About Rochester Area Foundation

The Mission of the Rochester Area Foundation is building and enhancing the quality of life in the greater Rochester area through philanthropic leadership and community partnerships.

Thanks to our generous donors, Rochester Area Foundation has become one of the largest sources of philanthropic support in the Rochester area. Since 1944, thousands of generous donors have entrusted us with nearly $46 million in charitable assets to invest wisely. 

We help community members achieve maximum impact with their philanthropy.

Our donors rely on us for strategic advice and for administrative help with their grantmaking. We share in-depth knowledge of community needs to help donors make informed giving decisions. We provide services to amplify the impact of charitable giving through professionally managed donor-advised funds and philanthropic expertise and create charitable legacies that last beyond our donors’ lifetimes through endowed funds and planned gifts.

We are a convener and catalyst for change.

We look boldly into the future to help our donors and partners understand challenges, and bring people together to create effective, collaborative solutions. We maximize impact by pooling financial and other support from many sources for the greatest benefit to Rochester area communities and organizations. In particular, we seek and support measurable impact with initiatives focused on affordable housing.

We believe strong nonprofits build strong communities.

By making grants, growing agency endowment funds, and providing education and training, we work to increase the capacity of nonprofits so they can better serve those in need.