For two decades, Bob Scott has championed Rotary International’s top goal of a polio-free world. He has seen the battle to end polio from every angle – meeting with World Health Organization officials on shared strategies, urging government leaders to continue funding, encouraging Rotarians to press on, and personally pitching in on India’s National Immunization Days. In the course of that battle, polio cases have decreased more than 99 percent and the number of polio-endemic countries has fallen from 125 to 4. Throughout the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s heady advances and short-term setbacks, Scott’s stance as a leader in Rotary can be summed up in three words: Finish polio, period. In a recent interview for Rotary media, he talked about Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge as a critical step toward reaching that goal.

What is Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge?
It’s Rotary’s three-year fundraising effort to match the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s US$100 million challenge grant to The Rotary Foundation for polio eradication. The $200 million generated by the grant and the challenge will inject much-needed funding into the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

The Gates Foundation has shown great confidence in Rotary as a leader in the global battle against polio by awarding the full $100 million challenge grant without requiring that the matching amount be raised first. This is unusual compared to the way most challenge grants work. This faith will inspire Rotarians all the more, I believe, to fulfill Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge.

What are Rotary clubs and districts being asked to do to meet the challenge?
Each Rotary club is being asked to contribute at least $1,000 annually to the challenge for the next three years. If you consider there are nearly 33,000 clubs in the world, their combined fundraising efforts would result in almost the full matching amount of $100 million.

We are asking all Rotarians to participate in the challenge, especially those who have joined Rotary since June 2005, when the last commitments to the previous polio eradication funding campaign were fulfilled. Rotary clubs chartered since that time are also a special focus. In addition, Rotary Fellowships and Rotarian Action Groups will be invited to take part.

PolioPlus is Rotary’s only corporate program, and I believe that all Rotarians will want to share in the legacy of wiping out a disease that has caused so much disability and death worldwide.

What is the deadline for matching the Gates Foundation challenge grant?
Rotary has until 31 December 2010 to raise the matching funds. The Rotary Foundation must spend the entire $100 million grant in 2008, and it will be distributed to the World Health Organization and UNICEF in direct support of polio immunization activities.

How soon will contributions be credited toward matching the grant?
Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge formally began 1 January. However, contributions to match the Gates Foundation grant started coming in earlier and, by decision of the International PolioPlus Committee, have been credited since 1 December 2007.

When I was in India in December I met Harshad Mehta, who had previously contributed $1 million to The Rotary Foundation. We were talking about the Gates Foundation grant when he suddenly said, “I will give $2 million toward the match.” It was a very exciting development and an extremely generous contribution.

What resources are available to aid clubs and districts in meeting Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge?
Rotary is developing several resources, including a DVD that will explain the need for additional funding to end polio. A PowerPoint presentation, brochure, sample press releases, and other resources are being produced and will be fully in place by the start of the new Rotary year on 1 July. These tools will be available on the RI Web site and from RI World Headquarters and international offices.

In addition, I have appointed the Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge Task Force of Rotary senior leaders to provide oversight and encouragement to clubs and districts in this effort. The challenge has also been an important focus at the presidents-elect and governors-elect training seminars and will continue to be highlighted at the regional Rotary Foundation seminars.

Will any kind of donor recognition be available for contributions to the challenge?
Paul Harris Fellow and other standard recognitions are available for contributions to the challenge. However, no new recognitions will be created.

How does Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge compare in priority with other funding efforts, such as Every Rotarian, Every Year and the Rotary Centers Major Gifts Initiative?
Many Rotarians are asking if Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge is designed to supersede those funding efforts. The answer is no. Each effort is equally important, and Rotary is fully committed to funding all three. Nor do I believe that this challenge will cause a drop in support for the other two efforts.

Can Rotary Foundation alumni play a role in supporting the Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge?
We have 110,000 alumni who have benefited greatly from participating in programs such as Ambassadorial Scholarships, Group Study Exchange, and the peace programs. Our hope is that because of their positive experience with the Foundation and Rotary, alumni will be motivated to take part. We are working mainly through the many Foundation alumni associations around the world to invite alumni support for the challenge. Rotaract and Interact clubs will also be encouraged to take part through their sponsor Rotary clubs’ fundraising activities.

Will the Gates Foundation grant and matching funds be enough to cover the cost of eradicating polio?
The $200 million will be a vital catalyst in support of polio eradication. However, the extraordinary intensification of polio immunization activities in polio-endemic and high-risk countries over the past couple of years has required additional resources. More than $200 million will be needed to finish the job, and the longer the disease continues, the greater will be the cost.

Who else will provide funding for the final push to end polio?
It’s important to first understand that to date, the funds contributed toward polio eradication by Rotary and other organizations, including the Gates Foundation, are about 15 percent of the total. Many Rotarians feel that Rotary has contributed the full amount. But when I talk to Rotarians, I tell them that we are not the main source of funding — we are the main catalyst.

Therefore, the funding needed to end polio must come from other sources, mainly national governments. [Gates Foundation Cochair] Bill Gates Sr. has called Rotary “the conscience of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.” Rotary, along with its partners in the initiative — the World Health Organization, UNICEF, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and now the Gates Foundation — must continue to be advocates for donor-nation support.

The most wonderful thing about the Gates Foundation grant and Rotary’s US$100 Million Challenge is that together they will save many children from dying or being crippled by polio. But it’s important that we wipe out polio now, to prevent more children from getting the disease. Since the grant was announced, I’ve heard from Rotarians around the world who are really excited about eradicating polio. I’m confident that Rotary will be the catalyst for national governments and other organizations to come alongside and help fund the push to finish polio once and for all.