ESL Provides 150 Grants in Second Quarter to Nonprofit Organizations in the Greater Rochester Region
The grants totaling more than $7 million will help support organizations that provide critical services and programs for individuals and families throughout the community.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — August 9, 2024 — In the second quarter of 2024, ESL awarded 150 grants for a total of $7.4 million to local organizations that provide critical services and programs to individuals and families.
“The crucial work of our community partners is producing positive and measurable results that are having a direct impact on individuals and families throughout our community,” said Maureen Wolfe, executive vice president /director, human resource and community impact, ESL Federal Credit Union. “ESL is motivated and inspired to collaborate with our partners in order to help support the growth and prosperity of the Greater Rochester region.”
ESL and its Community Impact team partners with and reinvests in the community through philanthropic grants aligned with expanding individual opportunity through quality education and employment, building strong neighborhoods that are affordable and connected, and strengthening organizations. The team also works to share stories that highlight the positive, measurable outcomes of this important, benevolent work in the community.
“Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 Critical Home Repair Program built a mobility ramp for one of our clients who is preparing to age in place and has just secured his first electric scooter to make getting around easier.,” said Julie Allen, marketing and communications manager, Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity. “His daughter says ‘he refuses to accept help unless he really needs it, so he rides his scooter on the sidewalk down to the market. It gives him some independence that he’s not ready to give up. It’s a sight to see, but at least we know he’s got support. This ramp will make that independence more attainable, longer’.”
A sample of the organizations that received grant commitments from ESL include:
Organization: Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity
Project Title: 2024 Critical Home Repair Program
Grant Awarded: $458,800.00
Description: Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity provides programs and services to support affordable, quality housing and critical repairs needed to ensure the longevity of those homes for hundreds of families in the region. In collaboration with community partners, these programs help build homes, strengthen communities, and foster hope.
Organization: Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board Inc.
Project Title: Finger Lakes Regional Career Connections Coordinator
Grant Awarded: $200,000.00
Description: Funding for this year two-year regional coordinator position will help build and maintain training for employment programs among high school students preparing to enter work-based education and training programs. These programs are designed to lead directly to employment with partnering employers.
Organization: GLOW YMCA (Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Wyoming counties)
Project Title: Summer Funding for Youth Development
Grant Awarded: $136,000.00
Description: Serving four counties, GLOW YMCA provides summer programming to approximately 1,500 youth in the four-county region to support the continuing development and education of youth.
About ESL Federal Credit Union
With more than 100 years of locally owned history, ESL Federal Credit Union serves as a full-service financial institution to more than 425,000 members and 16,600 businesses. Founded in 1920, the company provides personal banking, business banking, mortgage services and wealth management services through its locally based 24-branch network; telephone, mobile and online banking; and live chat center.
The Rochester-based financial institution employs approximately 950 people in the Greater Rochester area and holds more than $9.2 billion in assets. Since 1996, ESL has paid out 29 consecutive Owners’ Dividends to its members totaling more than $290 million. Since the creation of its Community Impact initiative in 2018, ESL has reinvested more than $100 million in grants throughout the community. The company has appeared on Great Place to Work® lists since 2010. ESL Federal Credit Union is headquartered at 225 Chestnut Street, in Rochester, and can be found online at www.esl.org.