(ACTIVE) Upward Mobility: High Quality Education – Summer Programs

Purpose

Rochester Area Community Foundation seeks proposals from non-profit organizations who provide evidence-based, high-quality summer learning programs for K-12 students in our eight-county region. RACF has a long history of supporting out-of-school time programs; we are currently enhancing our grantmaking approach to specifically fund community-based organizations and school districts that are thoughtfully delivering programs that support students through blended models offering both academic support and enrichment activities. This grant round aims to address critical academic challenges and enhance opportunities for educational equity through proven strategies that improve student outcomes in our region.

Typical Grant Size

The typical grant size ranges from $25,000 to $50,000. Larger requests will be considered.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, prospective applicants must:

• Be a school district or 501(c)(3) organizations or 509(a)(1) public organizations or have a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.
• Serve students within the K-12 range
• Operate in our eight-county region, which comprises Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties.
• Have a demonstrable program design or adaptive willingness based on the criteria below:

Our evaluation of grant applicants will use evidence-based research to inform our understanding of the key design elements that garner higher levels of success for participants. Here is a list of program attributes that we will evaluate for in our review of applications. Those organizations that include all elements will be scored higher. However, we want to grow with you and support your desire to transform; if your program does not include some of these attributes but you are able to adopt them through technical assistance or additional grant dollars, please indicate that in your application as an adaptive element for our consideration – we want to build the capacity of our out-of-school time ecosystem.

• Delivery Model: Provide programming for at least 20 program days, equivalent to five to six weeks in length, with daily programming of three to four hours of academic instruction per day, with the remainder of full-day programming consisting of enrichment activities.
• Attendance History: Research finds that attendance is central to the achievement of outcomes and that students must attend at least 80 percent of program days in order to achieve the best results. While we realize that organizations cannot control for this factor, if you have program history metrics that demonstrate high level of attendance, we would like to know that as part of your application.
• Small Group Structure: Maintain class sizes of 15 students or fewer to ensure quality instruction and individualized attention.
• Qualified Instructional Staff: Employ trained educators and enrichment staff (including certified teachers, community organization staff, and enrichment specialists) who receive comprehensive training and ongoing support aligned to their capabilities.
• Data-Informed Practice: Implement ongoing assessments and progress monitoring to identify successful practices, understand student progress, and make informed instructional decisions.
• Curriculum Alignment: Use high-quality instructional materials that align with school-year curriculum and complement classroom grade-level instruction.
• Comprehensive Support Services: Provide meals, transportation, and other support services to ensure program accessibility for all students.

Application Due Date(s)

Application opens on Monday, January 5th, 2026.

The deadline to submit an application is 4pm on Friday, February 6, 2026.

All decisions will be announced in April.

Future opportunities will be announced in our quarterly e-newsletter, Grant Opportunities (Click to subscribe.)

Application

To begin a new application or return to your account, click here.

Contact

Berta Rivera
Director of Community Programs
Rochester Area Community Foundation
500 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607-1912
585.341.4365
brivera@racf.org