ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Rochester Area Community Foundation has grants available for organizations of all kinds in the Greater Rochester Area, as RACF hits 50 years old this year. The $430,000 of funding from the grant comes from the New York State Council of the Arts.
Some of that funding will go towards a study to determine how much the arts community adds to the Rochester economy. Applications for this “regrant” project can be made here.
Most of the grants will be in the form of $5,000 grants. Organizations must be 501(c)(3), or 509(a)(1) to apply in the eight-county region, of Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties.
“In those counties, are there lots of public entities, community centers, cities, villages, towns, and hamlets,” said Jennifer Leonard, the CEO and President of RACF. “And lots of non-profits, both in the arts, and able to bring in the arts to their youth programs, their senior programs, their program who are traditionally underserved.”
RACF says that there are no economic thresholds to apply, but have some specific goals they are looking to meet for applicants:
- Provide new opportunities for the community’s engagement with the arts
- Offer access to arts and cultural opportunities in otherwise underserved communities
- Celebrate or promote the region’s rich racial/cultural diversity
- Demonstrate collaboration with other arts organizations in the region
- RACF says why it’s important to serve the eight-county region
“This is a time to inspire, create, across all the different kinds of arts, and we really encourage people to look into this opportunity and participate,” Leonard said.
