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.
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
#HBCUScholarship #FDHBCUClassic ... See MoreSee Less
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.
#nia #neighborsinaction #publicart ... See MoreSee Less
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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Are you part of a block club, neighborhood association, or community organization passionate about making Rochester a more vibrant city? Apply for small grants, up to $10,000, through Neighbors in Action (NIA) today! Application deadline is February 20. More information at racf.org/grant/nia/. ... See MoreSee Less
The Neighbors in Action (NIA) grant program just celebrated one year of resident-led projects. Simeon Banister, Mayor Malik Evans, John Paul Perez of ESL Federal Credit Union, and others gathered at City Hall as NIA applications re-open for 2026. "Neighborhood associations, block clubs, community-based organizations – we're looking at you!" said Banister. "Thank you for all you do, and we can’t wait to see what you dream up next."
Emma Morrison described the NIA grant awarded to the Unity Northeast Block Club Association last year, which helped purchase and distribute 50 fire extinguishers in the neighborhood. "I listened to so many fire trucks going around," says Morrison. "I thought it would be a safe thing that we can get fire extinguishers to help support the city... it does help a lot with older people, younger people, and people with disabilities."
Applications are due February 20, 2026. Learn more at racf.org/NIA.
Pictured:
(left) Nikia Washington, Equity Program Officer, Rochester Area Community Foundation
(middle) Emma Morrison, Unity NE Block Club Association and NIA grantee
(right) Simeon Banister, President & CEO, Rochester Area Community Foundation ... See MoreSee Less
Rocco was paying $300 per month in utility bills, and his house still wasn’t warm in the winter. After getting connected with RENEW Climate Fund and its partners, Rocco’s home received much-needed insulation, a new furnace, and a heat pump hot water heater. Rocco's first utility bill following the improvements was only $15.
>> Over the last 10 years, RENEW has upgraded 925 homes while preventing nearly 12,000 tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere. This work is possible thanks to the Community Foundation's most unrestricted dollars, resources from other local funders, and $245,455 (to date) in donations to RENEW from community members and fundholders.
>> RENEW's superpower is partnership, identifying gap funding to complete as many projects like Rocco's as possible. In Rocco's case, existing programs would cover 61% of the upgrades he needed. $5,000 of the scope was left uncovered — without which, Rocco’s hopes of lower utility bills and draft-free rooms would be impossible. That last 39% of the cost was where RENEW came in, supplying the final dollars that would make the project viable.
>> A gift to RENEW helps local, income-eligible residents make their homes more energy-efficient, healthier, and safer, while reducing local greenhouse gas emissions. Read the full story at racf.org/news/roccos-renovations/.
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