Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International (LCI). The foundation's mission is to support the efforts of Lions clubs around the world in serving their local and global communities by funding humanitarian service projects. LCIF has granted more than US$202 million for projects that improve the quality of life for individuals and communities worldwide.

LCIF is funding SightFirst , Lions' global initiative to fight preventable and reversible blindness worldwide. Other LCIF grant programs are:

Standard, a program designed to assist Lions in carrying out humanitarian service projects that are beyond the financial capacity of local Lions.

Core 4, the newest grant initiative, addresses larger humanitarian needs in the communities where Lions serve. Grants are awarded for projects that fall under the top four concerns of the association: preserving eyesight, combating disability, promoting health and serving youth.

Emergency, an immediate-assistance program available to Lions' districts when local natural disasters such as flooding, tornados and hurricanes strike.

International Assistance, a program that involves Lions in a sponsoring country partnering with Lions in a host country to provide primary health care, food self-sufficiency, environmental protection, literacy and similar projects.

Major Catastrophe, a grant program established to provide assistance in times of catastrophes of national or international proportions. Recent grants include US$290,000 awarded to the Turkish Lions as a result of an earthquake; US$380,000 to Lions of Taiwan following the earthquake in that country; US$100,000 for victims of Hurricane Floyd in the United States; US$370,500 for the Kosovo refugee crisis.

Major International Service Program, a structure that supports the association's major service commitments. LCIF has given more than US$4.5 million for diabetic retinopathy and related projects through this program.

For more information about current grants, click above on news releases.

LCIF grants are made possible by contributions received from personal donations from Lions and non-Lions, Lions clubs and districts, corporations and other foundations. A primary funding base of LCIF is the Melvin Jones Fellowship, the highest honor conferred by the foundation and which recognizes an individual's commitment to humanitarian service. Currently, there are nearly 180,000 Melvin Jones Fellows worldwide; 127 Lions clubs have attained a 100% Melvin Jones Fellow membership.

For more information about the foundation, contact LCIF Communcations at Lions Clubs International Headquarters at (630) 571-5466, ext. 386. To have documents directly faxed to you, 24-hours a day, call LCIF's fax-on-demand service at (732) 544-2861 or access the service through LCIF's web site. (Documents are available in English only.)

e-mail Lions Clubs International Foundation
at lcif@lionsclubs.org