Community Event Sponsorship Application
We are currently accepting applications for events taking place in Q3 (August, September, October, and Q4 (November, December, January) for 2026, and we encourage you to apply as early as possible to increase your chances of receiving support.
Please note: At this time, we have fully allocated all available funds for events taking place in March, April, May, June, and July. If you are applying for an event during this timeframe, your request will be automatically declined due to limited funding availability, even if you are applying during the usual one-month time window. We appreciate your understanding and encourage you to apply again for an upcoming event in a future quarter or for this same event next year.
The Greater Rochester Health Foundation recognizes that engaging community events and fundraising events can forge meaningful connections between nonprofit organizations and the people they serve. Through our Community Event Fund, open to Health Foundation grantees as well as other mission-aligned nonprofit organizations in our nine-county area of service, we strive to support events that advance health equity and initiatives within the region.
These events can include:
- Annual dinners, luncheons, and galas
- Athletic fundraising events (golf tournaments, charity runs, etc.)
- Health fairs/screenings/vaccine clinics
- Educational events for the community
- Staff trainings
All applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, and we ask that all applicants follow these guidelines when submitting a request:
- We only accept submission of request through the online portal. No telephone requests or emailed applications will be reviewed.
- Submission request maximum is $5,000.
Ineligible applicants and activities:
- We cannot fund government entities, political groups or organizations, or capital campaigns.
- We only support events where both the planning and the funding are handled locally. If your organization is part of a national entity, please ensure that any sponsorship funds will be received and used directly by your local chapter. We no longer fund events where payments are routed through a national headquarters before reaching the local level.
The Health Foundation reviews event sponsorship requests on a rolling basis within each quarter. While you may apply at any time up to one month before your event date, funding is limited and may be fully allocated before the quarter ends due to high demand. To increase your chances of receiving support, we strongly encourage you to apply as early as possible. We review event sponsorship requests by quarter, based on the date of your event, not the date you apply. Our quarters are:
- Q1: February, March, April
- Q2: May, June, July
- Q3: August, September, October
- Q4: November, December, January
We structure our calendar this way to ensure we can support events happening in January, without delays. Make sure to check which quarter your event falls into and apply as early as possible within that quarter to increase your chances of receiving funding.
Please note:
- You must apply at least four weeks (1 month) prior to your event. Events applied for less than 1 month in advance will be declined.
- If your event is in the current quarter, you will typically receive a decision within one month of your application.
- If your event is in a future quarter, you will not hear from us until the quarter in which your event occurs.
If we are unable to sponsor your event due to limited availability of funds, we encourage you to apply again for a future event in a different quarter.
We kindly ask that you refrain from reaching out for updates prior to the notification timeline outlined above.
Greater Rochester Health Foundation will consider funding one event per organization per calendar year. Submission of an event does not guarantee funding.