About Madison Rotary Foundation
Apply Rotary leadership and expertise to solve social issues and support individuals and organizations through grants, scholarships and endowments, guided by the value of Service Above Self.
Focus Areas
K-12 education / educational equityYouth developmentCommunity improvementVeterans servicesSenior health and fitnessHealth servicesFood security
Who They Fund
children and youth (ages 6–18), including students in school-based programshomeless families and individuals (including youth runaway shelter residents)older adults / seniors (50+)low-income, uninsured individuals and families
About Madison Rotary Foundation
A $71,052 grant for the Goodman Rotary 50+ Fitness Program is the clearest signal of how Madison Rotary Foundation works: local, practical, and tied to community needs in Madison. The foundation’s recent grants show a mix of older adult support, youth services, education, health, food assistance, and housing-related help, all concentrated in Madison and nearby Dane County communities. That pattern fits its stated emphasis on using Rotary leadership and expertise to solve social issues through grants, scholarships, and endowments guided by Service Above Self. The grant record also shows recurring support for core local partners. Friends of Madison School – Community Recreation received one of the largest awards in 2024 and another in 2025 for the same 50+ fitness program, while Newbridge Madison and Porchlight appear in separate years for older adult support and emergency housing help. Other awards support school-based mentoring, tutoring, and basic needs for families, suggesting a funder that backs both structured programs and immediate assistance. Madison Rotary Foundation’s work is broad in topic but narrow in geography, with every listed grant going to Wisconsin recipients.
What Madison Rotary Foundation Funds
Education and youth development are central themes. Madison Rotary Foundation gave $50,000 to The Playing Field Inc for a training and mentoring program for early educators to onboard 10 new lead teachers, and $30,000 to Vera Court Neighborhood Center Inc for one-on-one and small group tutoring for students ages 6–18. It also funded Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Dane County Inc with $28,485 to expand and enhance two school-based mentoring programs. Health and basic needs appear alongside education. The foundation gave $9,560 to Society of St Vincent De Paul Diocesan Council of Madison Inc for food supplies for a food pantry, $8,550 to Access Community Health Centers Inc for medical and dental expenses for the uninsured, and $8,346 to Family Service Madison for a trauma informed therapy program. Community stability shows up in housing and family support grants such as $9,500 to The Road Home Dane County for rental and transportation for families.
How Madison Rotary Foundation Gives
Typical awards cluster in the high single thousands: p25 is $6,317, the median is $7,780, and p75 is $9,425. The recent list also includes a few larger project grants, including $50,000 and $71,052. Several recipients appear in multiple years, such as Friends of Madison School – Community Recreation, Newbridge Madison, Porchlight, The Road Home Dane County, Catholic Charities of Madison, Briarpatch Youth Services Inc, YMCA Madison, Access Community Health Centers, and Wisconsin Youth Company Inc, which points to repeat support rather than one-off giving. The foundation’s programs include both unsolicited opportunities and competitive grants, with the Excellence in Education Grants Program and Innovation Grants Program both marked as accepting unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$214K
Total Assets
$19.4M
Total Revenue
$1.1M
Total Expenses
$1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $6K and $9K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$6K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$9K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SANDY MORALES
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