Photo provided by Geneva Music Festival

Vital Funding for the Arts Continues and Grows

$423,150 in Arts & Culture Grants

The Community Foundation recently awarded $423,150 in support of arts and culture at a time when nonprofits need to know that we are here. 

A vibrant arts community requires both tenured institutions and grassroots programs. A small Main Street theatre can have just as transformative an impact on its performers and patrons as a Broadway stage. Through this grant cycle, 32 organizations received grants of $5,000 or less, while 12 nonprofits received grants ranging from $10,000 to $70,000. 

More Applications from All Parts of Our Region

In the fall of 2024, the Foundation received 70 applications from organizations offering arts and culture programming — nearly double what we received through this cycle last year — 20% of which came from more rural counties like Genesee, Ontario, Wayne, Orleans, and Yates

These programs stimulate new ways of thinking, bring us together, investigate identity, and share deeply personal yet profoundly collective experiences.

Here are just a few of this year’s Arts & Culture grants: 

• Celebrating its 15th season, a grant of $8,500 to Geneva Music Festival will support eight chamber, jazz, and crossover music concerts performed by world-class musicians, two free concerts for families, and six free youth outreach programs in schools, community centers, and after school programs.  With low-cost and free tickets, this festival continuously enriches Geneva and the Finger Lakes region. 

• A grant of $10,000 to Rochester City Ballet will bring the world premiere of Anastasia, a two-act ballet, to Rochester. In a novel approach to performance, the musicians will be in costume and on stage alongside the dancers. In keeping with the company’s commitment to inclusivity, the project will include a free sensory-friendly performance specifically designed for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, and several hundred Rochester City School District students will be invited to attend free dress rehearsals.  

• A grant of $10,000 to Rochester Folk Art Guild will support its Lectures on the Lawn series, offering free presentations with a diverse lineup of speakers, musicians, and artists. This series has been a beloved staple for several years, dedicated to engaging Yates County residents in meaningful discussions on art, justice, and cultural identity. New offerings will transform the series from a lecture format into a multifaceted cultural experience, preserving what has made Lectures on the Lawn successful while expanding its reach and enhancing the quality of its programming. 

For a full list of grants, click here. 

Grantee Spotlight: One Year Later

Through last year’s Arts & Culture grant round, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts was awarded $6,000 to support its Creative Artists Migrant Program Services (CAMPS) program. CAMPS provides art workshops and exhibits, professionally showcasing the artwork of Hispanic and Haitian farmworkers across eight counties. These adults and children produce colorful, expressive, and oftentimes poignant artwork that shares their culture and moves viewers. Read more about this incredible program here.

These Arts & Culture grants were made possible by the Community Foundation’s Community Impact Fund, which pools contributions from more than 100 permanent funds established specifically to support changing community needs, the following funds: 

The Clinton O. and Mary Steadman Fund; Dorothy Kitzing and Elizabeth Kitzing Fund; Elizabeth Holahan’s Children Fund; Esther Usdane Memorial Fund; Fund for the Fine and Performing Arts; Gouvernet Arts Fund; Jazz Street Fund; Rodney Hatch Family Fund; Christine Mertz Dear Fund; Community Arts Fund; James and Olive Edmunds Memorial Fund; Louise Hoyt Klinke Endowment fund; Ruth and Manville Harris Fund;

And nearly $100,000 provided by the these donor-advised funds, where fundholders chose to expand the dollars available for this Arts & Culture grant cycle in response to applications that aligned with their passions:

Winslow Bestor Fund; Pryor 50th Anniversary Invest in Rochester Fund; The Brummett Family Charitable Fund; Sarkis Family Fund; Bright Horizons Fund; and Jennifer Leonard and David Cay Johnston Fund.

New Funding for PreK-12 Arts Education

This year for the first time, the Community Foundation offered additional funding for arts programs specifically geared towards PreK-12 learners. A new grant cycle was developed after analyzing last year’s Arts & Culture applications and finding two key insights: 20% of grantseekers were looking for support for PreK-12 arts programs and less than 10% of applying nonprofits served the seven counties outside of Monroe. The new Arts Education grant cycle was developed in response, with the goal of ensuring that all students — regardless of location or circumstances — can access vibrant and diverse arts experiences. Nonprofits throughout the region were encouraged to apply with plans for how these new dollars could increase engagement with the arts or expand access in areas where these formative experiences are not easy to come by. Applications close at 5 p.m. on March 28 and awards will be announced this summer.