Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation

About Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation

The Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by large, repeated support for Rochester’s Jewish communal institutions. Its biggest grant in the latest data is $2,156,000 to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester, and the same community infrastructure pattern appears in sizeable support for the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Rochester and Jewish Family Services of Rochester Inc. Across the recent grants list, the foundation also backs Jewish senior services, synagogues, youth-serving organizations, and local education and community partners. That mix points to a funder focused on sustaining the organizations that hold Jewish life together in the Rochester area, rather than dispersing support across many unrelated causes. The recent record includes recurring grants to the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Rochester in both 2023 and 2024, and repeated support to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester over multiple years as well. The foundation’s portfolio also extends beyond core Jewish institutions to groups such as The Center for Youth Services Inc, The YMCA of Greater Rochester, and the University of Rochester, all receiving meaningful support in Rochester. Program descriptions show additional emphasis on Jewish identity, summer camp access, arts, and community response.

What Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation Funds

One major thread is Jewish communal life. The foundation gave $1,807,600 in 2023 and $1,622,500 in 2024 to the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Rochester for charitable purposes, and it also made general operating support grants for Jewish Life in the Rochester area. A second area is direct community services. The foundation granted $544,203 in 2025 to Jewish Family Services of Rochester Inc, alongside other support for community response efforts and social services in the Rochester area. Youth and enrichment also appear in the portfolio. The foundation gave $952,500 in 2025 to The Center for Youth Services Inc, and its Project Campfire campership program covers the full cost of one session at Camp Seneca Lake for Jewish youth in Monroe, Ontario, and Wayne counties. Arts funding is another named priority, with separate creative-arts and arts program areas supporting organizations serving Monroe and Ontario Counties and emphasizing arts education and access.

How Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation Gives