Our Mission
To amplify the voices of all women and girls in the Greater Rochester Area and to break down barriers to success through equitable philanthropy and transformative community partnerships.
Our Vision
We envision a future where all women and girls are recognized, consulted, and regarded as the ultimate stakeholder in their futures and change agents in our community. WFGV will do so by:
Advocating for women and girls by way of fundraising, educational programming, research, and equitable grant making.
Partnering with those we support, collaborating with community agencies, foundations, and corporations.
Striving for excellence in all that we do, passionately putting our community first, and lead by serving others.
Delivering measurable results.
Promoting greater social change and making a true difference in the lives of women and girls impacted by poverty.
We Support Women & Girls
by Amplifying Their Voices.
The Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley was established in 1994 to manage a permanent endowment that would create lasting social change by investing in programs that benefit women and girls. Women in our community volunteer to raise, manage and distribute the funds. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded over $2.8M to programs that have proven successful in helping women and girls achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Our Impact
$2.8+
MILLION DOLLARS awarded
Since 1994, the Foundation has awarded more than 260+ grants totaling $1.9 million to more than 100 organizations that have a direct and positive impact on the economic status of women and girls in our region.
1800+
WOMEN & GIRLS SUPPORTED YEARLY
Our grants fund programs that align with our mission and provide a hand up to women and girls who are overcoming the barriers of poverty.
600+
TEEN GIRLS IMPACTED YEARLY
The Girls’ Initiative — through a group of volunteer mentors—empowers over 600 teen girls each year to overcome challenges, stay in school, set career goals, and give back to the community.
The Need
Women and children of the Rochester region are disproportionately affected by poverty as documented in the findings of the study on the economic status of women by the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley. The minimum income a family needs for ordinary living costs (food, housing, transportation, health care, child care) is far higher than the federal poverty threshold and also significantly higher than what someone working full-time at the minimum wage can earn. Half of all households headed by women have incomes too small to meet basic needs. The burden of poverty falls disproportionately on women—especially African-American, Hispanic, and Indigenous women of the North American continent. The study also found that 62% of households in poverty were headed by women; of those, more than 93% had children under the age of 18 years. In addition, 34% of women who had dropped out of high school were living in poverty.