Rochester Area Foundation

About Rochester Area Foundation

A $1.54 million grant to Olmsted County Hra for housing is the clearest marker of Rochester Area Foundation’s recent giving: the foundation backs large local investments alongside smaller community and scholarship awards. Across the recent grant list, housing, health and human services, youth and families, education, and community development appear repeatedly, with most recipients in Rochester and nearby Minnesota communities. The foundation’s work is place-based. Its grants support organizations that deliver housing assistance, food access, family services, youth programming, and neighborhood development in the greater Rochester area. Rochester Area Foundation also funds community institutions such as Channel One Regional Food Bank, Family Service Rochester, and the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester, showing a mix of direct service and civic infrastructure support. Scholarships are another visible part of the portfolio. The organization administers RAF-managed scholarships and other scholarship pathways for local students pursuing higher education, making education support a recurring line of work rather than an isolated grant category. Alongside that, the foundation uses community-voted and donor-advised channels, which points to a grantmaking model that combines staff-led philanthropy with donor and community participation.

What Rochester Area Foundation Funds

Housing is one of the strongest themes in the recent grant list. Rochester Area Foundation gave $700,075 to First Homes Properties for general support in 2025 and $632,880 to the same organization in 2023 for program support, while also awarding $142,188 to Three Rivers Community Action for housing. Health and human services is another consistent area. Grants include $150,060 to Mayo Clinic Department of Development for health and human services, $95,770 to Channel One Regional Food Bank for health and human services, and $92,250 to Family Service Rochester for health and human services. The foundation also supports youth and family work. Boys & Girls Club of Rochester received $97,640 in 2025 and $55,540 in 2024 for youth and families, and New Life Family Services received $54,000 in 2024 for youth and families. Education and community development round out the picture, with $96,500 to University of Minnesota Foundation for education and $68,380 to United Way of Olmsted County for community development.

How Rochester Area Foundation Gives