Yates Community Endowment Marks 15 Years and $1 Million in Grants to Yates County Nonprofits
October 28, 2026A charitable fund at Rochester Area Community Foundation leverages resident insight and regional resources to address local needs.
The Yates Community Endowment, a grantmaking fund focused on improving the quality of life of Yates County residents, is celebrating its 15th anniversary and $1,000,000 in cumulative support through its annual grantmaking. Guided by a local volunteer advisory committee and supported by Rochester Area Community Foundation staff and resources, the Endowment invests in community priorities like education, childcare, youth and families, arts and culture, and food access.
The Endowment grew from a 2010 conversation between Penn Yan resident Katie Nord Pederson and Rochester Area Community Foundation about expanding philanthropic resources for Yates County. In 2011, the Nord Family Foundation, based in Amherst, Ohio, helped establish the Endowment with a $100,000 challenge grant that matched dollar-for-dollar contributions benefiting Yates County. The Endowment has continued to grow through ongoing fundraising and community support.
This year, $139,000 was awarded to 18 nonprofits through the Yates Community Endowment’s annual grantmaking, guided by residents who volunteer their time to review grant applications and with additional resources from other Rochester Area Community Foundation funds.
“I am optimistic about the future because we have a fantastic nonprofit community here in Yates County,” says Nancy Rees, chair of the Yates Community Endowment advisory committee. “Our endowment is simply an enabler for Yates nonprofits; they are the heart, brains, legs, and arms. Together, their efforts and our funds help Yates County residents have a better quality of life.”
The Endowment’s grantmaking focuses on two broad priorities: meeting residents’ basic needs, including housing, food, utilities, and health; and investing in programs and services that help residents thrive. The latter involves considering the holistic needs of a community and helping address gaps in existing services.
A 2025 needs assessment conducted by Rochester Area Community Foundation found that families with children and older adults have the greatest need for support in Yates County. The Yates Community Endowment has a longstanding focus on these populations, with particular support for youth-serving organizations like Milly’s Pantry, Yates Community Center, Pennsylvania Yankee Theatre Company, and the YMCA. Through the YMCA, grants help local youth attend Camp Cory.
“The power of place-based philanthropy is evident in the 15 years of neighbors helping neighbors in Yates County through the Yates Community Endowment,” says Sara Bukowiec, the Community Foundation’s Director of Rural Community Impact. “The dedication that the YCE volunteers and donors have shown over the years has surely contributed to making Yates County a place where the community can know that if there’s a will there’s a way, and neighbors who can give, do so in so many ways.”
Beyond grantmaking, Rochester Area Community Foundation staff work with the Endowment’s advisory committee to analyze community needs, connect nonprofits with additional funding sources, and bring organizations together to address shared challenges.
For example, members of the advisory committee and Community Foundation staff helped launch the Yates Food Access Coalition in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Yates County and Yates County Public Health to make the local emergency food network more resilient after SNAP benefits paused in late 2025.
Responding to community-wide challenges is not a new role for the Yates Community Endowment. In 2014, when flash flooding devastated homes, businesses, and roads, the Endowment raised $177,000 in just a few months to assist those affected. In 2020, the Endowment established the Yates Emergency Relief Fund to strengthen nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I feel proud of how RACF has been a partner with us and our nonprofits, not only in funding additional grants, but helping us step up quickly in times of extraordinary crisis,” says Rees. “It’s not our normal mode, but it shows how flexible we can be to respond to abnormal things.”
Learn more about giving to support Yates County at racf.org/Yates.
Media assets: Yates Community Endowment chair, Nancy Rees at Camp Cory during the 2026 Yates Community Endowment grants reception. Download
About the Yates Community Endowment
The Yates Community Endowment is a permanent endowment fund at Rochester Area Community Foundation under the guidance of a local, volunteer advisory board. Since its beginning in 2011, Yates Community Endowment has distributed more than $1,000,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations serving Yates County.
About Rochester Area Community Foundation
In partnership with generous philanthropists and community partners, Rochester Area Community Foundation works to improve the quality of life for people who live and work in the eight-county region through its leadership and strategic grantmaking. As a leading grantmaker, the Foundation is focused on two broad goals: creating an equitable community and strengthening our region’s vitality. Since 1972, the Community Foundation has distributed more than $800 million in grants and scholarships.
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