their community. 

If the District is awarded funding, club funds will be awarded to ensure fairness and an equitable spread of Rotary promotion across the District. Only one application per club will be considered. Clubs may work together to submit a multi-club application. 

Clubs should also obtain in-kind donations from vendors, such as free or discounted print space, billboards and television or radio time. Clubs are strongly encouraged to contribute 10-20% of their requested amount toward the cost of their project. 

Applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Juanita Cawley, District Public Image Director no later than September 7, 2007 to be considered. 
Mailing address: Juanita Cawley, P. O. Box 1098, West Point, VA 23181
E-mail address: jcawley3@cox.net

The proposed project must utilize materials from Rotary’s Humanity in Motion public image campaign. These materials can be previewed and downloaded at: http://www.rotary.org/support/prtools/tools/psa3.html.

Application Procedures and Deadlines:
Clubs must submit the following to apply for District funds:

1. a complete application including a detailed description of the PR project plan;
2. a comprehensive club PR plan for 2007-08
3. price quotes on vendor’s stationery;
4. proposed copy layout for print materials and scripts for radio or television placements;
5. a detailed description of in-kind donations;
6. a detailed description and amount of club financial contributions toward the project.

Notification regarding grant approval or denial will be e-mailed to clubs after December 1, 2007.
PR Grant projects must be implemented and all reimbursement requests submitted no later than May 1, 2008. The following items are required to receive reimbursement for funds spent:
1. Proof of performance (i. e.: photos of billboard, print supplement tear-sheets, etc.)
2. Original vendor receipts
3. Copy of vendor invoices
4. Completed Payee Information Form (this form will be included with approval e-mail).
Once all of the items listed above have been received, the District will submit for reimbursement to RI. Once RI receives the items, they will process the reimbursement to the District. The District will in turn, process the reimbursement to the clubs.
All reimbursement items listed above must be submitted via post or e-mail (with scanned receipts) by May 1, 2008 to:
Juanita Cawley
P. O. Box 1098
West Point, VA 23181
jcawley3@cox.net

Excluded Items:
Projects involving such activities as building a clock tower, promoting a public health or environmental campaign, or installing public benches or traffic safety signs may help enhance Rotary’s public image, but are more accurately classified as club community service projects and will not be funded.