Grant Opportunities

The Community Foundation promotes two broad grantmaking goals that align with our vision for community change: 1) creating an equitable community and 2) strengthening our region’s vitality.

Creating an Equitable Community

Closing Academic Achievement and Opportunity Gaps
Making a significant and sustainable reduction in academic achievement and opportunity gaps as experienced by many children, with emphasis on children living in the City of Rochester.

Fostering Racial and Ethnic Understanding and Equity
Creating community awareness of racial and ethnic inequities and building sustained, community-based collaborative initiatives that remediate and prevent such inequities.

Partnering Against Poverty
Creating community awareness and understanding of the concentration of poverty and how it affects our community, and encouraging efforts that address its effects.

Strengthening Our Region’s Vitality

Supporting Arts and Culture
Encouraging vibrant and diverse arts and cultural offerings and improving the capacity of local arts organizations.

Preserving Historical Assets
Preserving our region’s rich historical assets and promoting educational efforts that build on these assets.

Advancing Environmental Justice and Sustainability
Addressing the threats of climate change, prompting individual and collective action, and ensuring that everyone in greater Rochester has equitable access to an inclusive green economy.

Promoting Successful Aging
Fostering successful aging by helping to create more age-friendly communities.

Competitive grant opportunities are also available throughout the year from our five giving circles.

A giving circle is a group of like-minded individuals who pool their money each year and decide together how it should be distributed. These groups also offer social, educational, and engagement opportunities and help provide a more thorough understanding of philanthropy and community issues.

Community Foundation Giving Circles

Our two geographic affiliates are Wayne County Community Endowment and Yates Community Endowment. Volunteer committees administer funds focused on positive impact in these two counties.

  • Wayne County Community Endowment
    For changing needs of the Wayne County community. Learn more
  • Yates Community Endowment
    This endowment fund, created with a challenge grant from the Nord Family Foundation and local matching gifts, aims to make a long-term, positive impact in Yates County. Learn more

The Community Foundation also provides funding opportunities through the following:

  • Bullis Fund
    Created through the estate of Nettie Bullis to benefit the residents of Wayne County, particularly people living in Macedon and the area served by the Palmyra-Macedon School District. Learn more
  • John F. Wegman Fund
    Continues the purposes of a private foundation established in 1954 by the will of John F. Wegman. Supports concerns of the elderly, character-building opportunities for youth, and improved labor/management relations. Learn more
  • Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for Youth Sports
    The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, created from the estate of the Buffalo Bills founder and owner, established this fund to support youth sports and recreation in our region. Learn more
  • Quick Review Grants
    These opportunities provide funding in the areas of aging, arts and culture, children, education, health, and historical preservation. There are no set deadlines; applications are reviewed as they are received. Learn more