What Rochester Area Community Foundation does

Rochester Area Community Foundation (RACF) is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) community foundation established in 1972 and headquartered at 500 East Avenue, Rochester, New York. It serves an eight-county region (Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates) by connecting individual, family, and organizational donors to regional charitable causes through donor-advised funds, endowed funds, scholarships, and direct grantmaking. The foundation manages charitable assets in perpetuity, provides professional advisor liaison services for estate and planned giving, and operates an online grant portal (Grant Interface) and donor portal (FCSuite) for grantees and fundholders.

RACF's core products include grants and scholarship programs, donor-advised funds, and a portfolio of specialized initiatives: the Rochester Women's Giving Circle (170+ members, nearly $2.8 million granted since inception), the Latino Giving Circle (Bronce/Plata/Oro membership tiers, grants $1,000–$5,000), Rochester's Child (early childhood advocacy since 1990, $4.8M+ raised and 450 grants awarded), the Rochester Procurement Expansion Program (RPEP, launched 2023, connecting local small and diverse suppliers with eight anchor institutions including Wegmans, University of Rochester, and RG&E/Avangrid), and the Community Heart & Soul initiative (adopted in 2025 for rural revitalization in Genesee and Orleans counties).

The foundation's revenue model is donation-driven: it receives contributions, manages endowments, charges modest administrative fees (e.g., $50 admin fee on giving-circle memberships), and reinvests returns into grantmaking. RACF holds Community Foundation National Standards certification from the Council on Foundations. Its go-to-market is community-led, engaging donors, professional advisors, nonprofit partners, and anchor institutions through a multi-channel approach spanning website content, Facebook, email newsletters, community events (including 20+ years of Rochester International Jazz Festival sponsorship), and dedicated advisor programming.

Name

Rochester Area Community Foundation

Legal name

Rochester Area Community Foundation

Website

https://racf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rochester Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation founded in 1972 that connects donors to regional charitable causes across an eight-county New York region through grants, donor-advised funds, scholarships, giving circles, and anchor-institution initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation / Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Philanthropic fund management
• Donor-advised funds
• Collective giving circles
• Regional grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Fund Management: RACF receives donations from individuals, families, and organizations to establish various fund types (donor-advised funds, endowed funds, unrestricted funds) that support regional charitable causes. The foundation manages these funds and distributes grants to nonprofits.
2. Collective Giving Programs: The foundation facilitates giving circles (Rochester Women's Giving Circle, Latino Giving Circle) where members pool contributions to support specific community causes, with funds distributed as grants to qualifying organizations.
3. Administrative Services: The foundation provides administrative services for charitable funds, managing endowment investments and grant distributions on behalf of donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rochester Area Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation that pools donations from individuals, families, and organizations, manages donor-advised funds, endowed funds, and scholarship funds, and distributes grants to nonprofit organizations across an eight-county region of Western New York. The foundation also operates collective giving circles (Rochester Women's Giving Circle, Latino Giving Circle) and community impact initiatives such as Community Heart & Soul, Rochester's Child, and the Rochester Procurement Expansion Program.

Product overview

Rochester Area Community Foundation is a nonprofit community foundation that operates as a platform for philanthropic giving and community impact. The organization offers grant programs, donor-advised funds, and scholarships as core products, complemented by specialized giving circles (Latino Giving Circle, Rochester Women's Giving Circle) and initiatives (Community Heart & Soul, Rochester Procurement Expansion Program, Rochester's Child). The foundation connects donors with community needs across an eight-county region, leveraging collective giving models and grantmaking to address local priorities in education, economic development, and social equity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grants and Grant Programs The foundation's general grant program offering competitive funding cycles, eligibility guidelines, and an online Grant Interface portal for nonprofit organizations serving the eight-county region.
• Donor-Advised Funds Charitable giving funds where donors can contribute assets and recommend grants to nonprofits over time, with the foundation managing the fund and providing tax benefits.
• Scholarships Various scholarship programs for students in the greater Rochester region, connecting donors with educational opportunities.
• Latino Giving Circle A giving circle that brings together donors to support organizations, programs, and projects created by and for the Latino community in the greater Rochester area, with grant sizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.
• Rochester Women's Giving Circle A collective giving circle with more than 170 members that supports programs helping women and girls gain education, training, and skills leading to economic independence, having granted nearly $2.8 million since inception.
• Community Heart & Soul A national model for community engagement supporting small town revitalization, adopted by the foundation in 2025, helping communities identify priorities, places, and traditions that matter most to residents.
• Rochester Procurement Expansion Program (RPEP) A program founded in 2023 that expands access to business opportunities by transforming local institutional procurement practices, connecting local suppliers with large regional employers including hospitals, universities, and corporations.
• Rochester's Child An initiative promoting early care and education for Monroe County's most vulnerable children, having raised more than $4.8 million and awarded 450 grants since 1990.

Quantifiable outcome

• $2.8 million granted by Rochester Women's Giving Circle since inception
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Community Heart & Soul (national organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025National organization that developed the Community Heart & Soul community engagement model, adopted by RACF in 2025. Supports small city and town revitalization through resident-driven planning process.
• RG&E (Avangrid)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Anchor partner in Rochester Procurement Expansion Program (RPEP), committed to strengthening local supplier networks through intentional procurement practices.
• Baldwin Richardson Foods Co.coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Anchor partner in RPEP, supporting local procurement expansion and business growth in the Rochester region.
• PikecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Anchor partner in RPEP committed to inclusive procurement practices.
• KodakcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Anchor partner in RPEP supporting local supplier network development.
• University of RochestercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Anchor partner in RPEP, opening new channels for business growth by connecting local suppliers with institutional purchasing.
• RTS (Regional Transit Service)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Anchor partner in RPEP committed to local supplier development.
• WegmanscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Anchor partner in RPEP supporting inclusive procurement and local business growth.
• Greater Rochester Health FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor of Orleans County Regional Funders Tour, joining with RACF and other regional funders to network with nonprofit organizations and share grant information.
• Ralph C. Wilson Jr. FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor of Orleans County Regional Funders Tour and supporter of Community Heart & Soul initiative in Western New York.
• ESL Federal Credit UnioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor of Orleans County Regional Funders Tour supporting nonprofit networking with regional funders.
• Community Foundation for Greater BuffalocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partner in Orleans County Regional Funders Tour and co-sponsor of Community Heart & Soul initiative in Genesee and Orleans counties, pooling resources for small town revitalization.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo: The other major community foundation serving Western New York and a direct partner on Community Heart & Soul and the Orleans County Regional Funders Tour. Operates the same community foundation model (grants, DAFs, scholarships, collective giving) in an adjacent geography.
• Central New York Community Foundation: Upstate New York community foundation headquartered in Syracuse serving Onondaga County and surrounding region. Comparable scale, same DAF/scholarship/grantmaking model, and similar eight-county-plus regional coverage to RACF.
• Community Foundation of Tompkins County: Regional community foundation serving Tompkins County, NY with comparable grantmaking, scholarship, and donor-advised fund offerings. Similar mid-sized footprint and community-led approach makes it a strong operational comparable to RACF.
• Maine Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation serving all 16 Maine counties with grantmaking, scholarships, and giving circles. Highly comparable structure to RACF in terms of multi-county regional coverage and donor-advised fund management.
• Vermont Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation with similar multi-county rural service model, donor-advised funds, scholarships, and collective giving programs. Operates in a small-state economy context directly analogous to RACF's Upstate New York region.
• The Greater Cincinnati Foundation: Regional community foundation serving a multi-county Greater Cincinnati area with grants, DAFs, scholarships, and collective giving programs. Similar mid-sized operational scale and product portfolio to RACF.

Broad incumbents

• The Cleveland Foundation: One of the largest and oldest community foundations in the U.S. (1914), serving Greater Cleveland. Offers the same suite of grantmaking, DAF, scholarship, and collective giving products at significantly larger scale, providing a benchmark for RACF's growth trajectory.
• The Pittsburgh Foundation: Major multi-county community foundation serving the Pittsburgh region with extensive grantmaking, scholarships, and DAF programs. Comparable regional scope and product mix to RACF but at materially larger AUM and program scale.
• The Boston Foundation: Greater Boston's community foundation, founded 1915, with one of the largest AUM bases in the U.S. Comparable products (DAFs, grants, scholarships, giving circles) at substantially larger scale, useful for benchmarking RACF's institutional capacity and program sophistication.
• Fidelity Charitable: The largest U.S. sponsor of donor-advised funds and the primary commercial competitor to community foundations for charitable assets. While not a direct operational peer, it competes aggressively for the same donors and DAF dollars RACF cultivates through its advisor network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RACF500
• Xx.com/racf500

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rochester Area Community Foundation