Rome Community Foundation logo

Rome Community Foundation

Public charity · Grantmaker Rome, NY EIN: 16-1574338 Website

Rome Community Foundation is a public charity based in Rome, New York, formed in 1999. It provides grants for charitable projects benefiting the Rome area community, with its own materials describing support for local nonprofits and municipalities.

Rome Community Foundation at a glance

In short: Rome Community Foundation gave $266K across 17 grants in 2024 (avg $16K), mostly in New York. 53% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.

Annual giving (2024)
$266,356
+48.5% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
17
+30.8% vs 2023
Average grant
$15,668
+13.6% vs 2023
Median grant
$12,042
Total assets
$8,305,366
+9.5% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
53% first-time grantees (9 of 17, 2024; small sample)
Primary geography
New York (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Rome Community Foundation

How to Apply

The foundation accepts requests by application form or letter. Unless there is an emergency, requests are considered quarterly by the grants committee and board.

Review Cycle
Requests are generally due on or about February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1 for the respective calendar quarters. Larger Stevens-Kingsley Fund requests should be submitted by November 1 for fall consideration.
Deadline
Requests are generally due on or about February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1 for the respective calendar quarters.
Contact

Mailing address: Pobox 609, Rome, NY 13440
Phone: (315) 336-4700
Website: https://romecommunityfoundation.org

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Rome Community Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Capital Civic Center Inc: $34KCapital Civic Center Inc$34KMVHS Foundation: $31KMVHS Foundation$31KRome Cemetery Assoc: $27KRome Cemetery Assoc$27KMVCC Foundation: $25KMVCC Foundation$25KKelberman Center: $20KKelberman Center$20KRome Memorial Hospital: $20KRome Memorial Hospital$20KZion Episcopal Church: $14KZion Episcopal Church$14KRome Art and Community Center: $13KRome Art and Community Center$13KCopper City Community: $12KCopper City Community$12KMercy Flight Center: $12KMercy Flight Center$12K

The largest 2024 recipient was Capital Civic Center Inc ($34K). Together the top 10 received $208K.

Grant Size Distribution

79 grants across all recorded years

79<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 79 grants of 79 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation’s stated purpose is to benefit Rome area residents, and its 2024 filing says it ensures grantees are local nonprofit organizations or municipalities. All grant dollars reported for 2024 went to recipients in New York.

Grant Distribution by State

1state

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.

States

Cities

RomeUticaCanandaiguaNew HartfordWesternvilleMohawkCantonLee CenterSyracuseTabergYorkville

Is Rome Community Foundation open to new grantees?

53%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 9 of 17 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $16K. How we count

Medians: $9K first-time, $14K repeat.

  • 29% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 36% from 2021 to 2024. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K19 grants2020 18 grants2021 12 grants2022 13 grants2023 17 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $160K (2022) to $266K (2024). In 2024 it made 17 grants totaling $266K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Capital Civic Center Inc Rome, NYFor Roof Repairs from Damage from Tornado$34,000
MVHS Foundation Utica, NYAdvanced training equipment for rome fd sand ems personnel to learn advancedlife saving techniques$31,433
Rome Cemetery Assoc Rome, NYPurchase of a New Mower$27,000
MVCC Foundation Utica, NYConstruction of a dental hygiene school and clinic on mvcc's rome campus$25,000
Kelberman Center Utica, NYPayment of Challenge Grant from 2022$20,000
Rome Memorial Hospital Rome, NYInstallment payment on 100,000 pledge for new surgical center$20,000
Zion Episcopal Church Rome, NYCeiling and Bell Tower Repair$14,000
Rome Art and Community Center Rome, NYArtletics Summer Camp$13,000
Copper City Community Rome, NYNew Water Tank$12,042
Mercy Flight Center Canandaigua, NYLaptops and Desktops Computers$12,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsNet Investment Income
2024$8,305,366$607,638$554,069$266,35617$389,219
2023$7,582,505$817,795$453,797$179,34013$372,156
2022$6,695,623$673,131$372,732$160,03012$411,285
2021$7,711,172$1,435,547$423,082$195,71118$578,209
2020$6,460,773$92,150$390,022$209,51619$6,206

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation’s stated mission is “to assist in providing monetary resources for the present and future enrichment of the Rome area community.” Its 2024 filing describes donor-advised funds supporting a wide range of local needs, including capital projects, and discretionary funds responding to community requests. It also reports scholarship funds for graduates of Rome high schools and students at Rome Catholic School.

The foundation generally funds capital projects and may consider one-time start-up costs for charitable initiatives. Its grants have included support for facilities, equipment, repairs, and community programs. Among its 2024 grantees, Kelberman Center described its work as serving people with autism spectrum disorder and related learning challenges; Rome Memorial Hospital described providing care primarily to Rome and surrounding-area residents; and Rome Art and Community Center described its mission as providing cultural awareness programs. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $266,356. Grant amounts ranged from $5,585 to $34,000, with a median of $12,042. Notable awards included $34,000 to Capitol Civic Center for tornado-damaged roof repairs; $31,433 to MVHS Foundation for advanced training equipment for Rome fire department and EMS personnel; $27,000 to Rome Cemetery Association for a new mower; and $25,000 to MVCC Foundation for construction of a dental hygiene school and clinic on its Rome campus.

Applications may be submitted using the foundation’s grant application form or by letter. Initial requests should include a separate project description and estimates of completion costs. Grants are generally limited to charitable projects and are generally made to tax-exempt organizations with a tax-exempt certificate or to governmental organizations. The foundation’s policy is to refrain from funding operating expenses. Emergency requests may be considered before the regular review dates. Larger requests to the Stevens-Kingsley Fund are generally referred to its advisory board in the fall; applications for that consideration should be submitted by November 1.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists David C. Grow as president; Lynn Rosen as vice president; Robert R. Ritz as treasurer; and Robert Johnson, Deborah Twomey, Mark Hinman, Frank DiBerardino III, Kirk Hinman, J. Kevin O’Shea, and Douglas Bartell as directors.

The foundation’s website identifies Victor J. Fariello, Jr. as executive director and Roberta Cavano as grants committee chair.

Rome Community Foundation is led by David C. Grow, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 17 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • David C. Grow

    President

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Deborah Twomey

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Dennis Surace

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Douglas Bartell

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Frank Diberardino III

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • J. Kevin O'Shea

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Joseph Griffo

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kirk Hinman

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mark Hinman

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mary Chmielewski

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Robert Bojanek

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Robert Johnson

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Roberta Cavano

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Stephen Waters

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jennifer Deweerth

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Lynn Rosen

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Robert R. Ritz

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (5)
  • Former: Franca Armstrong (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Julie Grow Denton (2020–2022) — Secretary
  • Former: William Guglielmo (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Charles M. Sprock (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: John Mazzaferro (2020) — Director

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Frequently asked questions about Rome Community Foundation

How much does Rome Community Foundation give each year?

Rome Community Foundation gave $266K across 17 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $179K across 13 grants.

What is Rome Community Foundation's typical grant size?

Rome Community Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $12,042, and its average grant was $15,668, across 17 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Rome Community Foundation that year got $15K on average.

Where does Rome Community Foundation give grants?

Rome Community Foundation gives mostly in New York: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Rome, NY (7 grants) and Utica, NY (5 grants).

Does Rome Community Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2024: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Rome Community Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.

Who are Rome Community Foundation's largest grantees?

Rome Community Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Capital Civic Center Inc ($34,000), MVHS Foundation ($31,433) and Rome Cemetery Assoc ($27,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Rome Community Foundation?

Rome Community Foundation reported $8.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $608K.

What does Rome Community Foundation fund?

The foundation’s stated mission is “to assist in providing monetary resources for the present and future enrichment of the Rome area community.” See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Rome Community Foundation?

The foundation accepts requests by application form or letter. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Rome Community Foundation's EIN?

Rome Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 16-1574338. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 11, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 17, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 7, 2025)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Rome Community Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/rome-community-foundation-morg_74143196eed54dd29e32fdd7b9e125f7

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_161574338_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Rome Community Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/rome-community-foundation-morg_74143196eed54dd29e32fdd7b9e125f7},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-15. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}

The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.

Figures come from Rome Community Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.

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