The Rotary Foundation Trustees established a new Hurricane Melissa Response Fund in October 2025 to support immediate relief efforts for people affected by the devastating hurricane. Donors can give directly to relief efforts led by Rotary members.
Contributions will be accepted until 31 January 2026. Districts can apply for grants from the funds until 28 October 2026, or until all funds have been allocated. Any contributions that haven’t been spent by then will be transferred to the Disaster Response Fund and made available for disasters worldwide.
How to contribute
You can give online, by check, or by transferring District Designated Funds:
- To contribute online, visit https://my.rotary.org/en/disaster-response-fund.
- To give by check, make it payable to The Rotary Foundation or to an associate foundation and include a completed contribution form. In the DESIGNATION/PURPOSE section, choose Other and write the fund name (Hurricane Melissa Response Fund).
- To allocate District Designated Funds, district leaders can use the DDF contribution form.
How to raise money to support these funds
Anyone can start a fundraiser for the Hurricane Melissa Response Fund on Raise for Rotary. Remember that:
- Raise for Rotary currently accepts 12 currencies and is available only in English.
- Donations made through fundraisers for the Hurricane Melissa Response Fund on Raise for Rotary will be credited and recognized as described below.
- Any fundraisers on a third-party platform such as Facebook or GoFundMe won’t offer these specific fund options and aren’t eligible for Foundation credit and recognition.
How contributions are credited and recognized
Gifts to the Hurricane Melissa Response Fund:
- Count toward a donor’s total cumulative giving
- Factor into Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society, Major Donor, and Arch Klumph Society recognition
- Help the donor’s club achieve the 100% Foundation Giving Club banner
- Are not credited toward a club’s Annual Fund giving, toward per capita or SHARE calculations, or toward generating DDF
Learn more about how gifts to the Hurricane Melissa Response Fund are credited and recognized.
How to apply for disaster response grants
Disaster response grants from the Hurricane Melissa Response Fund are available to District 7020 to support communities affected by the storm. The district governor and district Rotary Foundation chair of this district need to complete the disaster response grant application, which is available on the Grant Center. The maximum grant amount is $50,000, based on the availability of funds, and the district may have two open grants at a time.