The Foundation did not have one overall strategy for its Jewish Life giving in the past. There were a few small mini-strategies, for example support for supplemental Jewish education. This is the first cohesive strategy for all of the Foundation’s investments in Jewish Rochester. Right now, the infrastructure of our community looks a lot like it did fifty years ago. But demographics and lifestyles are radically different. That’s why we’re focused on supporting the institutions and individuals of our community in making critical changes and bringing innovative ideas to life that position Jewish Rochester to keep thriving into the future.

Infrastructure relates to the physical spaces that make up Jewish Rochester—synagogues, schools, community buildings—and the operations that support these spaces.

That depends on the organization. There is no prescription on the types of business supports we can fund. Some examples include finance, technology, strategic planning, facilities plans, marketing, development. The request will need to explain how the support will help the organization plan for the future, to help build sustainability and/or internal capacity.

The Foundation’s funding goals for Institutions, Innovation, and Israel all have a long-term goal of helping individuals in our community. The Individuals part of our strategy is to represent that Farash intends to listen to the many voices of our community. This will not be a focus of direct grantmaking.

The innovative ideas do not need to be new ideas—they need to help ignite change. If your organization has been doing innovative programs or approaches but needs to expand or try new ideas, we’re here to help.

That’s ok! Please tell us what needs to change based on your original goals. We will work with you on pivoting. The point is to be responsive to your needs and to keep helping you think to the future.

Yes, the Foundation will support capital requests, but in the service of the goals about infrastructure needing to change for the future. 

The Foundation has made large investments to the Jewish Federation’s RocStrong Campaign. That is the primary focus of our security grantmaking. 

Yes! We do not require collaboration for a grant to be successful, but welcome all types of collaborations, affiliations and other creative ways to work across organizations.

The Foundation will use a mix of Request for Proposals (RFPs) for targeted investments, rolling applications that can be submitted at any time, and invited requests. If you have an idea for a grant, reach out to us to understand the best course of action for an application.

There is not one type of grant. We will be awarding a mix of one-time grants, annual grants, and multi-year grants. The amounts will be determined based on the request, the budget scope, the Foundation’s budget and the intended impact of the grant. There is no minimum or maximum amount expected for a request. We want to hear your ideas. We recognize that we may not be able to fund every idea or to the fullest budgeted request.

• Grants must benefit residents of Monroe or Ontario Counties and be tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986.
• They cannot be classified as private foundations or Type III supporting organizations under Section 509 of the Code.
• Grants cannot be used for research, grants or scholarships for individuals, or lobbying or attempts to influence legislation.