Better Communities for All Since 1944
Our Rochester Area Foundation
Rochester Area Foundation is a place where generous people from diverse backgrounds come together to make our communities better places.
As the Rochester area’s philanthropic leader, we award grants each year that are made possible by financial gifts from donors—people who care about the greater Rochester community and want to see it thrive. Our endowment relies on donor gifts and market growth for its success.
We lead by bringing people together to solve complicated community problems, realizing that for some issues there are no immediate solutions or simple answers.
Recent News
weGive365 Members Award 2019 Grants
weGive365 is a dollar-a-day collaborative giving program that lets members pool their money and make a positive impact on our community through grants to nonprofits. In July, members of Rochester Area Foundation’s weGive365 program voted to support the following grant...
Voting is open for the August Community Choice Grants!
To celebrate 75 years of Rochester Area Foundation’s impact on our communities, we are giving special grants all year long! We’re highlighting a different aspect of “better communities” each month – and August’s theme is COLLABORATIVE. The following nonprofits have...
Affiliate News: Chosen Valley Community Foundation announces slate of 2019 grant recipients
Chosen Valley Community Foundation - an affiliate of Rochester Area Foundation - recently had a great write-up in the Bluff Country News about their 2019 Grants: Things not to be taken for granted, but made possible when granted: Home, connectivity, a good read...
Celebrating Community Collaboration at Zumbro Ridge Estates
Rochester Area Foundation was joined by representatives from Zumbro Ridge Estates, The Coalition for Rochester Area Housing, and numerous company representatives who collaborated to improve Zumbro Ridge Estates for a ribbon-cutting celebration. In 2017, residents of...
Mind Matters PostSecret Event
As part of an ongoing conversation around mental health in Olmsted County, the library and Friends of the Library are sponsoring an event with PostSecret founder Frank Warren. PostSecret Live features postcards from Warren’s PostSecret project, which range from...
Friends of Quarry Hill Nature Center receives June Community Choice Grant
Congratulations to Friends of Quarry Hill Nature Center for being the lead vote-getter in our June Community Choice Grants! We were happy to present a grant of $1,500 to support their mission of opening eyes and minds through natural science discovery. Other...
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