Elizabeth C. Wilder, Executive Director

Lisa M. Dahl, Program Director

Communications Director

    Our Board of Directors

Founded in 1974, the Rochester Grantmakers Forum is a regional association of grantmakers, one of 30 in the U.S. that belong to the national Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers .

While the Grantmakers Forum focuses primarily on serving grantmakers, the Forum's goals and programs also assist nonprofit organizations to develop closer partnerships with funders, provide research about the state of philanthropy in the greater Rochester area, and bring funders, government, business, civic associations and nonprofits together to discuss philanthropic issues and opportunities that affect the nonprofit sector.

Since its inception the Forum's core region has included Monroe County and the five contiguous counties: Orleans, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario and Genesee. In addition, the Grantmakers Forum directs the Funders Alliance of Upstate New York , an association of funders from 52 counties of Upstate New York. We welcome inquiries from funders throughout Upstate New York, as well as those headquartered elsewhere who make grants in Upstate New York.

What we do                                                                                       

Services for Funders :

Services For Nonprofit Organizations .  

The Grantmakers Forum does not make grants, nor does it provide information and referral for individual nonprofit organizations about their fundraising efforts. For this assistance, the Grantmakers Forum publishes The Guide to Grantmakers in the Rochester Area . 

The Grantmakers Forum is interested in the effectiveness and evaluation skills of nonprofit service providers and grantmakers alike, and has participated in the Rochester Effectiveness Partnership (REP).   This program, now completed, focused on the practice of program evaluation.   Reports about the Rochester Effectiveness Partnership are available on this website.