Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge
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See Bill Gates speak to Rotarian leaders
Watch as Microsoft founder Bill Gates announces on Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at the International Assembly an increase in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s challenge grant for polio eradication to Rotary International.
R otary’s leadership in the polio eradication effort was recognized in 2009 with a $255 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The new funds come in addition to the $100 million challenge grant received from the Gates Foundation in 2007. The first grant was spent during the 2008 calendar year on immunization and other polio eradication activities, and the second grant must be spent in the same way in 2009. Rotary must raise $100 million to match each grant for a total of $200 million by 30 June 2012. This fundraising effort is called Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge. Every Rotary club in the world is being asked to help meet the challenge by organizing a public fundraising event annually for the next three years. The $555 million generated by the grant and match will be a vital catalyst to help achieve Rotary’s top goal of ending polio worldwide.