Greetings Fellow Optimists,

Fifty years ago Optimist International President Charles Campbell and the Optimist leaders of that time approved the Articles of Incorporation for the Optimist International Foundation. The intent of these Optimist leaders was that our Foundation would exclusively serve the charitable, literary and educational purposes of OI. Optimism would grow and reach more children and communities through this endeavor. I believe that we have exceeded our founding fathers’ expectations. Optimists have supported the Foundation to a remarkable level. For example:


  • Millions raised for Optimist Programs and Services.
  • Thousands of youth provided educational scholarships through the Oratorical, Essay and CCDHH contest.
  • Hundreds of thousands paid out to Clubs through our Club pass through and Club Campaign programs.
  • Support for community projects, far and wide, and to help those in need.
  • Thousands of youth learning how to serve their communities through our Junior Optimist Program.
During the past year the Foundation has continued to flourish. I would like to share a few highlights from the past year:
  • We funded all of the programs we have in the past to the full extent during this golden anniversary year. In fact, we have expanded the assistance we provide.
  • The Foundation supported Club finances by paying out over $250,000 to Clubs utilizing the Club Campaign program along with adding over $70,000 in interest to their Club Campaign funds.
  • Clubs were assisted in receiving more than $200,000 in charitable contributions for their own local programs through the Pass-Through Program.
  • In the Childhood Health and Wellness Program, which includes the Childhood Cancer Campaign, over $76,000 was awarded in grants to Clubs.
  • 121 students were sent to college with Optimist International Oratorical, Essay, and CCDHH scholarships, totaling $259,500.
  • Twenty Club Grants were awarded, which helped 334 Optimist International Clubs to help 9,700 children and their families in their communities.
  • $85,000 was contributed to the Junior Optimist Program to support their ongoing work.
  • The Club Matching Grant amount was increased to up to $1,000. With that action all three of our Grant programs are for amounts up to $1,000.
  • We developed a JOI Past International President Scholarship Fund. This program was initiated in 2017. Now, with the JOI scholarship fund in place, we will be able to consistently provide a scholarship for the Immediate Past International JOI President.
  • We also made our first contribution of $2,500 to the OI Jr. Golf program, supporting the educational programs that are provided for these talented young golfers. 
This booklet was developed to celebrate our many historical achievements over the last 5 decades. We hope that you enjoy learning more about your Foundation. Please share with your fellow Optimists and encourage them to make a contribution at whatever level is comfortable for them. Wouldn’t it be incredible during this 50th anniversary year to boost the level of members contributing from 8% to 50%! Think of how many more youth we could serve!
Optimist International Foundation | OIFoundation.org