FOUNDATION MINUTE: DECEMBER 15, 2025.
Welcome to Week THREE of RI’s Month of Disease Prevention & Treatment.
This week’s Foundation Minute is an excerpt from the interview by Ruchika Kumar, with RI President Fransesco Arrezo, on the global impact of TRF in India:
With over 4,000 projects worth US$1.5 billion dollars across seven focus areas, how does Rotary measure and communicate the long-term social return on its investments in India?
A. The Rotary Foundation (TRF) transforms contributions into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Over the last 100 years, US $5.5 billion has been awarded through The Rotary Foundation – Rotary’s charitable arm that helps clubs work together to perform meaningful, impactful service. In India, Rotary Foundation (India) furthers TRF’s mission as an associate foundation and is aligned with its objectives. Over the last ten years, RF(I) has supported 4000+ projects implemented by Rotary members worth 1.5 billion USD. Since 2016, RF(I) has further collaborated with nearly 500 corporations across the country to execute projects across its seven areas
of focus.
Clubs are increasing their impact in their communities by: focusing on the issues and projects that matter most, guided by community assessments; gathering data before and after each project and using that data to recognize improvements; sharing stories that
demonstrate measurable results and show a long-term commitment to a cause. Our clubs and districts use globally aligned monitoring frameworks that track not only outcomes— such as number of vaccines administered or trees planted — but also meaningful impact, including reductions in disease burden, learning gains in schools, and improvements in community resilience. For us, impact is not just measured in numbers
— it is seen in healthier children, more confident learners, empowered women, and communities that are better equipped for the future.
