The Power of Endowment: Charitable Gifts That Last Forever

With time, your gift can grow. While it grows, your fund makes grants to the places and causes you
care about: today, tomorrow — forever.

What is an Endowment?

An endowment is built to be permanent. Here is how your generosity makes an impact for good:

Choose a cause to support and work with our team of experts to find the most impactful way to give back.
For endowed giving, Community Foundation staff carefully invests the principal balance of your gift to ensure long-term growth and protection against inflation.
A percentage of the fund’s earnings is distributed annually in the form of grants, while the remaining balance stays invested to continue to grow.

graph that demonstrates how $25,000 can grow to $100,000 across a 50 year period — *Estimated market value based on 3% net of fees and grants

Why Give Through Rochester Area Community Foundation?

Create a Legacy

Giving back through Rochester Area Community Foundation allows you to continue to support your community for generations to come.

Multiply Your Impact

Unlike gifts that get spent right away, endowment-based gifts multiply their impact over years of invested growth.

Learn from Experts

Our staff is deeply connected to the Greater Rochester community. Work with trusted experts to ensure your gift meets our region’s greatest needs.

Give Where You Live

Regional Giving

Support What You Love

Arts and Culture
Civic Development and Problem-Solving
Education, Youth, and Families
Environmental Justice and Sustainability
Historical Preservation
Indigenous Communities
Racial Equity and Social Justice
Successful Aging, Health, and Well-Being
Upward Mobility

Community Impact

Smart Giving Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Our community is made up of long-standing philanthropists and people just getting started. Some participate in collective giving, to pool their resources to empower communities. Others leverage a broad field of interest fund that aligns with their passions. What does everyone have in common? A desire to have the greatest impact on key causes and beloved communities.

$37.7M

Invested across our eight-region county

$1.3M

Granted from staff-shepherded collective giving

$1.3M

Distributed in scholarships to students in our eight-county region

1,989

Unique donors

Data from past fiscal year: April 1, 2025-March 31, 2026