Foundations that fund organizations in Rochester, New York
Worked out from where the grants went, not where the foundations sit.
Funding landscape for Rochester nonprofits
881 private foundations gave $153M to Rochester organizations in their latest filings; 42 of the 100 that say either way accept applications.
3,279 grants in total, with a typical foundation's median grant to Rochester around $75K. 55 of these funders are based in New York; the rest give here from elsewhere.
- Foundations giving here
- 881
- Accept applications
- 42
- of 100 that state a policy
- Dollars to Rochester
- $153M
- latest filings
- Grants
- 3,279
- Typical median grant
- $75K
- Based in NY
- 55%
- of funders listed
Funders, by dollars given to Rochester organizations
| Foundation | Based in | Grants here | Dollars here | Median | Accepts applications | Typical purposes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esl Charitable Foundation | Rochester, NY | 133 | $20M | $52K | Yes | To support education; To support employment; To support housing |
| Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation | Rochester, NY | 102 | $12M | $38K | Yes | Charitable purpose; Charitable purpose: designated to roc the future; Charitable purpose: designated to greater rochester aftersc… |
| Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 36 | $11M | $228K | Yes | Matching grant; Support web-based tool helping individuals understand and a…; Support special needs consultation in child care |
| Lilly Endowment Inc | Indianapolis, IN | 4 | $11M | $1.0M | Yes | Pathways for tomorrow initiative |
| The Ralph C Wilson Jr Foundation | Detroit, MI | 20 | $7.8M | $238K | Yes | Employee Matching Grant; Afterschool STEAM Capacity-Building; Community Capacity Building |
| The Sands Family Foundation Inc C/O Wildstar Partners LLC | Delray Beach, FL | 16 | $6.4M | $125K | Preselected only | Unrestricted program use; For support of winslow natural playground and endowment fun… |
| Greater Rochester Health Foundation | Rochester, NY | 153 | $6.2M | $5,000 | Yes | Community Events; Matching gift; Responsive Grants |
| Saunders Foundation | Rochester, NY | 16 | $5.6M | $10K | Preselected only | program funding; for Cumming Nature Center; White Coat Scholarship-School of Pharmacy |
| William & Sheila Konar Foundation C/O Ann Marie Mahoney | West Henrietta, NY | 78 | $3.9M | $25K | Yes | Program Support; Support Program Services; Scholar's Day Fund, Healthy Hero Summer Camp, Unrestricted… |
| B Thomas Golisano Foundation | Victor, NY | 1 | $3.0M | $3.0M | Preselected only | Various - see attachment. |
| The Wyant Foundation Trust | Tucson, AZ | 1 | $3.0M | $3.0M | Preselected only | Challenge fund |
| Dunard Fund USA Ltd | Northbrook, IL | 1 | $2.6M | $2.6M | Preselected only | General support |
| Louis S & Molly B Wolk Foundation | Rochester, NY | 24 | $2.1M | $28K | Yes | Sponsorship; Adolescent cancer support; Headquarter relocation |
| The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York, NY | 3 | $2.0M | $750K | Yes | To support the incoming president and artistic directors vi…; To support the last of a series of cluster hires in the dep…; To support a new directions fellowship |
| Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation | Rochester, NY | 60 | $2.0M | $24K | Yes | General support; Annual scholarship in memory of donald w. whitney; Annual scholarship in memory of helen g. whitney and donald… |
| Univ of Roch Rivas Clinic Ua Hwr | Dallas, TX | 1 | $1.7M | $1.7M | Preselected only | Unrestricted general |
| Wegman Family Charitable Foundation | Rochester, NY | 8 | $1.6M | $50K | Preselected only | Program support |
| The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation | Palo Alto, CA | 1 | $1.4M | $1.4M | Preselected only | Support for fetch4: fate, emissions, and transport of ch4 i… |
| Milky Way Research Foundation | Washington, DC | 1 | $1.1M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Investigator award research grant |
| The Goergen Foundation Inc | North Palm Beach, FL | 1 | $1.1M | $1.1M | Preselected only | Support of organization |
| Marie C and Joseph C Wilson Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 25 | $1.1M | $40K | Yes | General operating expenses; Healer's village; Beechwood family apartments |
| John Templeton Foundation | West Conshohocken, PA | 2 | $1.0M | $519K | Yes | Information architectures that enable life: the emergence o…; Do neurons communicate with light? |
| The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund | Aspen, CO | 1 | $1.0M | $1.0M | Yes | General operations |
| Paychex Charitable Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 70 | $929K | $3,000 | Yes | Operating Support; Operating support; Operating Supporting |
| Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | Palo Alto, CA | 2 | $903K | $452K | Preselected only | To measure how peaks and valleys below a spinning, convecti…; To explore how the phenomena of quantum mechanics, like sup… |
| The Frank Dimino Foundation Inc | West Palm Beach, FL | 2 | $880K | $440K | Preselected only | General charitable purposes |
| Liskmorris Foundation Inc | Clifton Springs, NY | 13 | $765K | $20K | Preselected only | General donation |
| The Riedman Foundation | Wilmington, DE | 30 | $748K | $10K | Yes | General & Unrestricted; Charitable Event; Edible Education Center Capital Fund |
| Dr Miriam & Sheldon G Adelson Medical Research Foundation | Needham, MA | 1 | $699K | $699K | Preselected only | Medical research |
| The Hassenfeld Family Foundation | Providence, RI | 2 | $610K | $305K | Preselected only | Hasbro Game Park and Hasbro Board Game Place |
| William G McGowan Charitable Fund | Chicago, IL | 8 | $575K | $50K | Yes | General operations |
| Building Brighter Days Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 15 | $575K | $25K | Preselected only | Cac intervention services; Emotional and crisis intervention at school #33; Gala support |
| Winfield Scott Charitable Trust Xxxxx8002 | Chicago, IL | 1 | $560K | $560K | Preselected only | General |
| Angels Among US Inc | Garden City, ID | 1 | $535K | $535K | Yes | Humanitarian |
| Dan Family Charitable Foundation Inc | Delray Beach, FL | 3 | $531K | $181K | Preselected only | Enhancement of charitable purpose |
| Krfrench Family Foundation | Etna, NH | 1 | $503K | $503K | Preselected only | Education |
| The Kilian J and Caroline F Schmitt Foundation Inc | Pittsford, NY | 8 | $493K | $28K | Yes | Institute for neuroscience research; Facility rehab; Goguardian/computers |
| John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $485K | $485K | Preselected only | For a communications campaign to highlight the value of its… |
| Tr UW Ab Lapine Char Trust 14-203310 | New York, NY | 3 | $471K | $157K | Preselected only | Program support |
| Charles J & Burton S August Family Foundation | Rochester, NY | 16 | $462K | $25K | Yes | General; Capital campaign-movement lab; Teen center renovation |
| The Polisseni Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 17 | $461K | $3,125 | Yes | Charity |
| Rcipa Community Health and Education Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 20 | $450K | $10K | Preselected only | Unrestricted donation |
| Edward P Evans Foundation | Charlestown, MA | 1 | $438K | $438K | Preselected only | Support scientific research |
| Ho Family Christian Foundation Inc | Hilton, NY | 3 | $431K | $30K | Preselected only | General donation |
| Kmt Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 4 | $427K | $13K | Yes | To support the operations of the educational programs |
| Rubens Family Foundation | Delray Beach, FL | 20 | $421K | $5,000 | Preselected only | General |
| Fred and Floy Willmott Foundation 14-217520 | New York, NY | 24 | $409K | $10K | Preselected only | General charitable purposes; General charitable purpose |
| The Mucci Family Foundation | Rochester, NY | 3 | $375K | $75K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Florence M Muller Foundation | Penfield, NY | 18 | $370K | $21K | Yes | General Operating; Early Intervention; SummerLEAP |
| Dean C Zutes Charitable Trust Xxxxx4007 | Chicago, IL | 9 | $360K | $19K | Preselected only | General; Ronald bittner school of; Alzheimers research medical |
| William and Mildred Levine Foundation | Huntington Beach, CA | 4 | $360K | $38K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Gilbert Family Foundation | Detroit, MI | 1 | $359K | $359K | Preselected only | Vision restoration initiative |
| Kovler Family Foundation | Chicago, IL | 1 | $353K | $353K | Yes | Medical-To aid in achieving the exempt purpose of the vario… |
| Rudolph and Rose Wollner Charitable Trust | Rochester, NY | 3 | $352K | $175K | Preselected only | To promote college educational activities; To promote activities for disabled/aged individuals; To promote public television |
| The David and Lucile Packard Foundation | Los Altos, CA | 2 | $350K | $175K | Yes | Environment and Science; Fellowships for Science and Engineering |
| The Marilyn Lichtman Foundation | Wantagh, NY | 18 | $349K | $20K | Yes | General charity |
| Goodman-Klein-Pinckney Family Foundation Inc C/O Donald L Bilgore | Pittsford, NY | 1 | $347K | $347K | Yes | Doris g klein pancreatic cancer research endowment fund |
| The J Paul Getty Trust | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | $344K | $344K | Yes | Getty global art and sustainability fellowships |
| Joseph & Irene Skalny Char Tr (live) 38370010 | New York, NY | 10 | $330K | $12K | Preselected only | Unrestricted gift; General charitable purposes |
| Peter a and Marion W Schwartz Family Foundation Trust | Canandaigua, NY | 2 | $305K | $153K | Preselected only | General support |
| The Charles and Mary Crossed Foundation | Rochester, NY | 64 | $302K | — | Yes | pro-life public education; pro-life education; public assistance |
| Robert F Hastings & Mary P Hastings Foundation Inc C/O Kevin Stamp Exec | East Amherst, NY | 3 | $291K | $97K | Preselected only | Educational and charitable purposes |
| Max a Adler Charitable Foundation C/O John Liebschutz | Rochester, NY | 24 | $285K | $5,000 | Preselected only | Operating budget; Children's fund; Scholarship fund |
| Fred L Emerson Foundation Inc | Auburn, NY | 3 | $284K | $20K | Yes | Capacity navigation with streamlined access to capacity bui…; Towards matthew's closet clothing storehouse; Toward river campus libraries excellence fund |
| New York State Health Fdn D/B/A New York Health Foundation | New York, NY | 8 | $277K | $20K | Yes | Conference scholarship application - healthy food, healthy…; Implementing and sustaining regional healthy food systems p…; Implementing and sustaining healthy food systems planning i… |
| Omidyar Network Fund Inc | Redwood City, CA | 1 | $275K | $275K | Preselected only | To support Rochester Institute of Tech's project, Usable To… |
| Gleason Family Foundation | Pine Grove, CA | 5 | $267K | $2,000 | Yes | General support; General support, matching grants |
| Riggs Foundation Inc | Ocean Ridge, FL | 2 | $266K | $133K | Preselected only | General charitable purposes |
| Avangrid Foundation Inc | Orange, CT | 9 | $265K | $20K | Yes | Social action; Art & culture; Training & research |
| Stella Matutina Foundation | Victor, NY | 10 | $257K | $30K | Preselected only | Tuition assistance; Support for those seeking secure permanent housing; General support |
| Wilhelmina C O'Connor Trust Xxxxx5006 | Chicago, IL | 1 | $255K | $255K | Preselected only | General |
| The John R Oishei Foundation | Buffalo, NY | 1 | $250K | $250K | Yes | Nextwave mission accelerator program |
| Brighter Days Foundation | Rochester, NY | 1 | $250K | $250K | Preselected only | Child and adolescent mental health urgent care center |
| The Thompson Family Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 1 | $250K | $250K | Yes | To aid the donee organization in carrying out its exempt fu… |
| Theodore Cashmere Mendick Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 14 | $250K | $13K | Preselected only | Unrestricted |
| Redlich Horwitz Foundation | Chappaqua, NY | 3 | $246K | $59K | Preselected only | General unrestricted |
| Saul Foundation for Progress Inc C/O Nixon Peabody Llp | Washington, DC | 1 | $244K | $244K | Preselected only | Public charity |
| Waldron Rise Foundation Inc | Fairport, NY | 18 | $243K | $5,500 | Yes | General support |
| The Donald F and Maxine B Davison Foundation | Spencerport, NY | 24 | $239K | $5,000 | Preselected only | Scholarship; Support alzheimer and dementia patients; Support diabetes research |
| Marshall Family Foundation | North Rose, NY | 7 | $231K | $5,000 | Yes | Local community projects |
| Summers Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 20 | $228K | $5,000 | Preselected only | General fund contribution |
| The Bernard and Patricia Iacovangelo Family Foundation Inc | Wilmington, DE | 29 | $227K | $5,000 | Preselected only | General & Unrestricted; Charitable Event; to support the Mobile Ultrasound Van & the Focus Pregnancy… |
| Alison Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | 2 | $220K | $110K | Preselected only | To provide education to students; Provide means for scholarly research |
| Rsps Foundation | Delray Beach, FL | 1 | $207K | $207K | Preselected only | Unrestricted program use |
| Cornellweinstein Family Foundation | Pittsford, NY | 16 | $207K | $9,150 | Preselected only | General fund; General Fund |
| The Haldeman Family Foundation | Philadelphia, PA | 4 | $205K | $10K | Preselected only | General fund; Education |
| Patrick P Lee Foundation | Williamsville, NY | 6 | $205K | $9,791 | Yes | Engineering scholarship program; Stem scholarship program; Computer science scholarship program |
| The Lux Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 2 | $200K | $100K | Preselected only | General |
| Al & Char Hatfield Family Foundation | Delano, MN | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | Program support |
| Michael and Suzanne Carusillo Charitable Foundation | Itasca, IL | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | Supporting patients an delivering world-class healthcare. |
| The Leslie and Sheila Klein Foundation Inc | New Canaan, CT | 1 | $200K | $200K | Preselected only | Medical research |
| The Robert F Stoicofirstfed Charitable Foundation | Swansea, MA | 1 | $200K | $200K | Yes | Exempt purpose |
| Ames-Amzalak Memorial Trust | Pittsford, NY | 41 | $196K | $2,500 | Preselected only | General; Restricted to Guide Program |
| The Peter and Elizabeth C Tower Foundation | Getzville, NY | 2 | $189K | $95K | Yes | Charitable |
| L3harris Foundation Inc | Melbourne, FL | 18 | $180K | $2,000 | Preselected only | To further the exempt purpose of the organization |
| The Shubert Foundation Inc | New York, NY | 3 | $180K | $30K | Yes | General operating support for dance productions and activit…; General operating support for theatrical productions and ac… |
| Johnson Wd and Sc Family Foundation | Knoxville, TN | 1 | $175K | $175K | Preselected only | Scholarship funds |
| The Guido and Ellen Palma Foundation Inc | Rochester, NY | 25 | $174K | $7,500 | Yes | Youth programming support; Program support; Capital project |
| Alvin & Ruth Thiem Charitable Foundation | Penfield, NY | 10 | $173K | $10K | Yes | Unrestricted grant; Unrestricted grant for nursing program |
| The Fournier Family Charitable Foundation | Rochester, NY | 12 | $172K | $10K | Preselected only | General support; Student financial aid; 2025 paddle raise/annual |
Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV, latest electronic return per foundation (2026-10-28). "Accepts applications" reflects the foundation's own checkbox on Part XV line 2. Grants to individuals excluded.
Common questions
Which foundations give to nonprofits in Rochester, New York?
Esl Charitable Foundation, Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Inc, Lilly Endowment Inc, The Ralph C Wilson Jr Foundation and 95 others reported grants to Rochester organizations on their latest Form 990-PF.
How do I approach a foundation that doesn't accept applications?
A foundation that checks "contributes only to preselected organizations" on its 990-PF won't review a cold proposal. Look at who it funds, find a shared board member, grantee or advisor, and ask for an introduction. Foundations that accept applications usually list a contact and deadlines in Part XV; we show that text on each foundation's page.
Is this list complete?
No. It covers private foundations (Form 990-PF filers) whose latest electronic return lists at least one grant to an organization in Rochester. Community foundations and corporate giving programs file different forms and are not included yet.