INK 15: A Dozen Steps in the History of the Foundation

The Proposal:
At the 1917 convention in Atlanta, around July 17th, outgoing RI President Arch C. Klumph proposed to set up an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world.”
The First Donation:
A year later, in 1918,  the "Rotary Endowment Fund," as it was first labeled, received its first contribution of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, which was the balance of the Kansas City Convention account
Named the Rotary Foundation:
A decade later, The Rotary Foundation was formally established at the 1928 Minneapolis Convention and it became a distinct entity within Rotary International. In the next four years the Foundation fund grew to $50,000.
The Foundation’s First Gift:
In 1929, the Foundation made its first gift of $500 to the International Society for Crippled Children. The organization, created by Rotarian Edgar F. “Daddy” Allen, later grew into Easter Seals.
The Paul Harris Memorial Fund:
When Rotary founder Paul Harris died in 1947, contributions began pouring in to Rotary International, and the Paul Harris Memorial Fund was created to build the Foundation.
Evolution of Foundation programs:
1947: The Foundation established its first program, Fellowships for Advance Study, later known as Ambassadorial Scholarships.
More New Programs:
1965-66: Three programs were launched: Group Study Exchange, Awards for Technical Training, and Grants for Activities in Keeping with the Objective of The Rotary Foundation, which was later called Matching Grants.
3-H Grants:
1978: Rotary introduced the Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants. The first 3-H Grant funded a project to immunize 6 million Philippine children against polio.
Polio Plus:
1985: The PolioPlus program was launched to eradicate polio worldwide.
Peace Forums:
1987-88: The first peace forums were held, leading to Rotary Peace Fellowships.
Future Vision Plan:
2013: New district, global, and packaged grants enable Rotarians around the world to respond to the world’s greatest needs. These are now called “Rotary Grants”
Contributions:
Since the first donation of $26.50 in 1917, the Foundation has received contributions totalling more than $3.8 billion. In 2014-15, $26 million was given to the Foundation