Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley

What Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley does

The Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1994 and headquartered at 494 East Avenue in Rochester, NY. It operates across the Greater Rochester 7-county region (Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Genesee, Orleans, Yates, and Livingston) with a mission to amplify the voices of women and girls and dismantle barriers to economic self-sufficiency through equitable philanthropy. The foundation runs two interconnected arms: a programmatic/community engagement arm and a permanent grantmaking endowment that has distributed over $2.9M to 100+ nonprofit organizations since inception.

The foundation's core offerings include the Lift Your Sister Girls' Initiative (launched 1997, serving 600+ teen girls annually ages 12–19), the Power Her Forward Girls Conference, Professional Development Day at the Golisano Institute, Law Enforcement Day, the Youth Leadership Program, and the newly launched Immersive Grant Writing Program (a 5-month cohort for women nonprofit leaders, August–December 2026). It also operates an annual Grants Program awarding up to $50,000 to qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations, hosts the Legacy Gala as a signature fundraiser, and runs a merchandise e-commerce store. Technology is a standard Squarespace website supporting donations, program registration, merchandise sales, and email communications — no proprietary technology stack or AI capabilities are disclosed.

The foundation is funded through a diversified revenue base: individual donations (including recurring monthly gifts), corporate event sponsorships, merchandise sales ($25–$60 per item), third-party community fundraisers, and gifts of stock/legacy planned giving. It is governed by a seven-member board with designated functional chairs (Finance, Audit) and operates with two paid staff: Executive Director Krystle Ellis and Program and Development Coordinator Jasmine Mabry. The foundation has no parent company, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and operates as an independent community foundation.

Name

Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley

Legal name

Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley

Website

https://womensfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley is a Rochester, NY-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers women and girls in the Greater Rochester 7-county region through direct teen programs, an annual grants program, and a permanent endowment established in 1994.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation and Nonprofit Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Girls leadership programs
• Women empowerment nonprofit
• Grantmaking for nonprofits
• Youth mentorship programs

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, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly recurring donations and one-time gifts from individual donors supporting the foundation's mission to empower women and girls in the Greater Rochester Area.
2. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including shirts ($25-$60), totes ($40), with slogans like 'Lift Your Sister', 'Power Her Forward', and 'Just Here Changing the World'.
3. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for signature events including Legacy Gala, Power Her Forward Girls Conference, Girls Initiative programs, and Immersive Grant Writing Program.
4. Third-Party Events: Community members host third-party fundraising events (book clubs, local businesses) with foundation-provided materials.
5. Gifts of Stock and Legacy Gifts: Donations of appreciated stock and planned giving/legacy gifts facilitated through financial advisor coordination.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley is a community foundation that delivers free empowerment programs (Girls' Initiative, conferences, leadership events, grant writing training) to teen girls ages 12-19 and women nonprofit leaders in Western New York, and operates an annual grantmaking program awarding up to $50,000 to qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations serving women and girls across the 7-county Greater Rochester region. It also sells branded merchandise and hosts signature fundraising events to sustain its permanent 1994 endowment.

Product overview

The Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley operates as a unified nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of empowerment programs and services for women and girls in the Greater Rochester Area. The core offerings include the Lift Your Sister Girls' Initiative (a umbrella program connecting teen girls with professional mentors), the Power Her Forward Girls Conference (a signature full-day event), Professional Development Day (hosted at Golisano Institute covering entrepreneurship and AI-related topics), Law Enforcement Day, and the Youth Leadership Program for girls ages 12-19. Additionally, the Immersive Grant Writing Program serves women nonprofit leaders through a 5-month training. The organization also operates a merchandise store (WFGV Merch Store), maintains an annual Grants Program awarding up to $50,000 to partner nonprofits, and hosts the Legacy Gala as a signature fundraising event. Sponsorship opportunities support all programs. The foundation serves over 600 teen girls annually through direct programming and has distributed over $2 million in grants since inception.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lift Your Sister: Girls' Initiative program and community movement dedicated to empowering teen girls ages 12-19 through mentorship, leadership development, and inspiring women role models.
• Power Her Forward
• Lift Your Sister Immersive Grant Writing Program

Products and services

• Lift Your Sister Girls' Initiative A transformative program connecting girls ages 12-19 with inspiring professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders who teach real-world skills in business, investing, real estate, and leadership through literacy volunteers and a network of community organizations.
• Power Her Forward Girls Conference A full-day conference experience featuring breakout sessions, hands-on art workshops, and inspiring speakers designed for teen girls.
• Professional Development Day A professional development event hosted at Golisano Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship covering entrepreneurship, wealth creation, negotiation tactics, career exploration, advanced communication, and personal branding through the lens of Artificial Intelligence.
• Law Enforcement Day An event designed to introduce girls to law enforcement careers and build positive relationships between young women and law enforcement professionals.
• Youth Leadership Program A free hybrid program for young women ages 12-19 that meets twice monthly, building confidence and developing leadership skills through mentorship, mentor connections, local business exploration, event planning, and peer networking. Bus passes provided for transportation.
• Lift Your Sister Immersive Grant Writing Program A five-month program (August-December) for women nonprofit leaders from underserved communities to learn grant writing skills. The zero-cost program accepts 5 organizations with up to 15 sessions covering fundraising path development.
• Annual Grants Program An annual grantmaking program providing up to $50,000 to qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving women and girls in the 7-county Greater Rochester region (Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Genesee, Orleans, Yates, Livingston). One-year grant periods focus on equitable philanthropy, transformative community partnerships, and amplifying voices of women and girls.
• WFGV Merch Store An online merchandise store selling apparel and accessories featuring messaging such as 'Lift Your Sister,' 'Power Her Forward,' 'Unity,' and 'Building Our Own Table' with prices ranging from $25-$60.
• Legacy Gala An annual signature fundraising event featuring gala tickets and sponsorship opportunities to support the foundation's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2.9 million awarded to 100+ organizations since 1994
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women's Foundation of Greater Birmingham (or successor Alabama women's funds): Mid-size regional women's foundation providing grants and direct programs to women and girls in a multi-county metro area — a comparable scale and geography analog to WFGV's Greater Rochester 7-county footprint.
• Dallas Women's Foundation (now North Texas Women and Girls Foundation): Regional women's foundation operating in a multi-county North Texas region with similar grantmaking + leadership program model serving women and girls; a comparable scope and scale analog.
• The Women's Foundation of Colorado: Statewide women's foundation operating a combined grantmaking-plus-direct-program model that closely mirrors WFGV's structure, including Girls' Initiative-style programs and an investment fund targeting women and girls of color. Directly comparable by mission, programmatic mix, and community foundation framing.
• The New York Women's Foundation: New York City-based women's foundation with a long-standing investment fund (similar to WFGV's permanent endowment) and programs targeting women and girls of color and low-income women; a natural sibling organization within New York State for capital and learning partnerships.
• Women's Foundation California: Statewide California women's foundation focused on economic security for women and girls through grantmaking, research, and advocacy; directly comparable by mission, grantmaking scale, and equity-centered programming.
• Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts: Regional women's fund operating in a multi-county western Massachusetts area with combined grantmaking and leadership programming for women and girls; serves as a close size and model analog and potential peer-learning partner.

Others

• Women's Funding Network: National membership association of women's foundations in the U.S. and Canada; WFGV is the kind of community-based women's foundation that joins this network, making it both a peer community and a learning/peer-collaboration resource.

Broad incumbents

• Ms. Foundation for Women: Nationally recognized women's foundation providing grants and capacity-building nationwide; while much larger, it is a direct comparable in mission and grantmaking focus on women and girls of color, and serves as a national counterpart that WFGV could partner with or be benchmarked against.

Regional players

• United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes: Large regional fundraiser and grantmaker covering many of the same counties with similar community-driven funding model; not a women's-specific peer but a clear geographic/operational comparables in shared donor pools, sponsored events, and grantmaking networks.
• Rochester Area Community Foundation: Largest community foundation serving the same Greater Rochester region; overlaps geographically with WFGV and serves many of the same grantee nonprofits and donors, making it both a peer and a potential co-funding partner for women's-focused grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/womensfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women's-foundation-of-genesee-valley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley