Frequently Asked Questions
A: NextGen Rochester is a young professional giving circle - our members give between $100-$1500+ each year to our member grant pool. The more members we have and the more we give, the greater amount our giving circle is able to give back to the community during our Annual Community Showcase at the end of the year.
A: NextGen Rochester started in 2009 by its founding members, Cynthia Pacia, Maria Thomas Fisher, Saul Antonio Maneiro, Teresa Gianni (be sure to add all names). The parent organization is the Rochester Area Community Foundation and is run by its members and lead by an Advisory Committee.
A: NextGen Rochester members can commit as little or as much time as they want - there are NO REQUIREMENTS! You can attend any social, educational, or volunteer event we have, become an Advisory Committee Member, or just attend the Annual Showcase. Or if you want to have minimal commitment, you can stay behind the scenes, pay your membership fee, and vote absentee - and still make a difference!
A: To become a NextGen Rochester member, you have to donate a minimum of $100 to the giving circle once during each year of membership. Donations are due by August 31 each year, and the pooled grant funds are voted on and given out at the end of each year. Click here to learn more and sign up.
A: Yes! This can be deducted as a monetary donation on your taxes. Our parent organization, Rochester Area Community Foundation tracks all of this information and provides a letter by the end of the year. You can find more information at https://www.racf.org/
A: All NextGen Rochester member donations go to our giving circle each year that is then collectively granted out to several non-profit programs each year (currently $10-15K each year!). The more members we have and the greater our donations, the more we can give! A portion of each donation goes to our endowment as well!
A: NextGen Rochester polls members annually to rank their favored grant “issue areas”. Every vote counts and the types of grants change from year to year. Some topics include: arts and culture, animals, community engagement, K-12 education, environmental, health, human rights, job opportunities, population retention, poverty, downtown revitalization, public safety, women & girls, youth engagement
A: Anyone of age 21-45 can join NextGen Rochester who find value in grantmaking to local charitable causes and addressing community needs. Our grant levels start at $100 per member, annually. This includes not only Monroe County, but the 9-County Greater Rochester Region.
A: Each year 8-10 organizations are selected to present at the Showcase and members vote on which organizations to make grants to.
A: Yes, each month, NextGen Rochester visits a non-profit to learn more about what they do and volunteer efforts they have. Many times, these will be finalists or winners from our Annual Showcase.
A: To subscribe to NextGen Rochester, please visit https://nextgenroc.org/
A: NextGen Rochester is a program of Rochester Area Community Foundation Initiatives, Inc. https://racf.org