Everyone Deserves Green Spaces
Protect Her Independence
Give Kids a Fair Chance
Preserve Our History
Expand Access to the Arts
Demand Racial Equity
Everyone can take action to make our world a more equitable and vital place. Since 1972, Rochester Area Community Foundation has connected donors to the critical needs of our eight-county region, leveraging financial expertise and community knowledge to maximize impact. At the Foundation, donors are partners and every gift is an investment in a better future.
Simeon Banister was named to RBJ's Power 100 for the fourth year running. Now in his third year as President & CEO of Rochester Area Community Foundation, Banister speaks to the value of clear organizational core values amid external volatility. He predicts that the organizations best positioned for the coming years will be those that can align partners, deploy capital flexibly, and earn durable trust across communities in an increasingly fragmented environment.
Read more at rbj.net/2026/02/13/simeon-banister-6/
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Looking for a volunteer opportunity and want to have impact? 🎓✨
You can change a student’s future right from your desk (and yes, even in your pajamas). We are recruiting for our Scholarship Committee, and we need dozens of volunteers to review a high volume of applications fairly and equitably!
Review personal statements and recommendations to help us award scholarships. All you need is a computer, internet access, and a desire to give back. The review process will take place from March-April.
How to Get Involved:
Sign Up: Complete the Interest Form by March 2: forms.office.com/r/M3RvG2FWwU
Reshare: We need more reviewers this year than ever before. Please help us spread the word.
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Applications for the Neighbors in Action grant program are closing soon. Neighborhood associations, block clubs, and community organizations passionate about engaging neighbors to making Rochester a more vibrant city are welcome to apply. Applications are due by February 20. More information at racf.org/grant/nia/. ... See MoreSee Less
Empowering students through education creates a ripple effect of opportunity and impact.
We’re proud to partner with Rochester Area Community Foundation to help open doors for local students preparing to attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities this fall. The Baldwin Richardson Foods Frederick Douglass HBCU Football Classic Scholarship is our way of investing in the leaders of tomorrow.
This scholarship opportunity is available to all Rochester, NY students who meet the application criteria and are ready to take the next step in their educational journey.
The scholarships are awarded through the Rochester Community Foundation Consolidated Scholarship Application using established guidelines.
Applications are open through February 28, 2026
Learn more and apply here: www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=racfs
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Last year, the East Market Neighborhood Association completed a public art project that invited passersby to notice the vibrant community next to the Rochester Public Market. Four local artists from The Yards Collective worked the neighborhood association and local teens to clean up a two-story commercial building and install a 22-foot-tall mural.
Photos by Mark Widman.
This project was supported by Neighbors in Action (NIA), a joint funding effort by the City of Rochester, Rochester Area Community Foundation, and ESL Federal Credit Union. NIA offers small grants that empower residents to come together and strengthen their neighborhoods. Applications for the 2026 NIA grants are open now at racf.org/NIA.
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This week marked the launch of the Hillside Family of Agencies Next Steps Critical Time Transition Program, which will care for youth with complex needs in a supportive environment that eases the transition from hospital to home. We were proud to make a supporting grant six months ago, and felt even more proud stepping into the space for the first time.
Hillside believes that the environment in which treatment occurs is just as important as the treatment itself. We can see that belief actualized in the colorful bedding, posters of sci-fi landscapes and streetwear, and sensory-friendly rooms to relax and unwind.
Congratulations to the Hillside staff and partners who brought this program to life. Thank you to the staff of the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, whose expertise in the health sector made our grantmaking possible. ... See MoreSee Less
More than 400 households shop at Rochester Hope every week. There are no appointments, no forms, no IDs, and no cash registers. Just food for families in need and neighbors helping each other out. Rochester Hope provides essential services in the 14605 neighborhood — a zip code with some of the highest poverty rates in the state. See what happens when hard work and trust are met with generosity.
Community Care in Numbers
- 30% more households received food in 2025 versus 2024
- A rotation of 50 agencies are on-site on Saturdays to help residents with housing, employment, legal services, and more
- Hundreds of people volunteer from the neighborhood, local businesses, churches, and schools
- $5,000 in grants from the Latino Giving Circle and a Community Foundation fundholder were converted into 1,567,000 pounds of food
Learn how neighbors are feeding neighbors at racf.org/Rochester-Hope. ... See MoreSee Less
Today is College Sweatshirt Day! Our team is proud to join the City of Rochester, Rochester City School District, and the Rochester Education Foundation in showing students across Rochester that we believe in you — and your potential. We aren’t just celebrating where we’ve been; we’re investing in where Rochester’s youth are going. In 2025 alone, the Community Foundation awarded 305 scholarships totaling over $1,347,500 to ensure students have the resources they need to consider every path, including higher education.
Scholarship applications are open now at racf.org/scholarships.
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